Wicomico County 4th Graders to only get a 15 minute recess each day at School, confirmed. By the time they get out and line up to get back in they'll only get about 5 minutes outside.
Salisbury News has been told Margo Handy was behind this. Some are encouraging parents to call and speak your mind.
56 comments:
What a joke I mean do not get me wrong education is important, but nothing in elementary school is that important that you can't spare at least a half hour of not an hour. Kids need to play to be healthy.
not only do these kids need exercise, they need time to get out all the extra energy they build up sitting at their desks and learning. i guarantee they will have a harder time paying attention if they don't have proper recess time. good job wicomico county schools!
This has been going on at Fruitland intermediate school (that I have been very pleased with) for years. It is ridiculous. Kids need to burn off energy!
No wonder our children are fat. This is freaking crazy. Who on earth don't want a play period for our kids. This just make a person want to cuss. Wicomico County suck.
We have an obesity problem in the US and especially on the shore. Children need to run and play in order to learn in the classroom.
I can't believe you idiots...school is for learning...now playtime. I could care less if my kids get recess. Get your priorities straight!
And the reason kids are fat is not schools...it is because fat parents breed fat kids. Feed your kids the right foods and they won't be 200 lbs in 5th grade!
I do believe kids need recess, not so they dont get fat, but for other health and educational reasons..
I do agree with 8:30 on the most likely cause of obese kids tho..
Let me get this straight...schools are responsible for feeding kids 2 meals per day, in some cases give kids clothes, school supplies, etc....now they have to be the parent and exercise the kids every day? What has happended to Reading, Math, Social Studies, Science, etc.
If you want your kids to be in shape, let them walk the freakin dog after school instead of playing xbox!
Look at all them little rugrats, whole life in front of them and dont even know it yet. Kids are cooler than adults. Kids shoot it straight adults dont.
They don't recess they have 45 minutes gym three times a cycle. That's were they get exercise.
I can't believe you idiots...school is for learning...now playtime. I could care less if my kids get recess. Get your priorities straight!
And the reason kids are fat is not schools...it is because fat parents breed fat kids. Feed your kids the right foods and they won't be 200 lbs in 5th grade!
August 20, 2012 8:30 PM
With you asinine and uneducated statements, you should go to school and get educated about the nonsense you spout.
Exercise makes kids strong and help them grow.
No wonder kids are dumb these days. It's not all the schools fault. It's stupid parents who spend more time with them, (hopefully) espousing such fairy tales.
Poor kids, don't have much of a chance nowadays. Even from their homes.
Kids have to play to burn energy or they will bounce off the walls. How is a teacher supposed to deal with a couple kids with that drive and a class as well. I say let them play just to the point where they all start sweating and start smelling. I still want to play every chance I get.
it's not about exercise or whether or not they are obese. they have to burn off energy or they have trouble focussing and/or sitting still.
they won't be learning everything in class with everyone bouncing off the walls with pent up energy. look it up online if you don't believe it. or don't.
Anonymous 8:30 - YOU are the idiot. School is more than book knowledge! It is just as much about learning about themselves and others as it is academics!
And overweight is not always the fault of the parents or the child - there are metabolic conditions AND medications that can cause weight gain.
What a judgemental a**hole you are. And a poor parent.
Kids need recess to get their energy out. Cutting back like this is only going to lead to more behavioral problems and lack of attentiveness in the classroom.
Fourth grade, lets see let me think. Fruitland Elementry. Mr Collins was the big cheese then, s.o.b. gave me three wacks with the old pattle with holes in it and stung my backside so bad I could not sit for three hours. Only time in my life that handicaped man beat my butt. Maybe he was just so pissed at what and who he was he was just taking it out on my young butt. Maybe I just deserved it. Going outside is for scoping down on the little ladies when your a boy in fourth grade.
I think they need a little bit more time outside than 15 minutes. How do the teachers feel about this? I remember when we were in school if it was a nice day we were treated to leaning while sitting outside in the grass. Do they even still do that?
All I can say is Bet I know what Im talking about in this room,ha,ha. Hell he didnt beat me hard enough, decades have passed and all pain does is remind me that I aint dead yet. Some kids grow up at twenty and some grow up at six. Not there fault. I hope all of them get as much of being a kid for as long as they can.
Omg...really....we are now blaming medications and metabolism...get real! If you want kids to succeed, quit adding to the problem. Kids have to burn energy to learn??? They have PE, walk to classes, etc.....don't even get me started on the "learning about themselves and others" you liberals are what's killing the system...what a joke.
Oh and by the way....kids now HAVE to take a fruit AND vegetable at lunch now....Stop the insanity!!!
Children are fat because parents are fat and because they feed them junk. Don't blame schools for being a crappy parent.
8:23 - Really?! Are you kidding me!
Everything comes from the home, babydoll!!!!!!!! If a child is overweight it is not due to the school - it is your responsibility of being a parent and cooking decent meals for your child!!!! You sound like a typical liberal, who wants to blame everyone else, but you!!! I actually feel sorry for your children/ children!!
FYI- phys Ed got cut as well 45 down to 30
Not true! According to the guidelines, kids get 120 minutes of PE per cycle. Can be three 40 min or four 30 min periods.
