Losing recess because of forgotten homework/reader

[newbieoftwo]

My son is in kindergarten and lost 10 minutes of their 30 minute recess because he did not have his homework and take home reader. I don't particularly like either of them as the homework is several worksheets that are very repetitive and the reader is well below his reading level. Mind you the teacher has not even tested the students for a reading level at this point in the year and just starts everyone at the lowest level until testing. 

 

However, I still make sure both are completed each night. Last night and this morning were very chaotic and my son and I both forgot to place them in his folder to return to school. I don't mind a consequence being given, even though parents were never informed of a consequence, but losing 10 minutes of recess seems wrong to me. Am I overreacting? Is this perfectly normal?

[SKL]

This is one of my pet peeves.  I don't think kids should lose recess, period, because it's counterproductive.  I also feel a warning would have been more fair for a first "offense."  My kid used to lose recess frequently, and I brought it up in a meeting with the teacher and the school psych.  I wanted them to agree that it was not going to happen any more.  I was basically told that it was not a big deal and it was not going to change.

 

I don't know whether it's reasonable or not to ask kids to be that organized (never forget his book etc.).  When my kids were that age, they were in 1st grade and they were frequently consequenced for not turning in their homework (which was completed and in their bags), not remembering to go recite their memory verse (without prompting), and other things that I felt were unreasonable to expect from a 1st grader.  But maybe I was biased because it was my kid.  Maybe all the other kids were doing it right.  I really don't know.

 

As for the reading levels in K, my kids' teachers never differentiated instruction either in KG or 1st grade.  I am glad some schools do, but that it not the case everywhere, unfortunately.

 

Good luck - I feel your pain.

[Arcadia]

. I don't mind a consequence being given, even though parents were never informed of a consequence, but losing 10 minutes of recess seems wrong to me. Am I overreacting? Is this perfectly normal?

Losing recess or any part of lunch time requires parental permission in my boy's previous public school. His teachers don't go after forgotten homework.  He forgot that his homework folder was in his bag a few times.  For forgotten readers, they just let me know so that I make the effort to get the reader into his school bag. His teachers never gave a consequence that I was not informed of first though.  I picked him up every day at school dismissal so the teacher could address any concerns at pickup time.  That was for K and 1st.  We switch to virtual academy after that so I don't know what the policy is.

 

ETA:

Reading test were given on the 2nd week of school and the "correct" readers were sent home by the 4th week of school.  Reading tests were given three times a year for K-5.

[newbieoftwo]

  The PTA here decided it wasn't fair to penalize students for parent's mistakes, so they discussed it and eliminated it.  The parents get a bill if the book isn't returned with a certain time period. The child gets issued new hw sheets and does them in his free time the next day at school.

 

This I would have no problem with.

[newbieoftwo]

 

 

ETA:

Reading test were given on the 2nd week of school and the "correct" readers were sent home by the 4th week of school.  Reading tests were given three times a year for K-5.

 

We are about to enter the 8th or 9th week of school. Reading tests have still not been done. 

 

Correction we just completed the 9th week of school.

[Harriet Vane]

He didn't have his homework. A consequence is appropriate. While you may not like this choice of consequence, it doesn't seem disproportionate. He did get most of his recess. This is not a hill I would die on--save your battles for bigger issues.

[Nart]

The teacher is just punishing herself/himself. I work as a school psychologist and teachers making kids miss recess is one of my pet peeves.  I have to stop myself from rolling my eyes when a student who has been diagnosed with ADHD has recess taken away and then the teacher complains to me how fidgeting and inattentive the student is after recess.  At IEP meetings I almost always insist that no missing recess for missing/late/incomplete homework is written into the IEP.  All kids need a break to move around, talk to friends, play a game, etc.

 

At least it is only 10 minutes out of the 30 minutes, so it doesn't sound like it is so unreasonable but it is pointless.  Does your child have to turn in homework everyday? Or is it a homework packet that is turned in on Fridays? 

 

And your question - is it normal? Yes, unfortunately it is very common for kids to lose recess for not turning in homework. 

