Romero 1

Maegan Romero

English Composition

Abigail Heiniger

25 November 2014

Is it Possible to Have Alternatives for Recess?

Recess, to the people of generation z, was a childhood memory that we all miss at times

while in high school and even college. It was the constant

answer to the common question of what was our favorite

subject. So now could you imagine those long six years

of elementary school without recess and all the never

ending memories that came with it? That exact heart

dropping feeling is happening to elementary students

today due to the recent legislation changes of the "No

Child left Behind" Act. The change consists of cutting

down recess to have more classroom instruction time to

help increase the betterment of the United States

educational system. Such selfish action is being done not

for the benefit of the children but for the image that the

U.S is trying to maintain in the competition of which country is better than the other. Their

ideology is to make something out of the time wasted in recess and in some way find

supplements for the benefits of that time. They do not realize that cutting off recess to extend

instructional time in elementary schools is not the best way to improve education, because it will

Romero 2

only affect children’s focus status, limit children’s physical activity, and cause emotional dislike

of the idea of school. Such debate comes with their positives and negative, including recess.

Benefits of Recess

Romero 3

Recess, based from Merriam-Webster, has three different definitions: one is a short

period of time during the school day when child can play, two is usually a brief period of time

during which regular activity in a court of law or in a government stops, and three a dark, hid den

place or part. The recess we are focusing on is the time of child play, but doesn’t the thought of

adults having their recess sound bizarre. If they are able to have their break from the

environment they were exposed to for a long period of time would it not be logical that children,

with much more energy, have a time of break from their learning? Recess, as stated, is a time of

play, not a waste of time. A time where children are able to release their rising amount of energy

from their unbalanced hormones back to a normal level. If a child is not able to release the great

about of energy that is being produced within them they begin to cause class disruptions, loose

focus, and not retain any material that has been taught. Here is when recess compliments

physical activity because it not only gives time for a child to release the energy they have within

themselves but they are able to return to class focused, alert, and attentive. The freedom of

Romero 4

choice of the child during unstructured recess or physical activity helps the children feel a type of

relief from the classroom feel. Physical activity is beneficial for the physical health of students

but it also helps in academic and social maturation. “Although not all children play vigorously at

recess it does provide the opportunity for children to be active in the mode of their choosing and

to practice movement and mote skills (National Association for Sport and Physical Education).”

Having constant breaks after a period of learning helps a child process the information they have

been given and retain it much better. In one of Hungary’s recent study, they had results that

brought some of their students to be overweight. The system wanted to find out the reasoning

behind it and if there was something that could be done to better such situation. They did come

upon the conclusion that physical activity is very much needed, even though they already have a

set regulation that after every 40 minutes of structured instructional time students are to have a

15-20 minute break. In the United States the amount of time a child spends in school takes

Romero 5

approximately half of the time they are awake and something productive should be given unto

them while in that timing. Recess can be predominantly looked upon as a time of play, but in

reality it comes with so many other attributes that many overlook, such as personal time for the

child, communication skills, perseverance, self-control, sharing and the ability to grow their

creativity level. These attributes are skills that can only self-taught and will be carried with you

for rest of your life. In this time for the children their mind is like a sponge observing and

learning anything that their eyes come upon. They also start to create their own person and

thoughts. They begin to like, hate, and come fond of different things in this early stage of life. So

if school is being made harsh and overwhelming their emotional connection with learning will no

longer be fun but a war battle to abstain from such a place.

