Advice on how to handle recess?

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That sounds like a great idea, however also an idea where the faculty most likely would want to whine, "but that means I have to do worrrrrkkkk!"

Considering the average teacher takes home 2 hours of work every night and only is given 45 minutes during the work day to prepare materials/grade papers/contact parents etc, typically uses the weekend to prepare lessons is there isn't time to do so during the week, and is paid less than unskilled factory labor, is it any surprise that teachers complain about being expected to give up their 45 minutes of lessen prep time? That short recess to you, means just about a 10 hour work day to the teacher.

If this is important to you than what are you willing to do to make happen? Are you going to offer to grade papers, make copies, design tests, staple packets, organize materials, run to the store for creative lesson supplies etc so the teachers can give up their prep time? Areyou going to volunteer to come in and help with this additional recess? donate materials for it? Or is the only thing you are willing to do to show you support this issue is make ignorant comments about teachers that show a lack of even attempting to understand what teaching involves and what your asking the teachers to do truly means?


How many unpaid hours outside of work do you devote to your work? 17? 20? or is it the typical 0? Would you also feel you were just being lazy if you were devoting at least 14 hours of unpaid labor to your job each week and didn't want to give up your bathroom breaks when someone suggest you personally offer more services during the workday?

Triangular Trees,

I think you may have misunderstood violet yoshi's comment. Most parents understand that teachers (like most professionals) do not punch a clock, and put in many hours besides their actual time in the classroom. The problem is, there are staff on duty during recess. Unfortunately, it has been my experience, as it has been, I am sure, the experience of others on this board, that the staff on duty tend to chat amongst themselves rather than engage with the students who may need their assistance. It is those staff who are supposed to be working, not those who should be taking their lunch breaks or utilizing prep time, who parents would like to see actively supporting our kids during recess, which can be so difficult for them. Many teachers view recess duty as more of their own socialization time amongst themselves, and parents have a right to object to that.

In many schools, recess means 2 teachers for 100 kids. If those teachers were walking around talking to the students, they wouldn't be able to observe and stop the students who are engaging in dangerous activities because they'd be distracted by talking to students. The only way the plan in this thread could work is if more teachers are on recess duty than currently and in most schools that could only happen if teachers gave up their planning time or lunch break - for the bulk of schools half the grades teachers eat lunch at the same time as the children and do recess duty while the other half do lunch duty and eat while the children are at recess.

Try watching 100 kids who are running around in all directions, pushing each other off slides, falling down, coming to you in tears because johnny said he wasn't his friend any more, throwing dirt/sand/woodchips at each other, running towards chain fences, and going to far away from the designated area while you engage one child in conversation and try to get him to socialize before criticizing others for not doing it. Don't forget you will definately have to yell across the playground and the events that require this will need attention so immediately that the most time you can hope for is to raise your head before you can begin yelling. Do you really want your aspie to have a conversation with someone during a time when the odds are great that person will have to yell in his face for the safety of other children? And don't forget you'll have to keep a special eye on life skills kids who come to recess without an aid and have no awareness of danger or safety and pay extra attention to kids you know have diabetes, epilepsy, allergies, etc to check to see if their behavior indicates a problem is occuring. Oh yeah and if even one kid gets hurt it will be your fault because you weren't watching him. And there will be plent of parents to ensure you know that beyond any doubt. I'm willing to bet if you actually tried this for even one day your opinion of what should and could be done while teachers are watching the kids would change 180 degrees. And any child that you are talking to while you have to yell or run to a child who is in hurt/danger of being hurt will likely take that is a sign of you not liking them rather than a sign that you are doing your job even if they are NT. And many will also get upset that you are scanning the playground rather than looking at their new shoelaces as they go into lengthy detail about how they got them. At least fellow teachers can understand why you aren't looking at them and that your stopping midsentence to yell is no reflection of your opinion on them

Also, have you ever taken the time to actually listen to those teacher conversations or are you just going by the fact you see them talking to each other?- 9 times out of 10 they aren't about what the teacher's vacation. They are about students, student problems, lesson plan ideas, suspected signs of something wrong and other things in regards to the school and asking other teachers to observe particular students and see if they agree their behavior is a bit odd. People converse for reasons other than socializing and teachers on duty is one of the prime examples of that. Sure they socialize a bit as anyone does during the work day, but the majority of the time what they are talking about while on duty are topics that benefit your child - such as bringing up plans to identify why a child is having a meltdown, listing behavior concerns and asking others if they've observed the same or noticed anything else, sharing lesson ideas and problems, letting the other teachers know they suspect little Kimmy is being abused and so to report anything that seems even slightly odd etc

Triangular Trees,

I obviously hit a nerve, which I didn't mean to do. I am sorry, and I wish my children had gone to a school such as that you describe - but for the inadequate numbers of staff assigned to recess! I have worked in schools and the teachers tended to sit or stand together, in groups, talking about shopping, cookware, dishes, and other things I found of no interest whatsoever. I (the substitute), was scanning the playground, watching for Johnny who was about to throw sand at Jimmy, etc. I was the only one trying to discuss issues I saw with some of the kids. To the extent that kids were discussed, it was generally in terms of what they wore or whether they were "princesses." Clearly, the attitudes and investment of the teachers are very dependent on the culture of the individual schools.

I'm a teacher too.........honestly, i think quiet board games could be played at recess with little to no intervention by a teacher. IMO,it doesn't have to be a seperate, supervised setting.

Recess is actually a huge issue for schools and kids in our area, period. There is not enough money in the district budget for the level of supervision that really is needed.

For my son specifically, and others like him, the resource teacher decided to take her own lunch at a different time, and to use lunch time to hold lunch bunch with the kids. It is a fantastic program, and my son LOVED attending. He got one day a week, but somehow that helped make him more comfortable with what he had to do the other days of the week.

School wide, we recruit parent volunteers to help with recess. The specific job given to the parent volunteers is to organize games for the kids. Weekly kick ball, stuff like that. While my son rarely played in those sports, he did benefit from the fact that having these activities made recess more organized for everyone, and reduced behavior problems on the field in general. Plus, my creative son found a role for himself at Friday Football: official sports announcer and commentator. OK, so his observations were a bit on the unique and off-the-wall side, but the coordinator was very in support of this and he had fun.

This year, the PTA has also hired someone to organize sports several days a week. We're hoping for a full 5 days coverage of organized activities. And everyone can play, part of the game plan is teaching inclusiveness.

But the real benefit to kids like ours is that the few teachers on grounds can actually pay attention to them.

But, more specifically, why can't the parents of more special needs kids get together and do something similar for their kids? Get an adult volunteer in that will organize something for them, the kids don't have to participate, but will encouraged?