I Miss Recess
November 12, 2009
Originally published on Inside Pre-K. You can also read more from J.M. Holland on his personal blog, Circletime.
I guarantee that if your child goes to school and you ask them what they did that day the first thing they will say is, "We went outside on the playground." Or, "We played." Or, "We ate lunch" depending on the child. Kids love to go outside for recess. I think it is more than just the joy of free play, I think it is also the joy of being outside, in the fresh air. It is our default mode to feel the breeze or notice the particular color of the leaves in the sun.
When I taught, I knew that every day I could, our class would go outside. At my children's school one of the pre-k classes checked to make sure everyone had a change of clothes and then took the whole class out in the rain. It was a chore to get them changed after they came in but they remembered that experience the entire year. When I taught I felt it was sort of a relief valve for myself and some students because we knew if we could make it to outside time, we were more than half way through our day.
I am reminded of this now, because since I have left the classroom, some days I don't get recess. I am busy, trying to get my job done, and sometimes, I forget to eat, or I keep putting it off until all of a sudden it is too late. So I eat at my desk or in the car, and try to take care of a little personal business. Then get back into the work. But, if I take the time to go outside for a few minutes, it is like shedding a costume. I am much happier when I go back in. I am more productive and focused. I am able to see my work with fresh eyes and look at problems in a new way. I miss recess, it is important in so many ways beyond the simple fact of kids getting to run around for a few minutes. It is the reset button on the day. I need that time, almost as much as lunch because it is food for the soul. I wouldn't have kept my kids inside during recess, I will have to remember not to keep myself inside either.
______________________________
About John Holland
I have always felt that stories are an intricate part of how people live and interpret their lives. Having good stories to tell is part of why I became a preschool teacher.
It is not uncommon to hear young teachers say they grew up wanting to teach"perhaps influenced by a great teacher they had early in their life. All too often this story ends with young teachers deciding to leave the profession in their first five years. My story is different. I really backed into teaching, and perhaps that's why I've stayed. I do know that teaching has become my passion.
I never planned to be a teacher at all. I went through college thinking that I was going to be an artist. Ever the optimist, I sheltered myself from the reality that being an artist and paying the bills is not easily done at the same time. So when my future wife said, "You can do anything you want as long as you can pay your half of the rent," I was faced with two choices: a) I could continue working for a painting contractor painting houses and come home from work with stories about watching paint dry; Or b), I could try teaching. At least with teaching, I told myself, I would come home with better yarns. And although I am now embarrassed to say it, in those pre-career days I also thought: "I'll get the summers off to make art."
I began by substitute teaching, to get my feet wet and make sure I was headed in the right direction. And I did it all. I substituted in every possible situation, from preschool special education classes to high school P.E. I worked in urban and suburban school districts. I spent class time with kids who came to school without warm clothes to wear in the winter"and with kids who came in the latest designer fashions. Even though I had never wanted to be a teacher I found that I was good at it. I relied on my spontaneity, my creativity, my empathy, and my willpower to get me through each day. The kids taught me about the real heart of teaching by letting me know very quickly what they needed in terms of respect, guidance, humor, and love.
Then I went to school to learn how to be effective.
After an amazing experience as a long-term substitute in a Head Start classroom, I chose to teach preschool. Though I use the word "chose" to describe the decision, the feeling was really, "This is it. This is my calling. This is what I am meant to do." Spending every day with the same little kids in that long-term sub position helped me see that I could make a huge difference in 17 lives each year. As a man, I was often the first male authority figure my students had ever encountered on a daily basis. This responsibility helped me see how my ability to communicate what a man actually is could affect my students for years to come.
As a preschool teacher, I am primarily responsible for teaching social skills, thinking skills, beginning reading, and math. I am the students' first teacher, and I can select content that will be important (perhaps life-changing) for them, no matter what path they choose to take later in life. Most importantly, I teach my students how to learn.
I still love to paint. Canvas, not houses. But as a male pre-k educator, I know I contribute to society in a profound way. And I have much better stories to tell my wife after work.
I have been a preschool teacher for the past 12 years. I am one of the only male National Board Certified pre-k teachers in the country and a member of the Teacher Leaders Network. As a member of the Center for Teacher Leadership I have been the moderator for the Virginia Forum, an online community of accomplished teachers. I am pursuing my doctorate at Virginia Commonwealth University and serve as a National Board coach, mentor, workshop presenter, and university student teaching supervisor. My current passions include ethics in educational policy, teacher leadership, and 21st century learning. I am also a relentlessly positive professional artist and education writer and professional developer.