Effects of cutting Recess – Ritalin

The purpose of the American Dream is to make everyone equal and be prosperous

through hard work, determination, and initiative. This can be very much true especially in the

area of education. Due the shortage or cutting off of recess many students have been put under a

Methylphenidate (Ritalin) prescription to treat

their hyperactivity disorder (ADHD), which in

reality they just need a little break. ADHD is not

a disordered that could be tested for, it is only

detected by doctor’s personal opinion. “As of

2010 8.4 percent, 5.2 million, of children ages

between 3– 17 have been diagnosed with

ADHD (Hruska).” Many teachers with their

stressful schedule and low wages, have low tolerance for children with energy. So their way of

Romero 6

solving the problem is by having a meeting with the parents and suggesting that the child be

checked, such situation happened to Bronwen Hruska. After a meeting with the teacher, a visit to

the ––doctor, and several amounts of research Hruska decided to put her child, Will Hruska, on

medication, but by fifth grade “he simply refused to take the pill.” Not because of any parental

influence, but because of a television show “that convinced him that his medication was too

dangerous”, which in reality it is. The medication brings you to a state of mind where you are no

longer aware of your surroundings but fully focused on the task or work you are doing.

“Everything got really quiet.” Will said. He even told his mother that he forgot to talk to his

friends that day and “it was what his teachers had wanted” for him to focus. The solution that

society has put to this problem with drugs is unethical and controlling to a maximum level. It is

literally robbing children from their childhood. A child is no longer able to express themselves,

be individuals, or interact with others because they are dedicated to their work.

We’re also ensuring that down the road, when faced with other challenges that high school,

college and adult life are sure to bring, our children will use the coping skills we’ve taught

them. They’ll reach for a pill. (Hruska)

Society’s solution is Ritalin to help improve behavioral problems to make a student eel better

and focused, but the problem is that the benefit only goes to society itself. Their educational goal

is to strive toward extraordinary making average a problem, but their solution causes long lasting

side effects, but still doesn’t solve the problems.

Romero 7

Effects of Cutting Recess – Test Scores and Technology

Romero 8

The purpose of cutting recess is to increase instructional time for the betterment of

cognitive testing nationwide. The system wants to continuously feed the brain so that it can

produce outstanding test grades for the betterment of their statistics. Their ideology was very

inaccurate because “several studies demonstrated that recess, whether performed indoors or

outdoors, made children more attentive and more productive in the classroom (Pellegrino).” So

let’s connect the open ends, if breaks are proven to help a student refocus cognitively much

quicker why take way an important element that could benefit the learning of children. It goes

back to how the predominant goal is to win the competition of which country has the best

educational status. The system will go as far as reducing elective classes such as art, design, and

music. It is understandable that their goal to make children more intelligent and spend more time

in structuralize schedules to better their education, but they have to remember that the audience

Romero 9

in which they are altering are not adults but children. Before making a very powerful decision

that could affect the education of a child, the system should really look into harm it really is

doing.

Studies have also shown that outside recess holds “the greatest quantity and intensity of

physical activity.” Which brings to the table the subject of technology and how so much

investment is going into software updates rather than recess supplies or equipment for the

children’s variety. Technology improvements are great for the outside world, but the technology

within the school is making face to face interaction and personal relationship with teachers and

peers a bit complicated. It is also a way to supplement recess since the system would rather give

children a computer class rather than recess time because they believe it will be of improvement

for their future. To an extent that is true, teaching children at a young age helps them retain the

skills and ability much longer, but once again society and the educational system are making

children mature in a way that childhood is no longer present to a lot of children’s life. Their

childhood fun has become video games, iPads, and chatting rather than soccer, hiking, and face

to face conversation. All such change is a part of the evolution of time and technology but that is

no excuse for technology to take over children’s experience of childhood.

What can be done?

As parents, siblings, and members of the generation z who had the experience of recess

and no drug supplements, we should speak our voice on how our siblings or children are being

deprived from something that is so essential and beneficial to their growing lives.

- Letters and petitions, to the organizations involved, pertaining to the matter could be

an option in trying to change the cutting off of recess.

Romero 10

- Speaking to your associated elementary school’s principle and finding a way to save

recess

- Become involved in your child’s school

- Come up with a creative alternative to recess but with no drugs

- Replace medical prescriptions with more physical activity or activities, which could

include recess

- Develop knowledge on the different medications that are being recently distributed to

see if there are any alternatives

- Schools should slow down on technology updates and invest time and money on

areas that are more beneficial to the child in the long run

Recess is a time of play for children in elementary and a part of a child’s childhood.

