All Work, No Play, Until the End of the Day

Let me stipulate that, in general, I applaud the excellent work being done by the teachers and administrators at Hyer Elementary, and, I’m sure, at all the HPISD schools.  Okay, that said, I’m disappointed that recess for the Fourth Graders at Hyer this year is the last activity of the day.  Isn’t one of the purposes of recess to give the kids (and the teachers, for that matter) a break during the day, so they can work off some energy and focus better?

By Charles Geilich Sep. 16, 2010 | 5:36 pm | 7 Comments | Comments RSS
7 comments to "All Work, No Play, Until the End of the Day"
  1. missie @ September 16, 2010 at 6:48 pm
    Yes, it is scientifically proven that movement will increase focus. In fact, I’ve seen desks designed where the kids stand at them and there is a foot stand that moves.

  2. mom of 5 @ September 17, 2010 at 10:09 pm
    Wow, I have to think that this is not an impulsive decision, but rather a calculated and well-thought out plan by the Hyer 4th grade teachers. That said, why not put a little trust in those educators and let them figure out what works best for their classrooms. I’d be willing to bet that they will alter the schedule if it proves ineffective or protest if this is a schedule force down from above.

  3. B @ September 20, 2010 at 2:19 pm
    They might be trying to help transition the kids to 5th grade, where there is no recess.

  4. Special K @ September 20, 2010 at 3:35 pm
    What?? No recess in 5th grade? Now that’s a real disappointment. Who cares about the 4th graders, those poor 5th graders are the real victims here.

  5. KGN @ September 20, 2010 at 5:42 pm
    Oh, dear! Those, poor, *poor* fifth graders! Those poor little babies must be suffering terribly!

    Trust me; they’re *fine*.

  6. DemBones @ September 20, 2010 at 5:52 pm
    @mom of 5. I bet this “calculated and well-thought-out plan” is just allocating the playground to one age group at a time. Because the 4th graders are the oldest, they get the least useful time. I agree with Charles.

    Still, maybe about 20 years ago, the district tried to get rid of recess in elementary schools, so something is better than nothing.

  7. mom of 5 @ September 21, 2010 at 2:37 am
    @DemBones. Allocating to one-age group at a time seems pretty reasonable. I don’t think anyone disagrees with Charles. My point is that our elementaries usually put some thought into scheduling and such decisions. Moving 5 grades through specials, sharing of a cafeteria, science lab, preserving a solid block of time for core academics and a playground/field or two does take some thought. It may be that the 4th graders have PE earlier in the day to address the energy issue while other grades go later in the afternoon. Rather than a blanket criticism of the unfortunate fact that they are scheduled last or continued speculation of why, has any Hyer 4th grade parent asked for an explanation?

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