New school strategy puts recess before lunch
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Janesville - recess numbers
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Students at Janesville’s Wilson Elementary School spin on the tire swing at recess before going in for lunch. The school has reversed the traditional lunch-then-recess schedule, with positive results. Some kids say the change makes for fewer upset stomachs.
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James Triplett, left, and Sean Wall, fourth-graders at Janesville’s Wilson Elementary School, make their choices on the lunch line after coming in from recess.
JANESVILLE — Recess at Wilson Elementary School is just what you'd expect: Fourth-graders climbing, jumping, running and generally having a good time on an unseasonably warm January morning.
Meanwhile, supervisors keep a close eye.
"Keep your coats on! It's chilly out here, guys," calls out Susan LeFave, who is in her seventh year as an aide at Wilson.
But something is different—so different in fact, that the principal thinks it could lead to higher ratings on the annual state tests in reading and math.
This recess comes before lunch, not the traditional after-lunch time slot.
That may sound too simple to make a difference, but Principal Kim Peerenboom is thrilled with what she's seeing.
"Students no longer rush through lunch to get to recess," Peerenboom wrote in an email. "Students no longer (go without eating) in an effort to avoid tummy aches on the playground later. Nurse visits are down, as students don't get sick on the playground after lunch … Students don't want to miss out on eating lunch with their friends in the cafeteria for misbehaving on the playground."
Numbers of playground discipline referrals have plummeted this year, the second year of the change.
Peerenboom said that when kids do misbehave on the playground, staff can deal with the problems at lunch instead of during class.
"A typical behavior issue takes between 15 and 20 minutes to process," Peerenboom said. "By the time lunch is over, the problem has been solved and addressed, and students are back into a learning environment."
The school has gained back 53 hours of instructional and interaction time with students since the change, Peerenboom calculates. She believes that difference will show up on state tests. In fact, she believes it already has.
Scores on the 2010 tests shot up in third- and fifth-grade reading and fifth-grade math, Peerenboom said.
"This is significant, as each of these grade levels had reading and/or math instruction after recess and lunch," the principal said.
Peerenboom is hoping for more of the same for the 2011 tests.
"I am excited to see what our test scores will look like this spring," she said of the tests students took last fall.
LeFave's partner in playground supervision, Laurie Worple, said it makes sense that kids who have been sitting all morning would need a release.
"You could see they needed to get out—too antsy in the lunchroom. They were in too much of a hurry to get outside," Worple said of the years when recess came after lunch.
Fourth-graders quizzed about the change gave mixed reviews.
"If you have lunch first, and you go outside, and you go on the tire swing, you'll get sick," said Dylan Solares, who said he prefers recess first.
"If you eat and you don't digest, you'll probably vomit," agreed Jorden Renee Showers.
Some seemed oblivious to the change.
"We don't care," said Edward Oeun.
"I want both (before and after lunch)," said Brian Wille.
Jackson, Jefferson, Roosevelt and Van Buren elementary schools also put recess first, at least for some of their grades.
"It's not a magic bullet, but it's a piece that helps," said Jefferson Principal Kurt Krueger.
"When it's time to go out, they want to go. They want to play outside," Krueger said. "They need to release and expend that energy. And when it's time to go in, they're ready to go because now they're hungry, so they line up quicker.
Krueger also sees instructional time increasing because kids return to class calmed down by lunch, not revved up and bringing in playground problems to their classrooms.
They're more ready to learn, he said.
Krueger said a new discipline program, Positive Behavioral Interventions and Supports, or PBIS, also is contributing to the results.
Roosevelt Principal Stacy Kelley said first, second and fifth grades do recess first, as the staffs in those grades decided it would be best for those particular students.
Kids don't rush through lunch to go outside, and discipline problems are down, Kelley said.
Kelley suggested recess-first is best used when a particular class is more rambunctious at that time of day and needs the calming effects of recess.
"It's never one-size-fits-all," Kelley said. "It's a good option for teachers when they know the kids and know the needs of the students. It's not a cure-all."
