Cutting Recess

As I mentioned in my kindergarten orientation post, I have a major issue with the school’s idea of recess, or rather lack thereof. I found out that Jake will only get 15 minutes of recess per day. This is a full-day kindergarten, 6.5 hours. They’ll be doing 1.5 hours of language arts, another hour of writing and nearly an hour of math. They’ll be expected to sit through all that, but only be given 15 minutes to really blow off steam. 15 minutes. Per day. For five year old children. I’m sorry, but this is completely fricken appalling to me. When I was in elementary school, we had morning and afternoon recess, and I’m sure they were longer than 10 minutes.  The Pennsylvania Department of Education website has a sample full-day kindergarten schedule that lists two recess periods- a half hour morning recess and a lunch recess. The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention recommend that children get 60 minutes of active time a day and that much of this time could be given during school hours. KidsHealth.org explains several benefits of motivating kids to be active, including strong muscles and bones, a better outlook on life, weight control and better sleep.

The school  instituted healthier eating policies, banning celebrations treats such as cupcakes and Halloween candy. They’re encouraging parents to pack only healthy lunches and snacks. But at the same time, they’re cutting way back on the amount of exercise children are getting. East Stroudsburg elementary schools proudly proclaim that they pass the nationwide tests every year. Their kids are academically sound. But at what price? Is it all about teaching to the test and making every part of the day revolve around said test? What kind of message does this send our children? It’s okay to let your health go as long as some standardized crappy test thinks you’re smart? Eating healthy is all you need to do to stay healthy, exercise doesn’t matter?

I am worried because I can’t imagine my son sitting still for hours on end with no way to let loose a little and get some of his pent-up energy out. No wonder so many children are getting slapped with the ADD label. They are expected to be perfect little automatons from day one. I’m going to give this a go, see if maybe they find a way to incorporate activity into the day in other ways. Gym is only twice a week, so that’s not going to be much help. If I feel that my child is suffering from a lack of physical activity though, I wont hesitate to pull him out and find him a better school. Even if the alternative includes the dreaded uniforms.

Tagged as: East Stroudsburg elementary school recess, kindergarten, Pennsylvania education, recess