Children that don't finish their work in class often suffer from a variety of learning challenges - slow mental processing, attention difficulties, and visual and auditory processing issues are all very common. Sometimes the child is bright enough to do the work so this failure to complete tasks can be perceived as being "lazy" or "willful."
That's often not the case. These children actually have mental processing challenges that can make completion of work in the time and space allowed very difficult. Besides school work, these children often lag behind in communication skills, connection to peers, and motor skills. They may have soft signs of mental processing difficulties visible in their physical movement: Clumsy; poor handwriting; heavy footed running. Or, they may be driven by movement and need to move to settle their system. Recess works these deficit areas. It's the time of day to expel energy, relieve anxiety, work on these delayed physical skills, develop peer relationships and play creatively - full of higher level mental processing. No other time of day offers so much needed intervention. Recess can be therapeutic for most of these children. They NEED recess! This teacher's internal dialogue was most likely correct: The child needed recess most, but she didn't listen to herself.
Teachers, you work very hard. I have the utmost respect for what you do. You also have increasing numbers of children with mental processing issues. I do not mean to sound callous or unaware (I taught for 15 years), but I'm going to draw a clear line here by using extremes. Children that are mentally challenged in the classroom have a huge weight to carry already. I have always felt that taking away recess, art, or other "fun" activities for poor mental processing (which includes ADD) is, in effect, punishing a child for having a disability. Here's the extreme: You would never even consider taking away recess from a wheelchair-bound child for not walking. But these less obvious, but ever so real "mental processing" issues are just as debilitating. Much of what we label as misbehavior is not willful defiance or laziness it is disability, true mental processing challenges. I believe in my heart that most children are doing their very best most of the time.
An alternative to missing recess could be to do laps. If the child's work is not done, or he did not meet reasonable expectations for them for that part of the day, have them do a lap or two before they play. You can even target a particular child's needs: Low stamina? Make her run. Poor upper/lower body coordination? Do jumping jacks. Etc. Make it challenging, but attainable! You've now offered a fairly immediate-most likely undesirable consequence-that has the potential of motivating the child with out denying them the movement and social acceptance that they so desperately need. Staying in for recess probably didn't solve the problem anyway. Work done (if any was even done) during that time is often far from the child's best work. The price is too high for the results received. If taking away recess was an effective tool, the child would only have to stay in one, maybe two times and they would stop being so 'lazy'. Taking away recess is NOT an effective tool. A speaker I once heard on this subject was blunt enough to say, "Who's the slow learner here?" Good intentions, poor choice.
When dishing out negative consequences such as laps, offer an opportunity to reduce the punishment for appropriate behavior. Offer a soft encouraging whisper, "You have two laps right now. If you work quietly this last 10 minutes, I'll take one of those laps away." These children need as many successes as they can get. Once you get the desired behavior for the last 10 or 15 minutes before recess, gradually increase that, building on their success.
What about the child that refuses to do a lap? Who'd rather sit beside you and do nothing? That's not a option either. Teacher, grab that little hand, give some positive encouragement, and do the lap with them! Next time drop out half-way around, and work them into independence. You may find your own mind and body benefits, too.
Our son, Brad, was one of these children. Most teachers throughout his childhood took away his recesses. Sometimes most of his recesses. He almost never completed his work in the time allowed. Yet he was in the gifted program. He should have been able to finish his work, but couldn't. Missing recess did not help him achieve more quickly. Laps or jumping jacks would have had the potential of helping him gain skill in these weak areas and improve mental processing so he could have worked quicker, or focused better. In the long run, physical interventions would have been a much better of an option. 100 - 300 laps over the year, or 3000 jumping jacks rather than 100 times of sitting alone staring at a paper? What's more beneficial?
Brad's words at age 18 were, "You know, Mom, I have to grieve the loss of my childhood." What heart-wrenching words to hear from your child! As a society, we need to find a balance somewhere for these children. Missing recess for poor mental processing needs to be evaluated thoroughly before using it. Teachers, can you brainstorm some alternatives?!?! I suggest you write comments of what you do on this page to help others find alternatives. Together we can change the world, or at least the world of one more child!
What ever happened to daily calisthenics in the classrooms anyway? Here's a link to some great modern day calisthenics to use in your classroom. Children that can't do basic movements, probably do not have the pathways built for efficient learning. An example: 95% of children diagnosed with dyslexia have balance issues. Many professionals believe there is a significant relationship here. Help your children move. Do jumping jacks to math facts. Memory work, add movements that cross midline (go across the front of your body). Just move!!
