Education and Recess Essay

Since public schools have started recess it has been set in place to allow students time to express their energy, become active and socialize. Although within the past years, most schools have removed recess from their schedules. School administrators argue that recess wastes time, causes problems and is dangerous. But it is actually a good thing for students. In most schools, the average school day is about eight hours long. During the elementary school year especially, students are bursting with energy that causes their minds to wander. Recess is a great way to allow students to wind down and expel some of their pent-up energy. Also during this time it was usually the teacher who went outside with the class. So while the kids are taking a breather the teachers can too. A growing problem in America today is obesity. Many school cafeterias have switched to a healthier menu and schools have removed snack machines, in an attempt to improve students eating habits and weight. Meanwhile, the same school boards are removing recess from their schedules As a result, obesity rates have tripled in the past forty years. School administrators believe that recess is not needed because the students are required to take Physical Education. Although P.E. is physically active it does not give students many options. Students are graded on their performance and participation so P.E. is not much of a relax and recoup time. In school, it is important for students to develop necessary social skills. In class, students are unable to communicate because they are busy doing their work. Recess allows students to develop relationships, experience and deal with confrontations and learn about other people. These skills will be extremely important in almost every job. You may have noticed all of the big time business men or woman, and they got that job by being a good people person. That’s because when they were kids, recess was an every day thing. In conclusion, recess should be a thing student’s experience everyday. It should be something students think back on as adults and think of how it helped them. If schools go on with out recess for too much longer the obesity and people skills of the future could not be good. If I ever become  an important member of the school board you know what my vote for recess is going to be. What’s yours?