You may have read about schools that have cut out the time-honored tradition of recess. Some principals think games such as tag are “exclusionary” or that children who lose at kickball may feel bad.
But now there is an even sillier assault on recess: With money from a foundation, a California organization has hired “recess coaches” for 170 schools nationwide. Instead of letting children come up with games in an unstructured environment, the coaches strictly regiment playtime.
“Recess used to end with bad feelings …,” the head of a New Jersey school that has a “recess coach” told The New York Times. But now, she said, students are learning conflict resolution techniques for major issues such as who had the ball first.
As you might guess, some students are not thrilled about being told how to play after they had been used to having unstructured time in the midst of their rigid class schedules.
“Why do I have to go through this every day with you?” a “coach” told one girl who longed to do her own thing at recess. “There’s no choice.”
About some things, of course, children shouldn’t have a choice. But do they really need a “coach” to dictate recess activities?