YourBlackEducation.com
Posted December 11th 2016
There are many “never ending” debates in education. One of them is over the positive effects of recess on students. This debate always puzzles me because, as far as I can remember, there is proof that there is a positive correlation between recess and student achievement. However, it seems that despite the results of the research, many school districts are making choices to the contrary.
Now it seems that a school in Kentucky, Estes Elementary School, has come up with an alternative. One of the kindergarten teachers won a grant to install virtually noiseless pedal desks in her classroom. I am not against ingenuity and alternatives, but I find this solution to be unacceptable.
I do not blame the teacher. She is trying to find appropriate classroom management techniques and exercise options that will be approved by her district. When the rules are tight, people come up with alternatives they may have never considered, or better yet, ones they would have never suggested.
Let me express my issues with the pedal desks: First, the idea of recess is a break from the classroom. Dictionary.com’s most appropriate definition for recess is “temporary withdrawal or cessation from the usual work or activity.” I always thought the best way to stop an activity was to move completely away from it. Recess is not purely physical, it is mental and in some cases spiritual as well.
In my elementary school we had 30 minutes for recess after lunch. Some play football, jump rope, “off the wall.” tag, and various other games while others sat down and relaxed or engaged in conversations with friends. It was our choice. When a child pedals at his/her desk, he/she is not getting anything but physical exercise. What happens to those who have not learned to multi-task? Or better yet, what happens to the child who cannot stop pedaling? Is the school liable for cramps or associated injuries?
My next issue is that this is kindergarten! KINDERGARTEN!! I know that times have changed, and many institutions have progressed and evolved past the intended use, but I have the same question as Maria Guido (author of the original Scary Mommy article), “Why are kindergartners even sitting in one place long enough to need pedal desks?” Are we still transitioning kids from home to school, or are we starting school earlier? Have we not learned anything from the large percentage of people who were thrust into careers as children and burned out as adults?
There must be time for children to be children, or else they will act out at some point. Of course there are always exceptions, like those who achieve graduate degrees at 13. But what happens to them after they achieve their degrees? I only hear about the fact they graduate at an early age, then I never here about them again. There is no reason to rush children to adulthood!
I agree that the desks are an answer, not a good answer, but an answer nonetheless. However, in our world of “go go go,” our students need recess to perform at their best. For most of them, kindergarten is their first time in school. Let’s work on this in our communities. Bring back recess for the students.