I am an undergraduate and so therefore I am not teaching yet, but I can see where it would be hard to include recess if it is all put on you as far as when to include it. I feel that giving the children recess is very important because that is their time to actually get out ,have fun, and just get all of their energy out of their system.  I can understand how it would be difficult in your case, when there is so much needed to be taught. Like I said, I'm not teaching yet, so, I'm not much help.

I too am in Alisa's same situation. I am also an undergraduate and can see that when the task of deciding when and where to conduct recess is put in your hands, there is most definitely a lot of pressure. However I have had a great deal of time to witness the effect that no recess can have on a group of students. One of the classes in which I can remember this in particular was when a severe storm came through our area and the students were not allowed to play outside for their designated recess time. The problem kids in the class nearly spun themselves through the ceiling and little could be made progressively of the class for the whole day. Although I can see that it is difficult to fit in that outdoor play time, I have also witnessed that without it, yes, you do have more instructional time but, how productive is that time if the students are all wound up? Given, this is all through the eyes of one whom has not yet had the responsibility of her own classroom yet . I view this situation’s productivity as made through its routine. I suppose that if there has never been a portion of the students’ routines allocated to recess time, they won’t miss it and won’t be effected by the absence of it.

I am an undergraduate student as well, so I will not be teaching until next year.  I am doing my internship in Birmingham, AL spring of 2009.  This is a really difficult situation to read about because after reading this I really feel for the students.  I don't really understand why the district has restricted students older than 2nd grade from having recess.  I feel that recess is such an important time for students to get their energy out and go out and have some fun.  I just know that when I was in elementary school I couldn't wait for recess just so I could relax for twenty minutes and have some time to myself.  The schools back at home where I am from in Birmingham all have every grade from K-5 go outside for recess.  But I do understand where you are coming from because it is very stressful on your part because you are trying to teach all of the things you need to in one day.  I am so sorry that I am not much of help yet since I am an undergraduate, but I do hope you figure something out so that you will be able to take your students outside for recess as well as fitting in all of the things you have to teach.

I know plenty of schools that still have recess every day, but I don't know how they fit it all in.  I don't think that having a 'play time' attached to lunch is a good idea because some of the kids will rush through lunch and either not eat enough or get sick once they run around in the heat.  I don't really think that is a good idea.  My solution would be to have the breaks like you already have each day and then have recess one or two days a week.  I believe that kids need a time during the day to simply be kids.  They need to run around and play, especially now that physical education has been cut out of many school systems.  A lot of the students aren't getting the exercise they need at home, so the school needs to provide some time each week that they can get this.  I know that it could be stressful to fit everything into one day, but we can't forget to let the students be kids for a little while each day.  The have so much energy to exert and need an outlet for that.

I am an undergraduate student I have had a great amount of experience in the classroom with teachers who have had many years of experience. I have seen many situations just as the one mentioned above where the teachers just cut out social studies and science which I found to be very non beneficial to the students. I also have been with teachers who have classroom procedures for recess. These procedures must be followed each day for the students to be able to go to recess. Knowing and following these procedures cut down on time loss and the teachers were able to incorporate every subject and the students also did not lose thier recess. I believe there is a time and way that teachers can conduct recess for their classroom and it work effectively but each classroom and situation is different. It is up to the teacher to find the effective way to implement this in thier day.

I am an undergrad student like alisa so i don't have extensive experience in the classroom but I have grown up working with many different teachers and in many different classrooms. The teacher I worked with for my pre-teaching had a great recess policy that I hope to adopt in my classroom. She said she would never take an entire recess away from her class because that was punishment to her. She would take up to 15 minutes of recess away individual students but never the entire class. Her reasoning behind this was that if her students could not get their built up energy out during recess she would have to deal with it towards the end of the day when the students are getting more and more restless. I think that her policy is a great one but then I am not having to deal with the time constraints and teaching requirements just yet. I do think that taking the recess time and using it for an activity in the classroom that allows the students to be active and out of their seats is ok if the day also includes PE.