Jan 20, 2012 at 3:24 p.m.
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I remember, ImBack. At both the Catholic and public schools that I attended as a kid, we had a 15 minute recess in the morning and another in the afternoon. Man...that was a long time ago :-)
Jan 20, 2012 at 3:07 p.m.
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Seems like a good idea if it works. I wonder if they will try this at my grandkids school.
Jan 17, 2012 at 8:29 p.m.
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The headline is an excellent example of the logical fallacy of equivocation and represents a lack of journalistic and intellectual integrity. Has linguistic precision become unimportant? Seems to have when reporting on issues with Janesville schools.
Jan 17, 2012 at 12:18 p.m.
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if it works, great...
Jan 17, 2012 at 12:14 p.m.
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I knew it! These ubiquitous super-sized kids are, once again, all the fault - and the responsibility - of our evil educational-industrial school system complex! Those dastardly teachers have failed (to shoulder the blame that parents deserve) once again!
Yeah, this will certainly be the solution to counteract the rampant morbid obesity problems we see in so many of these little entertainment/game/internet-addicted Weeble-Wobbling, snow-"person"-bottomed kids (and thier pets, too) we see everywhere today! The schools will fix it (you know, like everything else they have thus far conquered...gangs, drugs, self-esteem, motivation, hard science, work ethic, sexual responsibility, bullying, racism, morals, ethics, left-behinds, etc.) and the parents can finally COMPLETELY take an (un)deserved break and ignore their little minions that much more (how much is left?).
"No child (will be) left behind" (and what a great slogan - and success - that program has been, eh?), however big they may have already become! But...what about all this fight-hunger/school breakfast/lunch/dinner programs that have been pushed for so long (some kids are now eating breakfast at home AND at school - would have never guessed that, right!)? Wait...we can blame the schools for that too! If we blame enough agencies, maybe someone(else..like the Chinese or some help center employee in Bangladesh) will finally be able to fix the problem!
PS Give kids something physical and PRODUCTIVE to do...it ain't all play, people, and humans have evolved for eons without having to entertain fat kids for decades. After all, how do you think we overcame the dinosaurs, New Earthers?!
Jan 17, 2012 at 8:02 a.m.
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Just last night I asked my 5 year old why he doesn't always eat everything in his lunch box. He told me he is a slow eater & doesn't have enough time. This is a great, simple & logical idea.
Jan 17, 2012 at 6:14 a.m.
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steve..some board members and teacher's don't like any ideas but their own. Notice I said some.
Jan 16, 2012 at 10:02 p.m.
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What a great idea. And so simple.
Jan 16, 2012 at 8:03 p.m.
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Milton officials need to read this article. I spoke at a board meeting about the rush-rush lunch and recess at one elementary school in the district. Blank stares were returned.
Jan 16, 2012 at 5:28 p.m.
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okay so it isn't just me.
I read and reread and though since they wrote
apostrophe after kids I was missing something.
Oh I see you fixed it. Did you fix the print ED that went out at 6 AM. lol.
Where are those Editors you have. Don't they reread before printing.
Make fun of my spelling all you want. I am not professional newspaper and I don't have my own Editor like Gazette has.
Jan 16, 2012 at 5:14 p.m.
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Wrong title for this article Frank. I know what you are trying to say, but it's just WRONG.
Jan 16, 2012 at 4:44 p.m.
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Frogger: I agree that the title is confusing.
ImBack: Most schools do have 2 recesses. They have either a morning OR afternoon and a lunchtime recess. Having lunch recess BEFORE they eat their lunch is a definite plus for all the positive reasons mentioned in the article. THe 2nd recess that the students receive varies on when their lunch recess was to break up the day. An early lunch recess usually means a 2nd recess in the afternoon. A later lunch recess usually means that they had a morning recess for 1 of their 2 outings.
Jan 16, 2012 at 4:10 p.m.
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"New school strategy puts lunch before kids' break for play"
isn't this article stating that lunch is AFTER play?
Sounds like a good idea.
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