Ok everyone keeps saying per cycle. What is a cycle now days? It's been almost 10 years since my kids were in school and that was private school could someone be kind and tell me just how long is a cycle.
Anon 9:09 -
I am about as far from liberal as I can get! I have a two degrees in teaching and have taught in Wic Co classrooms. Have YOU? I highly doubt it. Otherwise you would know that idle kids learn less and require more discipline than those who have a chance to run and play every day.
I was not excusing lazy parents - I was simply stating that for some kids, their weight is not their CHOICE and it is not always a failing on the parents' behalf. It is very judgemental of you to group them all into a "lazy" category. You sound like the school bully who calls everyone 'fat' no matter the reason. I guess you still call differently-abled children 'retarded' don't you?
Learning about "themselves and others" happens in the HOME and the SCHOOL! It's called social skills...but obviously you don't have any based on the way you 'talk'.
I feel sorry for your kids.... you sound like one of those parents who care more about the grade than the healthy development of a child. Sad.
Like a friend of mine says.... you can't fix stupid.
Love,
Anon 8:52
Schools work on a 6 day cycle. Is mainly for special classes. They go by A-F days. PE is usually something like A, C, and E days.
LMAO. These liberal idiots are saying kids have to burn their energy or they won't be able to focus and learn. What happens when they burn the energy and they are to exhausted to focus and learn. MORONS!!
8:52
I am a teacher and the kids in my room are never idle. We do group work for social skills and they move around to get the energy out. I would do anything to get more time to teach. Sounds to me that you are not creative enough and have to look at recess to calm your kids down.
Oh, and I will put my kids test scores up against yours any day.
Love,
9:09
Oh please PE is a joke. I work across the street from one of the schools and believe me there is no PE going on. It's nothing more than social time. They walk around with their phones texting. Believe me I see no physical education going on. It's a complete waste of time.
One gym day per cycle is being cut back 15 minutes. Either way, these kids are nine. Without free time, they will lose focus and it will be more difficult for them to learn. I wouldnt expect any nine year old to sit at a desk for 6 hours a day with essentially 5 minutes of "free" time. Most adults don't have to do that!
The local educators are controlled by the national educators. There is a master plan to dumb down the children and teach them to become willingly enslaved.
Wake up folks - this is right out in the open.
And I was upset when I heard last week that my 3rd grade grandson only gets 20 minutes recess in Atlanta. Apparently it is being done at lots of places. Being an "old person" recess is needed to help a kid learn how to play independently without direct supervision and having to make good decisions is all part of a well rounded person. It is so sad. I can't believe that those few minutes will make a difference on whether a child will learn enough to get him/her to Yale , Duke or SU 7 or 8 years from now.
Anon 9:09
Teacher-directed movement in a furniture-crowded room with four walls is NOT the same as being turned loose to run full tilt across a playground and yell and laugh with your friends. If you teach ELEMENTARY school, then you should know that every ELEMENTARY school here severely limits social activity at all times excepting recess.
I, too, would love more time to teach but prefer QUALITY time to QUANTITY. My classroom is very kinesthetic, thank you, and my kids are active and engaged in each subject I teach. Do I reach them all? Of course not, that's an unreasonable expectation. I don't need recess to 'calm' them.... I run a tight ship and discipline is rarely a problem. Sitting for the majority of the day or being cooped up in a room for hours on end is difficult for adults, let alone children.
And those test scores? I pass on the knowledge they need to be successful, but neither you nor I can make them succeed and/or learn. Those are choices the children make for themselves. I promote (or not!) children who are human beings, not robots waiting for someone to tell them what to do, when to do it, or how to think.
We are talking about 4th graders....9 year old children. Not middle- or high-schoolers. Elementary kids do NOT have the same social time between classes or at lunch that they do.
And if you truly teach, then you know where that MANDATORY fruit and veggie goes for most kids....in the trash.
Love,
8:52
Okay, I'll bite --
Why FOURTH graders?
Why not 1st, 2nd, 3rd and 5th?
I can't believe some are advocating 'institutionalization' over balanced learning studies and learning social skills.
They should be expanding interaction with their peers than curtailing it.
And yes, medications and medical conditions can and does cause weight gain.
And if you are so worried about kids being 'fat', why wouldn't you want exercise to burn off calories? Some of you have arguments, (if they can even be called that), that are nonsensical. (That means they don't make sense.)
What was the reason given to reduce recess in the first place? I see no one has mentioned that little tidbit.
Seems more reasonable for fith grade to transition to middle school. But not forth graders.
I hope for a world where my newborn daughter can live without the constant verbal abuse and name calling that is often thrown around on blogs like these. A topic which ought to be of utmost importance, the upbringing of our children, has been reduced to political bigotry and stereotyping. Let's face it folks, the public school system is not in ideal shape. These kids are our future. It is fine to differ in opinion, but please think about the consequences of your behaviors.
And for the record I say recess 30 min everyday thru 5,6 and gym all the way thru grade school, what does it hurt? All mature responses welcome.