[Tsuga]

My son is in kindergarten and lost 10 minutes of their 30 minute recess because he did not have his homework and take home reader. I don't particularly like either of them as the homework is several worksheets that are very repetitive and the reader is well below his reading level. Mind you the teacher has not even tested the students for a reading level at this point in the year and just starts everyone at the lowest level until testing. 

 

However, I still make sure both are completed each night. Last night and this morning were very chaotic and my son and I both forgot to place them in his folder to return to school. I don't mind a consequence being given, even though parents were never informed of a consequence, but losing 10 minutes of recess seems wrong to me. Am I overreacting? Is this perfectly normal?

I don't think it's excessive, no.

 

On the other hand, I think that if the homework is structured in such a way (length, subject matter, etc.) that the parent is assumed to be responsible, it doesn't make sense to have the child face the entire consequence. If we're talking reading, math, and some other piece of work with a parent timing reading and signing something, that seems to me to scream, "we expect a parent supporting these activities."

 

I think it's fine to take away recess time for messing around in class--that child already got their free time. But lost recess does not seem like a logical consequence in this case. To me the logical consequence would be that the child gets a reminder or is asked to write or draw how they will not forget next time. If they have time to work on that during class, great.

 

But I also agree that it's not a hill to die on.

[newbieoftwo]

Thank you all for your comments. Kindergarten is much different than I expected and it is good to hear that others have had similar experiences. 

[MistyMountain]

They do that at dd's school. If a kid doesn't finish their classwork or turn in their homework they get study hall. I don't have a problem teaching the kids responsibility but I do not like them doing it by taking away physical activity from the kids who probably need it the most. If a kid is having trouble finishing classwork taking away physical activity will only make the problem worse not better.

[SKL]

They do that at dd's school. If a kid doesn't finish their classwork or turn in their homework they get study hall. I don't have a problem teaching the kids responsibility but I do not like them doing it by taking away physical activity from the kids who probably need it the most. If a kid is having trouble finishing classwork taking away physical activity will only make the problem worse not better.

 

All the experts say this, so why don't teachers get it?

 

Also, it doesn't work.  My kid, who loves to be active, didn't work faster the more recess she lost.  If anything it just demotivated her.

 

I asked the teachers to just send the work home if she didn't finish it in school, but they just blew me off.  "She needs to be learning in school."  Yeah, well . . . .

 

[Lecka]

I would speak to the teacher.

 

Here is how I would play it:  is this an effective thing for your child?  Will this have the desired effect of him remembering his things in the future?  Is there a negative consequence of not enough time running around? 

 

I have to say -- I got my son's entire 1st grade reading send-home curriculum replaced with an at-home program I did.  His teacher was extremely nice and gracious about it.  I just needed to go and talk to her and explain what was going on and what I would like to do. 

 

I would not wait around and hope it gets better. 

 

This year (3rd) I supported a possibility of missing recess for my son, but I thought a) it would be effective B) it was fair c) no negatives (as I thought it would only happen one time), d) I thought the expectation was totally reasonable. (My son got behind in his math workbook and didn't take any initiative to do anything about it.  He was behind largely because of his handwriting -- I failed to make sure his math teacher knew he qualified for IEP services -- I was only thinking about reading -- she felt like she should have provided more support for him once she knew that was the issue.) 

 

It ended up not even happening because his math teacher was nicer than me. 

[sunnyday]

He didn't have his homework. A consequence is appropriate. While you may not like this choice of consequence, it doesn't seem disproportionate. He did get most of his recess. This is not a hill I would die on--save your battles for bigger issues.

 

I disagree. Loss of recess time is a DIRE punishment, at least in my first-grade son's world. Just the idea that it's on the playing field as a possible retribution for poor behavior makes him anxious. IMO, the first-time failure of a kindergartener to return a daily busywork worksheet doesn't rate that level of aversive, even if one did believe diminishing recess was a sane disciplinary action (I don't). For me this situation would rate at minimum an email to the teacher. "How did missing that worksheet affect his and/or his classmates' ability to learn and participate at school? How did the punishment rectify the situation or make it less likely to recur?"

