From: Cayata Dixon
-------------------- Many schools pull plug on recess -------------------- Lack of playtime generates debate By Bonnie Miller Rubin Tribune staff reporter September 27, 2001 With the whiff of autumn in the morning air, a small knot of girls gathers on the playground before the day starts at Pritzker Elementary School in Chicago. Their next chance to chat outside will be at 3 p.m., when school is dismissed. In between will be lesson after lesson--but no recess. "Sometimes, it's just really hard to sit so long," said Hannah Harrison, a 5th grader at the Wicker Park school. "You just want to be free." Throughout the metropolitan area and across the nation, the tradition of recess has been quietly disappearing. The phenomenon started building in the 1990s and then picked up momentum as increased academic demands put a time squeeze on the school day. The American Association for the Child's Right to Play estimates that 40 percent of schools in the United States have either cut recess or are considering doing so. The Atlanta system banned it altogether and has been building elementary schools without playgrounds. The problem with that, many child development experts say, is kids are not wired to sit for hours at their desks. They say kids learn best with frequent breaks. Cutting back on physical activity also sends the wrong message when childhood obesity is at epidemic proportions, the experts say. "This is an example of good intentions gone awry," said Paul Houston, executive director of the American Association of School Administrators. "There's huge pressure these days on superintendents and boards to show that they're serious about achievement, so they do something symbolic--they get rid of recess." Advocates argue that unstructured free play nurtures the imagination and helps children acquire social skills--such as cooperation and conflict resolution--that cannot be duplicated at soccer practice or Little League, said Alan Simpson of the National Association for the Education of Young Children. "There's an alarming mind-set out there that says recess is negotiable ... that we should cut out everything except academics, but for young kids, learning is embedded into everything they do," he said. "When these kids are 10th graders and can't get along with their classmates, then we'll discover that there's nothing frivolous about recess." For years, the typical elementary school schedule included a 15-minute respite in midmorning, and 45 to 50 minutes at lunch, split between eating and playing outside. Illinois has no state policy on recess. But calls to more than two dozen suburbs indicate that after 2nd grade it has become common for kids to wait until lunch for their first break. A recent Chicago Reporter survey indicated that four in five public elementary schools in Chicago don't have recess at all, a fact that saddens Bill Harrison, Hannah's father. "It's just one more bit of childhood that's been lost," he said. Glen Ellyn officials discovered how deeply feelings can run on the topic in June, when they decided to ax recess to make more time for art and music. After parents crowded into a meeting to complain, the district quickly reversed itself, promising instead to review the practice this year. Schools under pressure But for administrators faced with a growing list of priorities, from foreign language classes to creative writing programs, the challenge remains how to shoehorn it all into the school day. "It's really not about recess. It's about time management," said Chris Dransoff, principal of Lincoln School in Glen Ellyn. "We keep adding and adding and we don't take anything away.... We're trying to be all things to all people, and it's an impossible task." At schools where many students struggle academically, the pressure is even greater. "You take away that extra 45 minutes and ... you lose a lot of important instructional time," said John Katzberger, assistant principal at Hamline School in Chicago's Back of the Yards neighborhood, where 99 percent of the children are from low-income families. In south suburban Hazel Crest, which clipped recess for its four elementary schools and one middle school, Supt. Harry Reynolds said he is sold on the importance of play, "but ultimately we will be judged on ... how well-prepared these kids are to go out into the world." Besides, some argue, the need for students to release pent-up energy is not so crucial as it once was, thanks to a shift in instructional methods. "Kids are no longer in their seats, lined up in rows ... there's a lot more flexibility and movement in the class," said Barbara Hiller, assistant superintendent of Evanston-Skokie District 65, adding that the state also mandates daily physical education. "Their physical activity needs have really been taken care of." 10-minute break Still, at least one Chicago principal chose this year to reinstate a short breather. Gladys Vaccarezza added a 10-minute break at Blaine Elementary in Lakeview so kids could "stop and smell the flowers," she said. "There is no question that we have a lot to do, but when the mind is refreshed, you can accomplish more." Shana Trombley, a mother of two preschoolers, said any schools without a regularly scheduled break are automatically crossed off her list. "It's a shame because ... we've had to rule out some otherwise good places," said Trombley, who lives in Chicago's Ravenswood neighborhood. "I'm concerned with the whole child ... and if we can't do that, then we need to go back to the drawing board." Copyright (c) 2001, Chicago Tribune -------------------- Improved archives! Searching Chicagotribune.com archives back to 1985 is cheaper and easier than ever. New prices for multiple articles can bring your cost down to as low as 30 cents an article: http://chicagotribune.com/archives -- This is the CPS Science Teacher List. To unsubscribe, send a message to <[EMAIL PROTECTED]> For more information: <http://home.sprintmail.com/~mikelach/subscribe.html>. To search the archives: <http://www.mail-archive.com/science%40lists.csi.cps.k12.il.us/>
