Recess Coaching

Educator Says Recess Coaching Is Better Than No Recess At All.
David Elkind, “a professor emeritus of child development at Tufts University,” wrote in an op-ed for the New York Times (3/27, A19) that “recess is no longer child’s play,” as schools nationwide, “concerned about bullying and arguments over the use of the equipment, are increasingly hiring ‘recess coaches’ to oversee students’ free time.” Some critics say “that such coaching is yet another example of the over-scheduling and over-programming of our children.” Elkind asserts that in the past, he may have opposed recess coaches. In recent years, however, “childhood has changed so…that I think the trend makes sense, at least at some schools and with some students,” he adds. According to data from the NEA, about 160,000 students throughout the US skip school each day “because they fear attacks or intimidation by other students.” Moreover, he adds that “recess coaching is a vastly better solution than eliminating recess in favor of more academics.”