[swellmomma]

I think it is excessive but also common.  DD14 was in ps 1st grade when she was 6.  By xmas she was no longer any recess, ate lunch in the office, lost every phys ed class, field trips, had an inschool suspension etc.  Her crime? she was bored senseless, she was reading at a 4th grade level but they had everyone at the same level reader, the ones with 2-3 words per page, she wanted to read a different book and was told no she must read this one. So she would get Detention during recess. Refused to do her math worksheets of counting and fill in the missing number when she was doing addition and subtraction at home.  The day she got th suspension the rest of the class was headed to music class and she wanted to finish a math worksheet she wrote for herself to challenge herself, she was sent to the office and got suspended for refusal to comply -when really all they had to do was let her know they would save her worksheet for her to do after music, not a big deal.(actually that class is why she refused to do any math whatsoever for YEARS.  We are 8 years into homeschooling and only now is she jumping back into math and completing a grade level every 2 months or so).  She has ADHD and is very very smart.  She was bored completely and the adhd made it hard for her to focus much of anything, especially back then(she has improved with age though it is still an issue).  She needed that physical time and had it all removed as the teacher tried to up the ante and get dd to submit, it didn't work and in fact her psychologist back then said they were actually a big part in why she was developing ODD.  The more they pushed the harder she dug in. 

Anyway, I would bring it up with the teacher, it is over and done with so you can't get those 10 minutes back but I think it was an unreasonable punishment for the "crime". 

I still remember the day I got detention after school in grade 4.  The social studies teacher held anyone who got more than 3 words spelled wrong on their social test for a 30 minute detention.  My mom was po'd, I was a bis student and expected to be home taking care of my younger siblings and had to call mom at work to tell her why I wouldn't be there.  Mom came to the school, dismissed the class (20 of the 31 of us "earned" this DT, the test was on the names of the oceans and continents, so we spelled words like antarctic wrong).  She spent the full 30 minutes tearing the teacher a new one for thinking he had the right to punish in such a way for spelling errors and that if it was that important perhaps he had better re-evaluate his teaching methods since so many in the class spelled them wrong, perhaps what he needed was the language arts teacher to do his job for him and on and on she went.  She was a force to be reckoned with when they crossed that line (she was not like that with other punishments that were actually warranted, like the 3 day suspension my sister got when she returned from lunch break in 7th grade drunk).  The kids were still talking about that day when we graduated high school lol.  Anyway, all that to say, be the mom that is a force to be reckoned with when warranted but that is not the one always complaining and making waves kwim.  Pick your battles, and this isn't a big one but is worth a little comment of how A) in K the responsibility is still on you so the punishment is unfair, B) it is not a logical consequence because recess and homework are not tied together, a logical consequence would have been a reminder home, and no star sticker when it is turned in late or whatever.  Now if this was an ongoing issue I can see cracking down with something bigger but it is a first offense of a 5 yr old give me a break. So certainly not a hill to die on, there will be bigger battles down the line during his school career but worth a mention kwim.

[CaitlinC]

The quality of mercy is not strained...

 

The kindergarden teacher should be made to write this out 100x on the blackboard. 

 

I would keep an eye on her if I were you.  It sounds like she lacks a sense of proportionality and yes, mercy, for such a tiny offence.

[SKL]

The reaction of the teachers in my experience is that 10 minutes is no big deal.  In other words, it's not worth making a stink about it.  But if they think that is a valid punishment, it's going to end up being more than one 10 minute detention.

 

And also, as someone mentioned when this happened to my kid last year - socially this can create a problem.  A kid like mine, who had this punishment frequently (over slowness in finishing seatwork), becomes known to other students as the dumb kid or the bad kid.

[Harriet Vane]

I disagree. Loss of recess time is a DIRE punishment, at least in my first-grade son's world. Just the idea that it's on the playing field as a possible retribution for poor behavior makes him anxious. IMO, the first-time failure of a kindergartener to return a daily busywork worksheet doesn't rate that level of aversive, even if one did believe diminishing recess was a sane disciplinary action (I don't). For me this situation would rate at minimum an email to the teacher. "How did missing that worksheet affect his and/or his classmates' ability to learn and participate at school? How did the punishment rectify the situation or make it less likely to recur?"

 

I have to admit to being puzzled by this. Not angry, just genuinely puzzled.

 

Of course no child wants to miss recess. I get that. I also understand that kids need to move--my own son is definitely one who needs a ton of exercise throughout the day.