I am an undergraduate student, therefore I am not teaching yet, but I understand how recess is hard to fit into you schedule. Although, I do believe that having recess allows kids to get their energy out, so that they can have a break from working hard. Recess does not have to be mandatory but can be a great thing for kids to have. Recess also allows students to get that exercise that they may not get when not at school. A suggestion that can help with this situation is maybe have recess every other day, rather than having it everday. I do know that several schools do still have recess and the follow the procedures by staying on time.

I am an undergraduate student also, but I can imagine how hard it is for you to try to get everything accomplished in one day. Although, I think that the students should be able to have some time out of the day to go and play and just have fun. I feel like even at 3rd, 4th, and 5th grade students should have this oppurtunity just to get out of the classroom and away from learning, because they can get really tired and not concentrate very well. I feel like it shouldn't be cut off at 2nd grade. I understand, though, that you need the time to teach everything, but at the same time you should make some point in your week or a short time in the day planned out especially for recess. You might need to set up a routine that the students should follow in order to get ready for recess and when coming back to not lose as much class time for teaching.

I am an undergraduate student as well. It must be hard to manage all of the subjects and recess. I am a big believer in teaching science and social studies, even if you have to squeeze a little in everyday. But, I also want to include recess in my day so I am trying to figure out how to this. Children need time to let loose and play because if not we start to lose their interest. So, i think why not have recess for a little bit. If I keep teaching and they feel overwhelmed then they will not pay attention any way. But if oxygen gets into their brain, they will learn more and it will be more meaningful. I would like to set up a quick routine so that we get right back to work when we come in from recess.

Joining the others, I am an undergraduate student too. I understand that it is hard to fit so much instruction into one day and that recess would use too much time during the day. However, I still believe that they should be able to have recess. During recess, they are able to get get exercise from moving around, and it gives their minds a little break. Students can't sit in a sit for a very long period of time and work so hard. They need that 15 minute break to be a kid and run/play. I have a hard time in my classes when we are not given a break from instruction. I can't even imagine a child trying to do that. A routine for your students might help them know that they are allowed recess but they have to be ready to come back and work. It's like you give a little to them, and they give a little back to you. We already have a child obesity problem in our country and not having recess will make it so much worse.

Our grade level (2) chose to stop having a recess other than lunchtime 2 years ago. We felt  a real time crunch when the district was pushing to have PE every day. So we cut our afternoon recess to do organized PE. We don't mind the change except for the fact that we used to use that 20 minute recess for individual tutoring. Some teachers don't do the PE regularly due to time constraints. It's very hard because we also are pressured to have test scores up! Our principal lets us make these decisions as a team, though, so that's great.

I am a classroom teacher who has been teaching for 14 years.  Currently, I teach 3rd grade.  We have one recess each day for 30 minutes.  In addition, the students have Physical Education classes twice each week for 30 minutes each class period.  I understand the concerns about time; there is never enough time to teach everything.  We actually have the option of splitting our recess into two 15-minute segments--one in the moring and a second recess in the afternoon.  We tried that for a while and didn't like it because of the wasted transition time.  I firmly believe the students need a break each day.  Even when I attend professional development workshops I'm given two 15-minute breaks!  In my experience, most kids who do not get a break end up disrupting the class one way or another.  As for testing...sure it's important, but don't forget the big picture.  We are growing kids, not robots.

Let me clarify...my students can go to the restroom whenever they want, get a drink whenever they want. Their lunch recess is 40 minutes. We do not have music teachers or art teachers or PE teachers-we do it all ourselves. After teaching for 27 years, I am waiting for the pendulum to swing back to lessen the focus on testing. I used to be a lot more fun, really!!! :0) To give my class more activity and "brain breaks" I have a management system called Jaguar Paws. I think I'll explain it in my blog tomorrow.

