Let me preface this by saying I have a kindergartener and for the most part I love his school, and his teacher. However, there is one issue that upsets me, and an event took place today that furthered my feelings.
So the children have outdoor recess on day's it is above 20 degree (F). That's great, they're outside most days. However on days when it's below that, they have indoor recess, if you can call it that. They are in the gym and watch a movie! It drives me crazy, and I know other parents dislike this too. However, it came to a head today. It was 20.9 degrees, so I guess borderline. Anyway, I was helping out at lunch today, and of course, I hear the paid supervisors complaing about going outside. One even made a comment to me. Basically, they don't want to go outside, it's too cold for them(the lunch supervisors).
The children eat their lunches, then head outside. They are all playing and running very happily! There are maybe two who complain about being cold. After 5 minutes, the supervisors start asking the kids "do you want to go watch a movie?" only if they're too cold to play outside right
? There's a huge stampede to rush inside and see the movie. Honestly, I was pissed. Of course "the kids can stay out and play if they want to". But who's going to want to when they dangle the movie in front of them?!?! Especially when they've have almost two weeks of indoor recess because of the cold!!!! ARGG
I stopped by to talk to the principal, but she was in a meeting. What do you think, should I stop by before pick up today and talk to her???
I think stopping recess at 20F is unreasonable. That is only -6C. That is a decent winter temp. Here, recess does not get cancelled unless it is below -15, which is 5F.
Watching a movie is not recess, I'd be irritated. Why not pitch indoor recess? Hula Hoops, balls, cones for races, jump ropes... There's a TON that can be done indoors.
-20 is the cutoff here, too. 20 degrees above zero seems a bit ridiculous.
Yes, I agree about the 20 degrees. My son plays out when it's much colder. I don't think I'm going to be able to change the district wide ruling on that.
I'm most upset that the indoor recess is watching a movie! I'm really peaved at the supervisors who just want to plop them in front of the tv so they don't have to do anything!
Is it unreasonable to talk(complain) to the principle about this?
Originally Posted by akwifeandmomma
Watching a movie is not recess, I'd be irritated. Why not pitch indoor recess? Hula Hoops, balls, cones for races, jump ropes... There's a TON that can be done indoors.
-20 is the cutoff here, too. 20 degrees above zero seems a bit ridiculous.
I agree! They have all that stuff too! They have Friday Free day in gym, and it's basically what you just suggested. But "they" say their are too many kids (about 68) in the gym and "someone will get hurt". I disagree, the gym is plenty large enough to accomodate that many children. There are three k classes, between 20 and 23 in each class. Also, the k students share a gym time with a 1st grade class, so often during gym there is one k class and one 1st grade class, and 40 something is not too much. I'm so frustrated. I know other parents don't like it either. Nor the teacher. I know she has had a hard time the last few weeks with the lack of real recess!
Ok, granted that's cold to me (anything below 40 is too cold to me LOL), but I don't see why it's either play outside or watch movie inside. What about playing inside? I know when I was in school and it was raining to hard to be outside, we did some sort of game or activity in the gym.
Sounds to me the teachers would rather just not deal with the kids for a while, kwim?
Originally Posted by Maeve
Ok, granted that's cold to me (anything below 40 is too cold to me LOL), but I don't see why it's either play outside or watch movie inside. What about playing inside? I know when I was in school and it was raining to hard to be outside, we did some sort of game or activity in the gym.
Sounds to me the teachers would rather just not deal with the kids for a while, kwim?
They're not teachers, they're paid lunch supervisors.
There are TONS of things they can do inside in the gym besides watch a movie. I would find the p.e. teacher and see if you can get him/her on your side. I know the ones I had would have been irate to see kids watching a movie in a gym. Then go talk to the teachers/principals. 20 sounds like a reasonable temp to me. 30 and above is my preference, but for short periods of time, especially while running around, 20 is fine.
Originally Posted by SimonMom
They're not teachers, they're paid lunch supervisors.
yeah, I've not had good experiences with them.
They say the gym would be too crowded.
