The Drama of Recess

 


Most kids love recess. It's the break they need during the day and statistics show that it is good for them. Brains need a break, and bodies need exercise. Over the years, I have had many recess duties and there have been several incidents out on the playground. One year, I had a student who was playing on the monkey bars, and she jumped, missed the bar, and fell to the ground. When I approached her, she got up and said that her arm hurt. Her hand was literally hanging the wrong way, just dangling there. Turns out that she had broken her wrist. The ambulance was called, and the parents met her at the hospital. Luckily, the parents understood that things happen. 

I have had many dramas involving fighting and arguing. The ever present "She's not my friend" comes to mind. It seemed like every other day; I was told that by a girl in my first-grade class. It usually took me a good 20 minutes after recess to get them to be friends again. 

I also had boys who would get in a contest to see if they could kick a ball or their shoes on the roof. You wouldn't believe the number of shoes that ended up on the roof. Thank God that we had an amazing teacher's aide that wasn't afraid of heights and would climb up there every time to retrieve the shoes. No matter how many times you told those boys to stop, they would still find a way to kick something up to the roof.

And of course, there were the accidents. Kids love recess and they don't want to bother to come into the bathroom. Some of the little kids would be picked up from recess with wet pants or worse. When I would ask them why they didn't ask to go to the bathroom, they would tell me that they were in the middle of a game. 

Even with all the drama of the playground, I still believe that recess is a great part of the day for kids. They need a break, fresh air, and the socialization of recess. I pray it sticks around in most schools.

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