Education Issue: Is Recess Time Useless?

The importance of recess is greatly undermined by high-ranking officials that govern the field of education in areas in first-world countries, as well as in other parts of the world. Furthermore, many school administrators are also in resonance with the thought.

Scrutinizing the Issue

Plenty of these people seem to think that the time spent on recess is better spent for other more meaningful instructional moments. By totally eliminating recess time, kids could have greater time in getting nurtured as they are meant to be educated in the places where they study. Relaxation is meant to be done at home, or in some other places outside the premises of the educational institutions where they spend their time on 5 days a week.

The elimination of recess as just a set of ‘trivial moments’ for students clearly originates from humorous statements such as “recess is my favorite subject,” and “recess is the only school time that truly matters.” Because of the prevalence of such jokes from the kids themselves as well as the educators that work at schools, the idea became solid enough to the point that it became a hotly debated issue.

Throughout the generations, the short breaks that schools and children enjoy so much are happening smoothly and recursively without any real challenge. Today, however, the idea is questioned and re-evaluated in such a way that it has the threat of being implemented as a rule: that recess time should be abolished.

How Recess Time Could Be Used Instead

So the question is posed and the topic is established as a highly debatable issue: Should recess time be removed among educational institutions? To answer this very serious issue, the evidence must be gathered and evaluated. A thorough investigation on the matter must also be conducted so that the best conclusions can be drawn, and so that the best courses of action can be formulated and put into a real application.

The data gathered on surveys indicate that as of these moments, 75% of schools with recess time in most schools among first-world countries have a recess time of 15 – 20 minutes. Another survey suggests that during recess times, a lot of children are bullied and are physically hurt by other children in comfort rooms, school canteens, and even in hallways.

Many teachers argue that instead of letting the kids loiter around in places where they cannot be fully supervised, they could be better off staying in their classrooms where they can be monitored more strictly. With such a strategy, the kids will be a lot safer than when they are left roaming around in other areas of the schools where they go to.

Another important set of findings is that some schools replace recess time with physical education activities. By doing so, the kids can have the recreation they need while making them so much healthier in the long run.

The Balance of Resting and Learning

Proponents of the importance of recess time also argue that letting the kids take a break at least twice a day, once in the morning and once in the afternoon is as crucial to the youngsters as the very acts of learning itself. Advocates of the importance of recess times could use states the act of driving as a solid example.

The statement used is that “The longer you drive, the less attentive you become, and the more dangerous you will be.” By putting this into perspective, the reader can have the understanding that exhaustion is not a good thing in the development of children’s educational status.

In resonance to the author’s thoughts about the issue, anyone can highly attest to the fact that prolonged exposure to books, numerical analysis, and any other laborious educational tasks can easily wear out a learner, especially if he or she is just a child.

The statement that says, “All work and no play makes Jack a dull boy” should be taken into account in handling the issue of whether or not recess times should be abolished or not.

Your Possible Reflection About The Issue

In reading the article, anyone’s initial reaction would be that it’s just a minor issue. By reading the article a second time, it might generate a much deeper sense of importance to the reader as a more mature learner compared to the kids at elementary schools. Clearly, those kids need their precious recess moments than grown-ups like you and me.

By paying close attention to the source article, your own ideas about the issue might be further reinforced. It should also sharpen your critical thinking skills as you digested the facts and statistical proofs that the article is instilling. Short but compelling pieces of research writings can greatly enhance in reshaping your stance about a certain issue pertaining to education.