No Talking During Recess!

I am finally getting to my messages and I see that you already took action. As a teacher/school administrator myself, I encourage parents to ask questions to get clarification. Often, students get some information mixed up or only get part of the story back to parents. Usually, there is some sort of reasoning behind actions that we can all understand. Ask questions, but reserve judgement until you get both sides of the story. Some people forget that schools are there for the children, not to make their lives miserable.

I'm off my soap box...good job for asking the right questions and getting answers!

It sounds ridiculous to me too. I would make sure to talk to the principal or one of the teachers to find out about it. Maybe your boys don't understand exactly what the rules are, and the teachers need to explain better what is expected during recess. Obviously recess is a time to get outside and have fun, so they should know how to take advantage of that.

If it was me i would simply call the school and ask the principal about it...that's what they r there for--there also may be more to the situation than your kids r telling you too...I am a stay home mom now but do have my degree in education...I have seen this recess situation happen at many schools but often times it is at those who have recess staffed by uneducated aids...not to say that they r bad at all...just sometimes they forget that the children need to be wild and crazy children sometimes...how else can they focus their attentions in the classroom...their number one priority is of course the children's safety...but kids need to be kids also.
good luck!

I would call the school for clarification. Our school has a "no chasing rule" on the black top and around the play equipment, but running is allowed and encouraged on the sports fields. Perhaps your kids don't have a clear understanding of the rules. If they do, perhaps you can talk to other parents and approach the principal together with your concerns.

I took all questions I had when my kids were in school to the source. I found that if I didn't go to fight for my kids & their rights, no one else was going to. Now, I just as quickly made my children accountable for their actions. But I have been to school board meetings, on PTA's, volunteered at the schools, doing whatever it took to make my presence known at the school. If you don't like a policy at the school, talk to the principal, teacher, school boards. We pay their salaries & have the right to be listened to. My daughter had a teacher once that came up with all kinds of rules...no drinks & no bathroom breaks except during recess. My daughter couldn't do that & I assured the teacher I would get a drs excuse if needed. One of the other girls had a convulsion because of the stress coming on the children & some rules had to change. The teacher ended up being well loved by the end of the year, but we parents had to stand up for our children too. No need to be mean & rude about it. Sometimes rules just haven't been thought thru the whole way or maybe just need some tweaking to make them work well.

I am a mother of three children, 2 of them are school age, 7th grade and 5th grade. I don't know if we have this rule at my daughter's elementary, but I'm going to find out.
I think this no standing around rule is probably to keep the kids active for the short time they are outside. They can still interact with each other without standing in groups. I know I would rather have my kid playing at recess rather than just standing around, they need to burn all that extra energy they have!!

May I add my 2 cents worth?! Oh,my! What's next, no tag? Or not having recess at all? Recess used to be for talking to friends, chasing boys and them chasing us. It was "free" time to just be a kid~learning to negotiate relationships with other kids. I don't recall being told to stand still or sit down.
I am dating myself...I am 44, but when I was in grade school we played four square, hopscotch, we played on the monkey bars(wearing shorts under our dresses! LOL) and played kick ball as a group. We ran and played or sat down to chat in small groups, and played with jacks, etc. Our country is overweight and they wonder why! I am trying to get the kids at my son's school to have gym everyday instead of twice a week. I guess I should be grateful for that. What is next? Creating a society of robots who don't question anything? Sorry, not at our house! This is just one more example of "us" losing our cultural identity..and traditions. It is becoming more difficult trying to replicate the good stuff from our childhood for our 6 yr. old! Good Luck and express yourself, Ladies!!

I would talk to the principal..that rule is stupid not letting them talk, so long as they aren't causing problems what is the big deal...i have one in middle school and one in kindergarten and our school lets them play, talk & run so long as they aren't hurting each other. good luck.

i'm wondering if it is a way to get the kids more active during recess. instead of the standing around and being sedentary. also it maybe that when the kids stand around and talk in groups it tends to leave other kids out and that is how bullying starts. also the talking may be negative talk, such as kids saying mean or hurtful things about the others.

just a thought, I only have preschoolers so I don't have any idea what the schools do around here. but if it were my kids I would rather them be playing and active then just standing or sitting.

I think you're absolutely correct and should also organize the other parents in this matter. No chasing? Does that mean they can't play tag? It's not just about getting a break from class and structure, they playground is its own classroom as they learn how to interact with their peers - by TALKING as well as play. I'd be making a big stink about this because so much development occurrs in the playground. You're programmed in the classrooom, you LEARN in the playground and outer world.

i remember the days when I was in school and complained about a rule and my parents just told me to follow it and don't get in trouble. Now I'm finding that there are rules in my daughters school that I think are too controlling and dumb. But rules are made for reasons....however, I do think you should talk to your principal about it, those do seem a bit extreme. Recess should be for time to unwind as long as the children are not doing anything to harm themselves.

I would say ya its time to have a talk with the principle. This just dont sound right, recess is the time where kids should be able to do as they want to a point, I mean c'mon whats wrong with standing around and talking, recess is that recess you should be able to play/stand/talk, its the time to do those things, things your not allowed to do in the classroom.

Hi A.,
Just out of curiosity is this district 150 in Peoria? I think talking to the principle is a good idea. I myself have some issues with my children's school. I am going to talk to the principle and even planning on attending a schoolboard meeting. In my opinion I think the school officials have forgotten what the struggle was when they were teaching... for that matter, when they were kids. This is why children are getting so out of hand. They aren't allowed to be kids. This is not an army! Talk to them and ask as many questions as you want. It's your right.
Q. H.

I think it's a riduculous policy and would like to know what school/school district your kids go to. I want to make a point not to allow my child to attend there. Thank you.

No it doesnt sound extreme. Its ridiculous!! They should be able to TALK for God's sake!! Talk to the principle about it. If you dont no one else will.
--S.

Last year my kids went to OKC Public Schools. I found out that they were not letting the kids interact with other kids and talk during recess. After looking into it more I foudn out that they are planning on doing away with recess all together. They also watched movies during pe and music. I went and ate lunch with them quite often and had to listen to the cafeteria monitors scream at the kids telling them to sit down and shut up. I took it to the school board and was told if I didn't like it then I coudl always homeschool my kids. Needless to say they do not attend school in OKC district anymore. I have them in Western Heights and we have our house up for sell. We are planning on moving out of this district. Where we are now is amazing, but still a little too large for my taste. Good luck and let us know how everything goes.