 

It's not necessarily the consequence that I personally would choose to impose. However, it's not that long.

 

I have been the Director of various large church programs for children (Sunday School, etc.). I created and directed a large club similar to 4-H for years. I have taught many group classes over many years of junior high or high schoolers in writing, literature, and history. My sister-in-law is a teacher, as are two of my dearest friends.

 

I just cannot imagine myself or any of the people I have mentioned responding positively to a parent who objected to ten minutes of consequence for missing homework. Ten minutes just is not that long.

 

The OP also mentioned in her post that parents were never informed that there would be a consequence--I have to ask why she thought there wouldn't be?? If a student comes to class without the assignments or the needed materials, there are consequences. If there are no consequences, then there is no incentive to turn things in on time or bring the necessary materials to class. It is very, very difficult to teach a class when a student is missing their book, and it is a royal pain as a teacher to deal with late assignments, especially for a full class.

[Harriet Vane]

I disagree. Loss of recess time is a DIRE punishment, at least in my first-grade son's world. Just the idea that it's on the playing field as a possible retribution for poor behavior makes him anxious. IMO, the first-time failure of a kindergartener to return a daily busywork worksheet doesn't rate that level of aversive, even if one did believe diminishing recess was a sane disciplinary action (I don't). For me this situation would rate at minimum an email to the teacher. "How did missing that worksheet affect his and/or his classmates' ability to learn and participate at school? How did the punishment rectify the situation or make it less likely to recur?"

 

We can agree to disagree, lol.

 

However, as someone who has taught a ton of group classes over many years (see my other post), I can say that treating the teacher like a child is not going to build a good relationship with this person who has responsibility for your child every day, all day.

[sunnyday]

We can agree to disagree, lol.

 

No problem, I find that my perspective on kindergarten expectations is foreign to many. :)

 

My suggested email was pretty adversarial but I'm not actually as bitchy as all that. :) I could phrase it better to make sure the teacher knew I wanted to work with them to decrease the impact of my child's behavior on the class. But I do think it needs addressing.

 

If there are no consequences, there is no incentive to perform appropriately? Did you ever create a new habit for yourself? Working out...flossing your teeth...cleaning house regularly? And when you messed up, forgot, or skipped a day did you deny yourself something you really liked and/or make sure you were publicly shamed?

 

Personally I think there are a lot of ways to build motivation to succeed, without punishing failure.

[newbieoftwo]

I was referring to returning the reader when I stated that parents were not told of a consequence. Each child is sent home a different reader for the week and simply returns it signed by the parent showing that the child read during the week. The class does not address the readers as  a whole so not having it would not impact class instruction. It is also specifically written that students who return their reader on Friday receive a "house point" which is their class reward system. If you state that bringing it receives a reward, it should also state the possible consequences. 

 

My son's father and I have decided this isn't a battle we want to engage in and will simply monitor his folder better. It was a parental responsibility and I will make sure to keep up with it from now on. I'm sure the homework and reading level are much more important to fight for. 

 

Thank you for all the different perspectives. Sometimes a vent to others is the most productive solution.

[SKL]

.... Ten minutes just is not that long.

 

The OP also mentioned in her post that parents were never informed that there would be a consequence--I have to ask why she thought there wouldn't be?? If a student comes to class without the assignments or the needed materials, there are consequences. If there are no consequences, then there is no incentive to turn things in on time or bring the necessary materials to class. It is very, very difficult to teach a class when a student is missing their book, and it is a royal pain as a teacher to deal with late assignments, especially for a full class.

 

First of all, it was my understanding that the materials not turned in were not in-class materials, so late return thereof did not impact the class work in any way.  I could understand being a bit militant about return of materials required for class.  However, that is why most KG teachers would never send home class books anyway - because KG kids have not developed the organization skills to ensure 100% compliance.

 

Secondly, I agree that 10 minutes one time isn't a big deal.  But it's concerning because it demonstrates poor problem-solving, and in the experience of some here, it isn't a one-time thing.  The OP does not know whether this is a one-off event or whether this will be the teacher's go-to discipline method all year long.  It is patently counterproductive to make a young child sit out of active play, especially for "offenses" that are merely careless / immature (not naughty).  I think the OP is right to be concerned and to be watchful going forward.  I would also ask the teacher to describe her discipline procedures in detail the next time we had a chat.  At that time I would raise questions/concerns if I thought the consequences unhelpful, and otherwise I would expect her to adhere to them and not change things up as she goes along.