I am at a school that has 30 minutes for recess everyday. That includes 5 minutes to get there, 20 minutes to play, and 5 minutes to get lined up and back in. Now usually, it's more like 15 minutes to play because it takes us a while to get cleaned up and out there. We turn our classes over to the two teachers on our level who have recess duty and that is our time to eat and then we flip-flop with them and take the kids for lunch. This is the first year that we tried having recess before lunch and it worked out great! The kids get their break after working in class, but it's not as hard to line them up after recess because they are hungry and want to go in. This also put a stop to the kids getting sick from playing on a full tummy. When it is time to leave the cafeteria, the kids know it is back to lessons and they are much better behaved because they had time to wind down at lunch. We were lucky that the principal allowed us to experiment with this and we asked her to allow us to try it again this upcoming year. I don't sacrifice Science or Social Studies for this and I teach them every day.

While I agree with you that teaching the material needed to be successful on the testing is important, I think that some sort of p.e. is necessary.  Especially with the way children are nowadays.  It is very important for the students to get some sort of physical exercise each day at school.  Most children go home and sit inside watching t.v. or playing games after school and they get no exercise whatsoever.  For the physical health of students it is very important for a teacher to incorporate p.e. into the lesson.  I know you feel that you may not be able to cover all the material that you could if you skipped out on p.e., but it is crucial to the children's development that they are allowed to get outside and exercise.  Also, it is hard to keep the students interest in the lessons all day long without allowing their brains some sort of relaxing rest period.  I think it is very sad and disappointing that your school system does not see the importance of physical exercise.  I know it would be much easier on you if your school had a p.e. instructor and the kids took p.e. as a class period.  I know it takes away from your teaching time, but remember how important it is for the students to be able to get outside, play a little, and get some exercise.  

When I was growing up I remember counting down the minutes until recess, and yes I do agree that the minutes leading up to recess are very unproductive because the children just stop working.  Recess seemed like it was really long when I was school and I am not sure if it was or I just thought it was, but now being as a pre-service teacher I realize that recess is only 10 minutes long or not even existent.  The school that I just worked in had recess for 10 minutes in the morning but they also had PE every single day for 30 minutes which was just like a recess.  This seemed strange to me because PE when I was growing up only met once a week.  I really like the idea of having PE every single day, but I am unsure if both PE and recess are necessary.  In the classroom I worked in we did not waste time in transitions because in from recess we walked straight to the cafeteria to eat lunch and then back to the classroom and it was like a full circle. I do not agree with cutting all physical education or free time out of the curriculum because it gives students time to relax, step away from something for a minute, and it is a great time for students to learn appropriate social skills which I feel is very important for students in this day and age.  I hope it all works out for you, but I really hope my school offers recess for a small amount!

I do think it is important for the students to have recess.  I agree with sophie that recess is a great time for the students to interact with others and learn real social skills.  I cannot imagine young elementary students working on assignments all day with no break to run around and play.  I think recess is entirely needed and helpful for productivity.  I feel like the students are more productive when they sit down to work after they have had the opportunity to run outside and get their energy out.  I have a difficult time getting first graders to sit still and work for an hour, much less a whole day! Students need recess and a break, just like the teachers! Recess is healthy for everyone and enables students to mingle and learn how to get along with others.  I really hope my future schools continue to have recess, everyone needs a time to relax!

No P.E, art or music?! That is so overwhelming and sad. I can't imagine having to do all that plus integrating testing and all the subjects you are supposed to be teaching not to mention all the other things like h,w,getting settled, announcements etc that are not incorporated directly. Like the majority of responders I am still an undergrad and I can tell you I will be sitting in classes discussing how many schools dont have these programs and all the things that general educators are responsible for and I am already overwhelmed without the reality of it all. However I do believe that recess is extremely important. Are there ways that you could incoporate lessons outside? Like with science? Would making it structured recess be better? Yes, it is a time for the kids to play but as you said many times that just leads to more choas and wasted time without the students really benefiting from the recess time like they are supposed to. When I was in 5th grade we had kickball tournaments and it was a HUGE DEAL. we wouldnt go out everyday but everyone had to participate and we scrimaged our class and then as the year went on we would scrimmage other classes until the final match. This encouraged not only our class to behave but others as well because if one class got in trouble they were not allowed to scrimmage that week. And it actually helped with team building and problem-solving (incorporating math) because those who were stronger players helped the weaker, we learned what was our best line-up mixing boys & girls etc. In the beginning of the year it was mostly guys dominating but then we realized that didnt help and had to figuere out things on our own. I am still passionate about that after all these years, so maybe you could get with some other teachers or do something similar? I have no doubt that you are a fun teacher, just overwhelmed. Please let us know what you decide and how it goes! Best of luck!

When I was in elementary school I couldn't imagine not going to recess. I think we went to recess up to 4th grade. I loved recess and even though it is taking away a little bit of time out of class I still think students need a time to go let loose and run around. I hated being in my classroom and the only getting time to move around was when we went to "specials". If the students do not get that time to move around then they will start acting up in the classroom and start getting wild. This would take longer to get the class back and calm then down and instead they could have been at recess the entire time.

When I was in elementary school I couldn't imagine not going to recess. I think we went to recess up to 4th grade. I loved recess and even though it is taking away a little bit of time out of class I still think students need a time to go let loose and run around. I hated being in my classroom and the only getting time to move around was when we went to "specials". If the students do not get that time to move around then they will start acting up in the classroom and start getting wild. This would take longer to get the class back and calm then down and instead they could have been at recess the entire time.

The class I was placed in this past spring semester for my methods classes did not have recess.  The school I was at gave recess to everyone but the fifth graders, who I was working with.  The three fifth grade teachers came up with a program that they called "team time" that was done on Fridays and sometimes during this time they would take the students out for recess.  At first I thought that this was odd because I remember when I was in elementary school in Georgia that I had recess everyday; even if it rained we would play games like heads up 7 or silent ball in our classroom.  I thought that it was unfair that the fifth graders I was working with were not given the chance to have the free time recess allows but then the more I thought about it I knew that the teachers would not be able to fit everything in.  These students like yours received science and social studies everyday and were given the opportunity to switch classes and learn from all three teachers.  I think that recess is a good idea for the younger grades especially during the fall semester when school just starts but as students get older recess can be phased out.  

I know you have had a lot of comments from undergraduate students and I am another one of them. I know I have not had my own classroom but I have been in others classrooms and been able to see how they handle recess. I have seen teachers have a block for it before the students go to lunch because that way you leave the classroom to go to the playground and then afterwards use the restroom if needed and go straight to the lunchroom to pick up your lunch. I think this really works because the students have a routine of what they are to be doing and know they have to do it in a timely manner because there is an assigned time to go to the lunch line. The other thing that helped the students stay on task up until this moment is that they know they are to work until dismissed or they will lose time on the playground. This really worked because they worked well and even cleaned up their areas well because they were dismissed by table groups and that was one of the requirements for being dismissed. Also, I do not know if you ever have additional people in your classroom but by the teacher having me in her room if students were off tasks they would stay with me during that time and finish the work they should have to allowed to go. This was a method for making recess a reward not just something they got.

I am an undergraduate student as well. I am in school at Auburn University and will be interning in the Spring of 09. I am shock to hear this. When I was growing up recess was always apart of our daily activities. We did not have it every day but on the days we did not have P.E. we would go to recess for at least once a day maybe even twice. I went to a wonderful private school and feel like I was very well educated. We had recess all the way up to 6th grade. I understand times have changes and schools have put more and more emphasize on reading time and extended the time you have to spend on reading. I feel as those if recess is a great time for children to be children and to get a break from learning all day long. Children need a break and a time to play. This helps their brains learn better because they come back ready to learn again. Their minds get a break from constant school work. I do not understand why students are given 40 minutes for lunch. Children do not need this long to eat lunch and play? Why play while at lunch? This sounds like a hazard to me and they could use 15 minutes for lunch and 15 minutes for recess and 10 to go to the bathroom and get water and get back into the classroom to learn once again. This is just my input on it. I haven't taught yet but I would want my students to have recess so that they can get out and run around. Children need to play. There has been many studies showing that play helps children learn. Good luck with everything.