Recess bill has benefits for all parties

Students need a mental break, and teachers do as well

Elementary school teachers have an almost Herculean task every single day.

Teachers administer lessons in reading, writing, grammar, arithmetic, science and health. And then they have art, music and physical education too. And along the way, teachers are also preparing students for their upcoming benchmark tests, be it Galileo, AIMS or AzMERIT.

Teachers are also helping students manage social skills, learn classroom behavior and navigate the challenges of growing up.

And as state and federal mandates for education continue to evolve, so too does the amount of information that must be learned. And as a result, schools may look to find every possible minute to teach and reinforce those lessons – and that in turn can lead to a reduction in recess time.

For any teacher, it’s daunting, but imagine what it’s like for the students. While young minds tend to be sponges, soaking up the world around them, those same young minds also function better with a break.

In fact, the American Academy of Pediatrics notes that recess provides benefits for a child’s cognitive, emotional, physical and social well-being.

The students need to have time to physically release the energy that builds up during the course of the day. They need to socialize, play and imagine for a little while, before moving on to the next task.

Teachers too benefit from that same break. They need a mental reset, a chance to catch their breath before starting the next lesson.

Arizona’s legislators are taking that need seriously, with HB 2082. The bill would require students in grades kindergarten through fifth get at least 50 minutes a day of “unstructured recess,” according to Capitol Media Services.

The bill, sponsored by Rep. Jesus Rubalcava and Rep. Charlene Fernandez of Yuma, is one that promotes healthy exercise and independent play for children, which is especially important at that age.

Unfortunately, it also provides an additional mandate for schools to meet, which, as a Yuma educator pointed out, removes local control from schools. And with a variety of mandates already on their plates, it’s daunting to add another one.

In this case, however, the intent is a positive one, and reinforces the importance of physical activities. For both students and teachers, that’s a win-win.

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