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What do you think about teachers taking away recess from students as a punishment or consequence?
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Anonymous
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"God forbid poor behavior is penalized. This sort of self righteous helicopter parenting has to be totally annoying to teachers. "
Nobody said teh behavios should not be addressed rather that the way it is being addressed is casuing a bigger problem. It is very simple that kids NEED recess - unstructured free time to get their wiggles out. I would definitely question a teacher who does not understand that. This has NOTHINGto do with being a helicopter parent. I am sure if a teacher is called on a bad practice they might find that "annoying" but who cares they should never have done it in the first place. The fact that IEP reccomendations have to spell that out for teachers is troubling as well. |
Anonymous
| I'm the OP. It makes me sad that this little boy is penalized for being a little boy. I know him and he isn't unlike most other kids in our neighborhood. Lots of energy, very talkative, very bright. I don't know about the other kids in his class but maybe they just have better impulse control than he does. But it is hard for his mom b/c she feels like there isn't anything she can do about it. I've encouraged her to talk to the teacher and she says she will but it is almost the end of the schoolyear. Our other neighbor taught K for years and is retired and she said she feels sorry for many kids that are in K now. Normal behaviors are not normal anymore and the kids aren't given enough chance to run around outside. She said when she taught half-day K, they had to give the kids at least 30 mins outside each morning or afternoon class. Now many kids get LESS recess even though their classroom time is double (or more) what it used to be. |
Anonymous
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We have the same problem with DS's montessori. This is done to 3-6 year olds!
I was hoping our public school might be better, we're switching over this fall for K and are in MD too. But now I think I'd pay a therapist for an ADHD diagnosis if it meant being able to get an IEP that says no taking away recess. |
Anonymous
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Definitely seems like a counter-productive punishment, but that brings up the question of what is an appropriate consequence for not following rules. I guess maybe just a brief period of time sitting out may work. When I was in school - schools could use corporal punishment - yikes! Kids would get paddled in front of the whole school! Definitely don't want to bring that back. I also remember having to write 100 sentences such as "I will not talk in line" - probably wouldn't work for a Kindergartener. I do feel for teachers though - it's quite different to be handling a class of 20 kids then it is to handle just one or two kids at a time - if you let one thing slide with one kid then you've got a whole class of kids talking out of turn.
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Anonymous
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How does a parent in Montgomery County complain about this? Do you contact the principal? If you it a wall do you escalate up? Do you need to organize parents and hire independent experts to testify on the ill effects of holding back physical activity for kids?
I'm genuinely curious how parents can change things in a public school. In a private school, you can vote with your checkbook but what do you do in public? |
Anonymous
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One hallmark of appropriate discipline is that is works. (not that that is the only component of appropriate discipline... just one part of it)
I don't think there is anything sacred about recess. Teachers need to have withholding recess as an option in their toolkit. It can be very effective. I had recess withheld, I think once, in elementary school. It was for bad behavior, and it worked. I never had recess withheld again. But if a 5 year old boy is staying in for recess 3 times a week, its clearly not working. Then a responsible teacher asks, why isn't it working, and what makes the child unable or unwilling to conform to my standards for behavior. If you don't apply this judgment, then you're crossing the line from appropriate corrective "discipline", to cruel and worthless "punishment." If this were my child, I'd be talking to the teacher and the principle. I think the best argument for why it shouldn't be done is the one that says, "its not working." |
Anonymous
I think they do so at their peril; cutting off their noses to spite their own faces. |
Anonymous
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School districts and even some states are starting to mandate recess every day and to have policies against removing recess as a punishment.
In my child's school, the entire class was losing recess as a punishment for talking in the halls by just a few students. Several parents complained, in writing, to the principal. We first asked her to clarify that this was, in fact, school recess policy; and then made the argument that we did not think group punishement fulfilled the school's stated goals of teaching children individual responsibility; and furthermore that the fact that this was happening every week meant that the punishment was not effective at reducing the unwanted behavior. The group punishement of removing recess stopped, but changed to making the class "walk" instead of having free play. Again we got involved and pointed out that again this policy did not appear to be working as the consequence was being used every week. Within a few weeks, they instituted new policies and only the chldren who are committing behavior infractions are missing their recess. We still need to do more, but at least we changed that much. If I were your friend, and my child were still having recess withheld, I would definitely take steps to get my child recess every day, even though it is late in the year. She may need to advocate at the principal's level or even higher if this is school policy. She may need to communicate daily with the teacher, see what the infractions were that day that caused her child to miss recess, and see what strategies the teacher is trying to help the child show better self-control. Parents need to let principals know that they value recess for their cihldren and that they will help the teacher come up with alternate rewards/punishments if they hear that their children are not behaving as expected. In addition, parents can see what is going on in the classroom and ask the teachers and principal to justify that their expectations for behavior are in fact age appropriate. |
Anonymous
| It is totally against the postive reinforcement method of disci;plining. My son's teacher did that once and we were in to see the Head of school the next day. Completely ignorant way to resolve issues. |
Anonymous
Thanks, troll. Your point? Did you have one? |
Anonymous
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Teachers don't have many tricks in their bags for discipline these days. It is essentially a "time out." Sending a child to the principal's office only makes the child miss teaching time. Sending notes home only works if the parents do something about the beahviour and many don't. Teachers are not even permitted to do anything that would single out a student in a way that could cause the child to feel shamed. My teacher used to have me write lines, e.g., "I will not talk in class," but that is no longer permitted.
Her school uses positive reinforemcent whenever possible, but some kids are just simply disruptive in class and there needs to be consequences. My wife is a public elementary school teacher and if she wants to keep a child in from recess she has to supervise the child during that time, which means she has to give up planning time/lunch. I don't know of any teacher that wants a kid to miss recess, but what other alternatives do they have? If a child is disrupting the class and interfering with your child's ability to learn don't you want some action taken? |
Anonymous
What alternative punshiments did your gropu suggest? |
Anonymous
His/her point is that it's an ignorant way to resolve issues. I don't think I would go so far as to take off work to go see the head of the school the next day but I would certainly be on the phone with the teacher the next day and then the head if I didn't get anywhere with the teacher. |
Anonymous
| Okay, if I misunderstood I apologize. My take on positive reinforcement is reward/recognition for good behavior so I don't see that as an ignorant way to resolve issues. |
Anonymous
| I think the main issue is that recess needs to be treated as a right and not a priviledge that can be revoked as a punishment. Children need free outdoor play for their wellbeing...cognitive, emotional, and of course physical. |