Recess and Behavior Problems Part I: Attitude Adjustment
My recent post “If You’re a Teacher Who Denies Recess…” raised some questions about what a teacher could do if they couldn’t use recess as a bargaining chip to get students to complete their work and/or behave. I thought it was important for me to address these problems.
My attempt here is to show that all children deserve recess, and to look for other ways to deal with troublesome behavior so teachers don’t punish children by withholding recess.
I will provide suggestions for teachers (and parents), but please know that I am no know-it-all. Behavioral difficulties with students in ever increasing class sizes can be most challenging. But I will give some suggestions in three short posts. And if any teacher wants to join in and give their own solutions, please feel welcome.
First, I would never keep a student from recess for not completing work at school or homework.
The testing craze has made teachers push students to work faster. But faster doesn’t always mean better. Some students just work slowly. Students who try but don’t finish their assignments might also have a learning problem. Some parents and teachers might say, they know their kids and they are just lazy, but I would argue it is difficult to know that for sure.
I have never met a child, and I have known a lot of students with behavioral and learning disabilities, who didn’t want to do a good job in school. If they bubble Christmas trees in on test forms, or procrastinate doing their work, or even act out, it isn’t because they are saying, “I love to get into trouble.” It is because they have a Recess and Behavior Problems Part I: Attitude Adjustment:
