More recess for FCPS?

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:People, get a grip. The kids are getting recess, PE, music, art, etc. And, while I am not teaching now, I can almost promise that every teacher is giving the kids a few active breaks during the day.

I would love to see two outside breaks every day--but, look at the weather outside today. Do you really think your kids are being permanently harmed by having to stay inside? Use a little common sense.

The post wasn't specifically about today. Of course on a day like today everyone is having indoor recess. But a cold icy rain/sleet mix is not happening most days. Common sense tells me that my two elementary kids are too inactive during the day. They come home exploding with pent up energy. If we don't get them out a lot at home, which can be hard to do in the limited time in the evenings, they don't sleep well. They get home late, and it is quite challenging getting in a family dinner, homework, AND sufficient fresh air and activity not to mention fitting in anything like a class or music lesson. Kids who are in school nearly 7 hours a day should be getting outdoors more than 20 minutes during that timeframe, especially in the early grades. Our pediatrician talks about this problem frequently, and my child's kindergarten teacher also mentioned that she wishes it was part of the schedule to take the kids out twice. In addition to their need for fresh air and movement, young kids need real play time with peers. This is how they reinforce their learning (for example, my daughter frequently plays out scenarios from class with friends during recess . . . such as imagining they're explorers when they were learning in social studies about explorers). It also is how they develop decision making and problem solving skills and learn how to get along with others.

Anyway, to answer the OP's question, advocacy within Fairfax will be needed to make the VA law something that benefits FCPS schools specifically.

[Anonymous]

When my kids were at Haycock, recess was 15 minutes and PE was 30 minutes once a week.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:Honestly they would need much better supervision and the teachers are already overworked and understaffed. Recess is essential, but if they don't decrease the amount of testing and stress during the day more recess will be worse not better. The kids go nuts. There have been so many injuries in my kids' classes from kids too wild playing football and soccer to the usual injuries that come with playing to kids doing daredevil feats before an adult sees. 2 kids this year have been taken away in ambulances. Simple games are falling apart perhaps due to pent up tension and stress without enough adults to intervene.

Please. I'm sure there is no correlation between those injuries and testing. Kids used to get injured all the time. We just don't tolerate that at school anymore.

This! I taught during the Kung Fu craze. Think about it.

Also, we didn't call the parents every time the kids scraped their knees.

My kid's school doesn't call parents when they scrape knees. My kids have come home with plenty of bumps and major bruising. Not a big deal. Number of kids they report breaking bones is a big deal. That should be an occasional occurrence. (Have verified it's true by the way because I know the parents). Their stress levels are high and when you work that hard, you sometimes play too hard. Kids need to run around and climb and play. They also need to have time for this at home too and not spend so much time studying and doing homework.

[Anonymous]

My kid's school doesn't call parents when they scrape knees. My kids have come home with plenty of bumps and major bruising. Not a big deal. Number of kids they report breaking bones is a big deal. That should be an occasional occurrence. (Have verified it's true by the way because I know the parents). Their stress levels are high and when you work that hard, you sometimes play too hard. Kids need to run around and climb and play. They also need to have time for this at home too and not spend so much time studying and doing homework.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

My kid's school doesn't call parents when they scrape knees. My kids have come home with plenty of bumps and major bruising. Not a big deal. Number of kids they report breaking bones is a big deal. That should be an occasional occurrence. (Have verified it's true by the way because I know the parents). Their stress levels are high and when you work that hard, you sometimes play too hard. Kids need to run around and climb and play. They also need to have time for this at home too and not spend so much time studying and doing homework.

Totally agree. How do you propose to keep them from getting hurt?

[Anonymous]

They get home late, and it is quite challenging getting in a family dinner, homework, AND sufficient fresh air and activity not to mention fitting in anything like a class or music lesson.

Soooo, you think it is easier for the school to fit it in than the parent? How about giving up the class or music lesson? How about going out for a walk as a family before dinner?

This is the issue. Parents expect the school to get the kids outside, but they don't do it at home. How much time do your kids spend outside on the weekends? Or, are they at classes or in museums?

[Anonymous]

Our school now has 25-30 minutes of recess every day plus 2-3 periods of PE a week. I've never heard of the school being out of compliance with state laws. If other schools are doing less, it's because of your local principal's decision.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

They get home late, and it is quite challenging getting in a family dinner, homework, AND sufficient fresh air and activity not to mention fitting in anything like a class or music lesson.

Soooo, you think it is easier for the school to fit it in than the parent? How about giving up the class or music lesson? How about going out for a walk as a family before dinner?

This is the issue. Parents expect the school to get the kids outside, but they don't do it at home. How much time do your kids spend outside on the weekends? Or, are they at classes or in museums?

We don't do many lessons, and we do insist on outdoor out time every day. But it still is very hard with all the expectations on working families. And it is nearly dark in winter when my kids get off the bus. Yes, I think in seven hours spent in school time should be made for it. Young elementary kids are spent when they get home. They need breaks in the middle of the long school day and when the sun is out. Young kids need more than a couple 20 minute spurts of exercise. They should be spending an hour or two every day outside. Why are people such jerks about this? Do you really have a problem with elementary aged kids being provided 40 minutes of break time outside during the day?? Do you really not understand they need this developmentally? the school day as it currently goes in FCPS is not healthy for our kids.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

They get home late, and it is quite challenging getting in a family dinner, homework, AND sufficient fresh air and activity not to mention fitting in anything like a class or music lesson.

This is the issue. Parents expect the school to get the kids outside, but they don't do it at home. How much time do your kids spend outside on the weekends? Or, are they at classes or in museums?

Of course we do. We do not want our children confined in and by the school all day five days a week.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

They get home late, and it is quite challenging getting in a family dinner, homework, AND sufficient fresh air and activity not to mention fitting in anything like a class or music lesson.

Soooo, you think it is easier for the school to fit it in than the parent? How about giving up the class or music lesson? How about going out for a walk as a family before dinner?

This is the issue. Parents expect the school to get the kids outside, but they don't do it at home. How much time do your kids spend outside on the weekends? Or, are they at classes or in museums?

We don't do many lessons, and we do insist on outdoor out time every day. But it still is very hard with all the expectations on working families. And it is nearly dark in winter when my kids get off the bus. Yes, I think in seven hours spent in school time should be made for it. Young elementary kids are spent when they get home. They need breaks in the middle of the long school day and when the sun is out. Young kids need more than a couple 20 minute spurts of exercise. They should be spending an hour or two every day outside. Why are people such jerks about this? Do you really have a problem with elementary aged kids being provided 40 minutes of break time outside during the day?? Do you really not understand they need this developmentally? the school day as it currently goes in FCPS is not healthy for our kids.

I have an issue paying for it and reducing instructional hours. Make the year longer, reduce all the specials time that FCPS introduced when it enacted full day Mondays, and have the kids get out earlier in the day. Then teachers can plan when kids are out of school too. Never made sense that we pay other professionals to watch our kids while teachers plan.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

They get home late, and it is quite challenging getting in a family dinner, homework, AND sufficient fresh air and activity not to mention fitting in anything like a class or music lesson.

Soooo, you think it is easier for the school to fit it in than the parent? How about giving up the class or music lesson? How about going out for a walk as a family before dinner?

This is the issue. Parents expect the school to get the kids outside, but they don't do it at home. How much time do your kids spend outside on the weekends? Or, are they at classes or in museums?

PP, yes, children learn better with more recess. They will learn more in less instructional time, with more recess. You should be pro-recess.

[Anonymous]

OP here - sorry to post and run. I was specifically referring to the bill that said that schools can count recess as instructional time. It was something a group called Virginians for Recess (or something like that) lobbied really hard for. My child is starting Kindergarten in September, so I'm not very familiar with the school system at all - but I have read that although recess time varies across school, it is still pretty limited.

Someone above mentioned that FCPS was unlikely to increase recess time without advocacy -- how does one get involved in this stuff at the district level?

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:OP here - sorry to post and run. I was specifically referring to the bill that said that schools can count recess as instructional time. It was something a group called Virginians for Recess (or something like that) lobbied really hard for. My child is starting Kindergarten in September, so I'm not very familiar with the school system at all - but I have read that although recess time varies across school, it is still pretty limited.

Someone above mentioned that FCPS was unlikely to increase recess time without advocacy -- how does one get involved in this stuff at the district level?

Why don't you figure out how much recess your school has and how teachers, parents, and the principal feel about it first. Go to a PTA meeting and bring up the issue and see what the feedback is. I can't tell you how annoying it is as a parent in FCPS to watch parents of rising kindergarteners who know nothing about the school system advocate for something based on heresy. We all have busy lives and it's unproductive to spend time educating people that want to make a point before knowing enough information on a subject. If this is an issue, parents of actual students with experience will be bringing up issues. Many people around here have 2-5 kids and will have a child that is both a rising kindergarten and one who has already gone through FCPS to some degree.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:OP here - sorry to post and run. I was specifically referring to the bill that said that schools can count recess as instructional time. It was something a group called Virginians for Recess (or something like that) lobbied really hard for. My child is starting Kindergarten in September, so I'm not very familiar with the school system at all - but I have read that although recess time varies across school, it is still pretty limited.

Someone above mentioned that FCPS was unlikely to increase recess time without advocacy -- how does one get involved in this stuff at the district level?

Why don't you figure out how much recess your school has and how teachers, parents, and the principal feel about it first. Go to a PTA meeting and bring up the issue and see what the feedback is. I can't tell you how annoying it is as a parent in FCPS to watch parents of rising kindergarteners who know nothing about the school system advocate for something based on heresy. We all have busy lives and it's unproductive to spend time educating people that want to make a point before knowing enough information on a subject. If this is an issue, parents of actual students with experience will be bringing up issues. Many people around here have 2-5 kids and will have a child that is both a rising kindergarten and one who has already gone through FCPS to some degree.

I don't find it annoying all. Many parents are so busy they really don't advocate even if they believe in an issue. And it's pretty common knowledge that recess is limited in Ffx schools. I appreciate that parents want to work toward change now so their kids can actually benefit from the change. Kindergarten kids are arguably the most in need of increases in recess...

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:OP here - sorry to post and run. I was specifically referring to the bill that said that schools can count recess as instructional time. It was something a group called Virginians for Recess (or something like that) lobbied really hard for. My child is starting Kindergarten in September, so I'm not very familiar with the school system at all - but I have read that although recess time varies across school, it is still pretty limited.

Someone above mentioned that FCPS was unlikely to increase recess time without advocacy -- how does one get involved in this stuff at the district level?

Why don't you figure out how much recess your school has and how teachers, parents, and the principal feel about it first. Go to a PTA meeting and bring up the issue and see what the feedback is. I can't tell you how annoying it is as a parent in FCPS to watch parents of rising kindergarteners who know nothing about the school system advocate for something based on heresy. We all have busy lives and it's unproductive to spend time educating people that want to make a point before knowing enough information on a subject. If this is an issue, parents of actual students with experience will be bringing up issues. Many people around here have 2-5 kids and will have a child that is both a rising kindergarten and one who has already gone through FCPS to some degree.

I don't find it annoying all. Many parents are so busy they really don't advocate even if they believe in an issue. And it's pretty common knowledge that recess is limited in Ffx schools. I appreciate that parents want to work toward change now so their kids can actually benefit from the change. Kindergarten kids are arguably the most in need of increases in recess...

Are you kidding? There are around 187,000 students in FCPS. It's the 10th largest school system in the country. We're not in some rural area. If there is an issue, there will be parents that show up to advocate. We don't need preschool parents to show up and advocate for things within FCPS who haven't even bothered to get any actual data. And parents who are happy with the current system shouldn't have to take off time from their own days to refute baseless claims.