Taking such a thing will not only harm a child’s learning ability and focus but also affect the

stages of growth of a child. Recess can be seen as unnecessary and unimportant but it is in that

time that children start to self-learn skills and create relationships with peers. It is an essential

time for the slow maturing of children. It is a time to grow fond of a certain activity or sport. It is

what makes elementary school memories memorable. Cutting off recess to extend instructional

time in elementary schools is not the best way to improve education or nor is covering it with

Ritalin the option either. Keeping recess helps the children, helps the system, and helps the

children stay drug free in elementary and in the future.

Romero 11

Works Cited

Pellegrini A, Bohn C, The role of recess in children’s cognitive performance and school

adjustment. Educ Res. 2005;34(1):13–19

Ramstetter, Catherine L, Robert Murray, and Andrew S. Garner. "The Crucial Role of Recess in

Schools." The Journal of School Health. 80.11 (2010): 517-526. Print.

Joan Henley , Jackie McBride, Julie Milligan, and Joe Nichols. "Robbing Elementary Students of

Their Childhood: The Perils of No Child Left Behind. (No Child Left Behind Act of

2001) (report)." Education. 128.1 (2007). Print.

Nicola D Ridgers, Pedro F. Saint-Maurice, Gregory J. Welk, Mohammad Siahpush, and Jennifer

Huberty. "Differences in Physical Activity During School Recess." Journal of School

Health. 81.9 (2011): 545-551. Print.

Nicola D Ridgers, Miklos Toth, and Matina Uvacsek. "Physical Activity Levels of Hungarian

Children During School Recess." Preventive Medicine. 49.5 (2009): 410-412. Print.

Meenakshi Fernandes , and Roland Sturm. "Facility Provision in Elementary Schools: Correlates

with Physical Education, Recess, and Obesity." Preventive Medicine. 50 (2010). Print.

Tran I, Clark BR, Racette SB. “Physical Activity during Recess Outdoors and Indoors Among

Urban Public School Students, St. Louis, Missouri, 2010-2011.” Preventing Chronic

Disease. 10 (2013). Print.

Anthony D Pellegrini. "The Recess Debate A Disjuncture between Educational Policy and

Scientific Research." American Journal of PLAY (2008): 181-91. Fall 2008. Print.

REDDY, SUMATHI. "Exercise Helps Children With ADHD in Study." The Wall Street Journal.

Dow Jones & Company, 8 Sept. 2014. Web. 13 Nov. 2014.

<http://online.wsj.com/articles/exercise-helps-children-with-adhd-in-study-1410216881>.

Romero 12

Brown, Emma. "D.C. Parents Push for More Recess." Washington Post. The Washington Post,

31 Aug. 2013. Web. 13 Nov. 2014. <http://www.washingtonpost.com/local/education/dc-

parents-push-for-more-recess/2013/08/30/467e52a0-10c6-11e3-bdf6-

e4fc677d94a1_story.html>.

"Trim Recess? Some Schools Hold On To Child's Play." All Things Considered 7 Nov.

2013. Opposing

Viewpoints in Context. Web. 13 Nov. 2014.

Hruska, Bronwen. "Raising the Ritalin Generation." The New York Times. The New York Times,

18 ug. 2012. Web. 5 Dec. 2014.

<http://www.nytimes.com/2012/08/19/opinion/sunday/raising-the-ritalin-

generation.html?pagewanted=all&_r=0>.

National Association for Sport and Physical Education

Comprehensive School Physical Activity Program. Reston, VA: National Association for

Sport and Physical Education; 2008

“I have neither given nor received unauthorized aid in completing this work, nor have I presented someone else’s work as my own.”

Maegan Romero December 11, 2014