Recess: A Relic of Childhood


I would have never thought that the concept of recess would become an afterthought in education. As a adult whose formative years were between 1978 (Kindergarten)- 1991 (High School), I was blessed to have had both recess and physical education classes. I can imagine that if they were not present in my childhood my life would be much different. Recess has life time ramifications and as a society we should protest when it is cut out of students lives-whether permanently or partially. 

Recess allows students to have a break. Students can release tremendous amounts of energy during recess. Doing so helps students stay on task in school, ultimately helping them to be successful in school.

Having recess outside exposes students to nature, something that is necessary for our well-being. Try staying indoors with no access to natural light for extended periods of time and see how you feel. 

Recess serves as a stress reliever. Yes, students do experience stress just as adults and they need to find ways to relieve stress constructively. Recess is the best antidote for that. 

The number one reason for recess is its health benefit. As we have cut recess and have had more access to technology we have seen obesity rates rise in students. For the first time probably in a century, possibly ever, we are seeing children under the age of 18 developing diseases that usually develop in adulthood. 

It is a scary thought to know that the quality of life for these students is bleak and the solution is simple: 

Re-instate recess and physical education programs in all schools. 

The question is "Have we sacrificed our students overall health just because we want to say we have the top test scores?"  I would hope not, but unfortunately this has become the norm in our society. 

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