No Recess Today, from Flickr files of BamaWester
Trends to less recess only get more complicated.
David Elkind of Tufts wrote in the New York Times about the trend to getting recess coaches. It’s probably much better than killing recess altogether, but still problematic, don’t you think? Elkind said:
We have to adapt to childhood as it is today, not as we knew it or would like it to be. The question isn’t whether recess coaches are good or bad — they seem to be with us to stay — but whether they help students form the age-old bonds of childhood. To the extent that the coaches focus on play, give children freedom of choice about what they want to do, and stay out of the way as much as possible, they are likely a good influence.
In any case, recess coaching is a vastly better solution than eliminating recess in favor of more academics. Not only does recess aid personal development, but studies have found that children who are most physically fit tend to score highest on tests of reading, math and science.
Earlier at Millard Fillmore’s Bathtub:
- “More schools jump on ‘no recess’ bandwagon”
- “All study for the tests and no play makes Jack and Jill perform worse on standardized tests”
Other sources:
Posted by Ed Darrell 
Millard Fillmore's Bathtub 