Recess: An endangered species
(usatoday.com) Remember when recess was the best part of the school day? Not any more. In some parts of the country, that carefree half-hour  when kids could run, jump, scream and play tag or other games  is on the endangered list.
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Two-fifths of American elementary schools have either eliminated recess or are considering doing so, according to a National Parent Teacher Association survey. And in many places where recess survives, play has become an intensely overregulated event.
Tag and other “unsupervised chasing games” have been banned or discouraged at schools from Massachusetts to California. “No Running” signs have been posted at school playgrounds in Broward County, Fla. Tall slides, swings and teeter-totters have been removed.
The motives for all of this  promoting safety, avoiding litigation, protecting feelings, providing more learning time  are well-intentioned. But something more important is being lost in the process. (more…)
Related post: “The School System: A National Lab Project”