:
Well, I would definitely complain.
What about setting updifferent activity zones around the gym and then rotating? I don't see how that would be too complicated or crowded when split up like that.
Sounds like a lame excuse to me, unless this gym is the size of a classroom.
Yeah I would complain. I don't think our school has ever cancelled recess. The kids aren't out all that long and with as much moving as I see them do, I doubt they get that cold.
I think stopping recess at 20F is unreasonable. That is only -6C. That is a decent winter temp. Here, recess does not get cancelled unless it is below -15, which is 5F.
Up until this year the cut off temp here was -25C, now it's -30 & they go outside for 10 minutes though by the time most of them get outside it's 5minutes.lol
Quote:
They're not teachers, they're paid lunch supervisors. yeah, I've not had good experiences with them.
Do you have an issue with the supervisors not being teachers? I'm a supervisor in our school. There are approx 240 kids in our school from K-6. There are 3 of us inside during eating time, then 2 go outside & 1 stays inside.
Yup there are days when I've complained about it being too cold. Thursday is was -22F(-30C), the wind bites pretty bad & on my 5minute walk home I froze my face a little because I was walking directly into it. Friday it was -36F(-38C) and it was indoor the entire time. I don't like indoor recess & Friday was bad, I don't know what was going through the air that day.
I am the only non-teacher, non-TA noon supervisor at my school. I have NO control over the activities the kids can play at noon. The staff sets up anything that goes on in the gym. We have noon games for the different grades M-F, the VP does the games with the kids, they have set days the classes go, they don't send 240 kids to the gym at once, this is all set up in August. There is a movie in the library on the coldest of days. On indoor recess days the kids that don't have noon games or don't want to go watch the movie then play in their classrooms. the 3 supervisors then take the section that they had for eating time & supervise those classes.
At our school all kids are on lunch hour at the same time, that may be different for your school it's hard to tell from your posts. They eat lunch in their rooms, we don't have a cafeteria either.
IMO talk to the principal, but not to complain to offer suggestions on what can be done. also go in knowing that nothing may happen until next year. Half the teachers & TA's in our school LEAVE at lunch so they aren't there to supervise. they do not have to supervise at lunch so you'd need to have someone who would be there to supervise any activities, especially if it's days where some kids are in & some are out. There may not be room in the budget for this year.
I wouldn't have a problem with the temperature cutoff for playing outside. Kids around here are not used really cold temperatures, and many of us (children and adults) really don't have adequate winter gear when it gets that cold.
That said, I'd go nuts if indoor recess was a movie. I'll be honest - my kids watch too many movies as it is. I started that when we lost Aaron, and I haven't really got back on track yet (although we are improving). But, kids spend too much time doing things that aren't active as it is...they don't need to spend their recess time on their bums watching a movie!
Well that's cold to me (we are in the deep south and outdoor recess is cancelled if it's below 40 degrees!)
But a movie is sure not recess! Kids need that time to play and get some energy out. In ds's kindy they go to the gym for free play, or have free play in the classroom. I can always tell the days they do free play in the classroom because he plays legos and does not run his energy off. Big difference!
I'd complain too. Kids need to be moving at recess! I'm surprised the teachers aren't complaining, actually--kids need that time to play, and when they don't get it you can usually tell in the afternoon.
Originally Posted by plunky
It amuses me that the first three replies are people from Canada and Alaska. Not everyone is used to the same level of cold.
Funny, the children handle it just fine.
I've lived in Anchorage Alaska, LI NY, Binghamton NY, and SE Germany (Germany was the coldest by far). When I was in Alaska I could comfortably wear shorts to the gym at 50F, now that I live in South Texas that's a little chilly for me, but if it was my JOB to supervise children outdoors (which I did one winter in London; I wore thermals under my long skirts), I'd get some long undies and stand outside.
I've lived in Anchorage Alaska, LI NY, Binghamton NY, and SE Germany (Germany was the coldest by far). When I was in Alaska I could comfortably wear shorts to the gym at 50F, now that I live in South Texas that's a little chilly for me, but if it was my JOB to supervise children outdoors (which I did one winter in London; I wore thermals under my long skirts), I'd get some long undies and stand outside.