When are we going to stop calling our children, "Kids"? That word is running wild everywhere lately. Kids are baby goats. Whey should it take ten minutes out of fifteen to line up to go in or out? Also what about children's activities outside of school? They spend more time at them than at school, get exercise during those hours.
It's all about the teachers , they want to finish their lesson so they can relax. WE need to give teachers a raise and more bennies.
Poor little teachers. Recess 1/2 day every day.
5th grade at DMHS gets 30 minutes recess. They have great scores and found the time to include a recess.
I guess the boys will stay in detention because of all that stored up energy.
Children need to burn their built up energy. Two half hours recess times per day definitely help in getting that energy burned off. If they don't have this opportunity they will get sluggish and not learn anything. I'm thinking the 'no child left behind' has been dropped from the education mantra if they are limiting recess times.
You can feed your kids whatever you want genius if they sit on their behind from 8-3 everyday they will end up with a weight problem or walth problems.
What about homework?
what's the problem here? I'm sure most of these parents are already drugging their kids to keep them focused and calmed down anyway! Shouldn't be an issue. And the ones who aren't drugged probably don't want to be there or learn anything anyway, which I'm sure their parents constantly tell them how far they've made it without an education! Got their whole life ahead of them? Yeah and it ain't pretty with the mess the adults are leaving them. If they only knew the true scope of the problems they would be taking alot more drugs!
My guess is the school systems inability to manage the behavioral issues of some students is the reason for limiting the students recess. They are trying to address it with uniforms, and now reducing recess. Too bad they used money for staffing on excessive administrative appointments. Hiring more teachers in order to reduce class size would have been a more proactive approach. With more than 25 students in a class, behavior management is a struggle. Furthermore, every school in the district should embrace PBIS. It is proven to address behavior issues. Im afraid our schools have been trying various easy and cheap solutions that further burden the students and families. Class size reductions and good PBIS programs are more expensive options, but are proven to be far more effective. Stop spending all the money on administration and start spending it on the students WCBOE!
The real reason this has occurred is to make sure science and social studies is taught every day. Reading is mandated at 90 minutes, math was reduced to 75 minutes, science and social studies 30 minutes each and language arts at 45 minutes. With lunch being 30 minutes and special area classes averaging 40 minutes, there is not enough time for a 30 minute recess.
That is the reason.
From direct observation some things to mull:
1) Logistics of moving to & from recess will consume a portion of the allotted time.
2) Some students will have forfeited all or portion of recess due to behavior in the classroom; will get to spend all of recess standing by the wall.
3) Not all students run about during recess; some will talk with friends they don't see during class day; some will investigate nature (plants, insects, etc.); some will hit the slide and swings; some will do group activities (hoops, kickball, etc.). But for all of them it provides some fresh air in a less structured setting.
4) Recess generally follows lunch; large portions of many lunch periods are silent; seating is often dictated and chances for socialization reduced.
5) PE has a great deal of inactivity associated with it due to taking roll, outlining the day's plan, selecting groups, etc, etc. Actual time devoted to group or individual activity is often small. Not really anyone's 'fault', just the logistics and time constraints.
6) We put a lot on our schools, and if via PE standards, cafeteria menu controls and extended day programs student spends majority of day at school then more traditional recess allotment seems like a time-tested approach.
7) Administrators are under pressure to have schools and students achieve but it's a good bet they would chafe if their schedule were as constrained as the students.
Just some observations.
If PE is on 3 per cycle schedule and mandated for 120 minutes. And we are cutting 15 out of one class well I was educated in this county and that still equals 15 minutes short of the mandate
Everyone of these comments justifies the rise in homeschooling.
when i went to school we had 30-35 students to a class. we didn't have any discipline problems that could not be corrected.
Of course that was before the kid gloves went on and they made it a criminal offense to correct children. Even for the parents.
You libs made this mess, clean it up.
IMHO - if lack of time is the reason that recess has been slashed, then extend the school day.
My daughter's school runs from 8:15 to 4:30 every day and she makes out just fine. And she has recess every day...30 minutes +!
They start Sept 4 and end last Friday in May which means they have met MD hourly standards for instruction and then some.
WCBOE should take note and consider an extended day instead of robbing children of their childhood.
BTW - most activities outside the school are prohibitively expensive for the children who really need it. The affordable ones only have so many slots and so much funding.
This is why kids are dumb....bc their barents are dumb....
The poster said that PE WAS 45 minutes and one was cut to 30 minutes.....if 3 times per cycle....45+45+30........hmmmmmmm 120 minutes....duh!
If they spent less time preparing for the ridiculous and meaningless state testing there would be more time for recess.
Trying to close the achievement gap, huh?
Idiots. Dangerous idiots. Young children need to switch activities in the 1st pace. Walking between classes just doesn't touch it, they need run, jump, yell, and they need LOTS of fresh air if you want to have healthy kids capable of learning. They put them in stinky class rooms that never get aired, and now they're taking away those lousy minutes that they were spending outside in GOOD weather (which was rear).
Now our children will have to pay for minorities not keeping up with SAT scores.
Some of you responding need to grow up yourselves. Shallow minded adults and wonder what your children are like?
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