Read more from John at his blog, Inside Pre-K.
I guarantee that if your child goes to school and you ask them what they did that day the first thing they will say is, "We went outside on the playground." Or, "We played." Or, "We ate lunch" depending on the child. Kids love to go outside for recess. I think it is more than just the joy of free play, I think it is also the joy of being outside, in the fresh air. It is our default mode to feel the breeze or notice the particular color of the leaves in the sun.
When I taught, I knew that every day I could, our class would go outside. At my children's school one of the pre-k classes checked to make sure everyone had a change of clothes and then took the whole class out in the rain. It was a chore to get them changed after they came in but they remembered that experience the entire year. When I taught I felt it was sort of a relief valve for myself and some students because we knew if we could make it to outside time, we were more than half way through our day.
I am reminded of this now, because since I have left the classroom, some days I don't get recess. I am busy, trying to get my job done, and sometimes, I forget to eat, or I keep putting it off until all of a sudden it is too late. So I eat at my desk or in the car, and try to take care of a little personal business. Then get back into the work. But, if I take the time to go outside for a few minutes, it is like shedding a costume. I am much happier when I go back in. I am more productive and focused. I am able to see my work with fresh eyes and look at problems in a new way. I miss recess, it is important in so many ways beyond the simple fact of kids getting to run around for a few minutes. It is the reset button on the day. I need that time, almost as much as lunch because it is food for the soul. I wouldn't have kept my kids inside during recess, I will have to remember not to keep myself inside either.
______________________________
About John Holland
I have always felt that stories are an intricate part of how people live and interpret their lives. Having good stories to tell is part of why I became a preschool teacher.
It is not uncommon to hear young teachers say they grew up wanting to teach"perhaps influenced by a great teacher they had early in their life. All too often this story ends with young teachers deciding to leave the profession in their first five years. My story is different. I really backed into teaching, and perhaps that's why I've stayed. I do know that teaching has become my passion.
I never planned to be a teacher at all. I went through college thinking that I was going to be an artist. Ever the optimist, I sheltered myself from the reality that being an artist and paying the bills is not easily done at the same time. So when my future wife said, "You can do anything you want as long as you can pay your half of the rent," I was faced with two choices: a) I could continue working for a painting contractor painting houses and come home from work with stories about watching paint dry; Or b), I could try teaching. At least with teaching, I told myself, I would come home with better yarns. And although I am now embarrassed to say it, in those pre-career days I also thought: "I'll get the summers off to make art."
I began by substitute teaching, to get my feet wet and make sure I was headed in the right direction. And I did it all. I substituted in every possible situation, from preschool special education classes to high school P.E. I worked in urban and suburban school districts. I spent class time with kids who came to school without warm clothes to wear in the winter"and with kids who came in the latest designer fashions. Even though I had never wanted to be a teacher I found that I was good at it. I relied on my spontaneity, my creativity, my empathy, and my willpower to get me through each day. The kids taught me about the real heart of teaching by letting me know very quickly what they needed in terms of respect, guidance, humor, and love.
Then I went to school to learn how to be effective.
After an amazing experience as a long-term substitute in a Head Start classroom, I chose to teach preschool. Though I use the word "chose" to describe the decision, the feeling was really, "This is it. This is my calling. This is what I am meant to do." Spending every day with the same little kids in that long-term sub position helped me see that I could make a huge difference in 17 lives each year. As a man, I was often the first male authority figure my students had ever encountered on a daily basis. This responsibility helped me see how my ability to communicate what a man actually is could affect my students for years to come.
As a preschool teacher, I am primarily responsible for teaching social skills, thinking skills, beginning reading, and math. I am the students' first teacher, and I can select content that will be important (perhaps life-changing) for them, no matter what path they choose to take later in life. Most importantly, I teach my students how to learn.
I still love to paint. Canvas, not houses. But as a male pre-k educator, I know I contribute to society in a profound way. And I have much better stories to tell my wife after work.
I have been a preschool teacher for the past 12 years. I am one of the only male National Board Certified pre-k teachers in the country and a member of the Teacher Leaders Network. As a member of the Center for Teacher Leadership I have been the moderator for the Virginia Forum, an online community of accomplished teachers. I am pursuing my doctorate at Virginia Commonwealth University and serve as a National Board coach, mentor, workshop presenter, and university student teaching supervisor. My current passions include ethics in educational policy, teacher leadership, and 21st century learning. I am also a relentlessly positive professional artist and education writer and professional developer.
Read more from John at his blog, Inside Pre-K.