If it were my job, I'd do it, too. However, I wouldn't want my children out in that temperature, so it becomes academic. I can't afford to buy them cold weather gear of the requisite quality on the off chance that they might get some use out of it one day a year. My kids love going outside when it's cold and snowy, but they can only handle it for so long, and they want to curl up under a blanket when they come back in...not sit shivering at a desk.
So, which children prompted the eye roll? Not mine. Maybe not the children of the person you were replying to, either.
My daughter's preschool will have recess in the gym- but with bikes and balls and hula hoops etc. Can't they do something like that? Or if they don't have the equiptment- play games like duck duck goose or Red Light/Green Light? They could even just play music and have dancing time or something.
Originally Posted by celia
My daughter's preschool will have recess in the gym- but with bikes and balls and hula hoops etc. Can't they do something like that? Or if they don't have the equiptment- play games like duck duck goose or Red Light/Green Light? They could even just play music and have dancing time or something.
I don't think you're being unreasonable at all.
Yes, they could, and that's what I and most others, from what I hear, would prefer. I think the teachers would prefer it too. My son's teacher definately would! I've called the pta co pres. today, who also has a daughter in my class, and two older sons, and I guess this is an issue that is brought up every year. From what I gather, it's a political issue, though I'm not quite sure with who. And "someone would have to organize" the games, etc. I mean, the supervisors are getting paid for this job, and it would not be hard to organize a few stations! They just want the easy way out. Honestly, they do. By the way, they're getting paid $12/hr, which I think is pretty good for 2 hours a day!
Anyway, right after this happened, I was waiting outside the principal's office (she was in a meeting then, so I haven't talked to her yet), and I ran into my son's teacher, and told her what had happened. At the end of the day, she told me she had already talked to the principal.
She's great.
She gets kids and knows that they need to move! And she's been having a rough time, and I guess the kids haven't been listening well in their "specials" (art, music, etc) in the afternoons lately. Hmm, think it's related to no recess??
Originally Posted by plunky
It amuses me that the first three replies are people from Canada and Alaska. Not everyone is used to the same level of cold.
We are near chicago, so for better or worse, this is what the weather's like, and everyone who attends school here lives here, so they are used to the cold. It's been below 20 often. Honestly, it felt warm out today after the 3 degrees it's been lately.
Do you have an issue with the supervisors not being teachers? I'm a supervisor in our school. There are approx 240 kids in our school from K-6. There are 3 of us inside during eating time, then 2 go outside & 1 stays inside
.
No, and I'm sorry if it came across that way. My mom used to be a noon supervisor. I was just pointing out it wasn't teacher not wanting to deal with the kids, it was the supervisors. And yeah, I do have a problem with these specific supervisors, they are pretty bad, and basically don't want to deal with the kids, and are also at the same time super nit picky with the kids behavior.
Quote:
Yup there are days when I've complained about it being too cold. Thursday is was -22F(-30C), the wind bites pretty bad & on my 5minute walk home I froze my face a little because I was walking directly into it. Friday it was -36F(-38C) and it was indoor the entire time. I don't like indoor recess & Friday was bad, I don't know what was going through the air that day.
But we're talking about 20F here. It's really not that cold if you have coat, sweater, gloves hat and scarf on. Especially not for 20 minutes.
Quote:
At our school all kids are on lunch hour at the same time, that may be different for your school it's hard to tell from your posts. They eat lunch in their rooms, we don't have a cafeteria either.
At our school the K classes eat(in the lunch room) and have recess by themselves. There are three classes with each with 21-23 students.
This is an older thread, you may not receive a response, and could be reviving an old thread. Please consider creating a new thread.
Related Threads
?
?
?
?
?
Mothering Forum
16.5M posts
285.1K members
Since 1996
A forum community dedicated to all mothers and inclusive family living enthusiasts. Come join the discussion about nurturing, health, behavior, housing, adopting, care, classifieds, and more!