 

It is not strange for parents to expect to be informed of discipline policies, including what warrants a consequence and what the potential consequences are.

 

This discussion reminds me of when I was in 3rd grade and my teacher threatened to paddle me if I didn't hurry up and get my glasses.  My parents were saving up the cash to be able to pay for said glasses.  Ridiculous.  It's just as ridiculous to punish a KG child for "forgetting" something that his parent forgot to pack.

[vonfirmath]

SKL: My son's 1st grade teacher sends home "book bag" books that are expected to go home and be returned everyday because they are used in reading groups during the day and read at home at night.  She specifically does NOT send them home over the weekends to avoid them being lost though.

 

[Lena1967]

Our school district has a policy that taking away recess shall not be used as a punishment, although it is up to individual school principals to adopt the policy.  My kids' school does not take away recess for a punishment, as far as I have heard.  I am sure none of the K teachers would, as they know better than that (one of them told me:  "Never use a punishment that will punish yourself!")  

 

I also feel that the "infraction" does not justify a punishment.  In October of the kindergarten year, it's really more the parents' fault if something doesn't get returned.  I feel my kids (1st and K) have an age-appropriate ability to remember what to bring in their backpacks each morning, but I do have to remind them about some things, and sometimes I forget too.

 

 

[MBM]

Better schools don't punish kids by taking away recess (or gym) because they recognize the tremendous benefit of movement. All children -- all humans -- need to move in order to learn. Humans produce brain-derived neurotrophic factor (BDNF) when they move which helps to cement what was studied by keeping brain cells young and plastic. Movement also helps with behavior issues by balancing neurotransmitters. Behavior problems drop dramatically when kids move consistently; in fact, smarter schools have implemented movement programs specifically for kids who get in trouble, and guess what? -- they work.

 

If you could get the school teachers and administrators to read the book Spark: The Revolutionary New Science of Exercise and the Brain by John Ratey (link is to Amazon), they would be doing themselves and the kids a favor. Ratey is an associate professor of psychiatry at Harvard and he also has his own practice.

 

Here's a TED talk with Ratey:

 

Here's his website:

http://www.sparkinglife.org

 

Ugh. Homework in kindergarden. That's a whole other issue for me.

[SKL]

Better schools don't punish kids by taking away recess (or gym) because they recognize the tremendous benefit of movement. All children -- all humans -- need to move in order to learn. Humans produce brain-derived neurotrophic factor (BDNF) when they move which helps to cement what was studied by keeping brain cells young and plastic. Movement also helps with behavior issues by balancing neurotransmitters. Behavior problems drop dramatically when kids move consistently; in fact, smarter schools have implemented movement programs specifically for kids who get in trouble, and guess what? -- they work.

 

If you could get the school teachers and administrators to read the book Spark: The Revolutionary New Science of Exercise and the Brain by John Ratey (link is to Amazon), they would be doing themselves and the kids a favor. Ratey is an associate professor of psychiatry at Harvard and he also has his own practice.

 

Here's a TED talk with Ratey:

 

Here's his website:

http://www.sparkinglife.org

 

Ugh. Homework in kindergarden. That's a whole other issue for me.

 

Well, thanks - that was my very first Ted talk and very timely, not just for my kids but for me.  :)  I have been wondering lately if I have ADHD because I am so bad about focusing on my work.  I shall work on incorporating more exercise in to my day as well as my kids'.  :)

 

I've been pretty good about keeping my kids active in terms of total activity, but I will try to get them to do something in the morning before school.  If only I were a morning person . . . .

 

 

[MBM]

I wouldn't be so sure it's rare. My bet is that it's the teacher's go-to punishment for these types of infractions. Considering this is only kindergarden and the students are already expected to do homework and whatnot (too young in my opinion), there will probably be more infractions and more punishments. IME with schools, when one grade removed recess as a punishment, it was often used in other grades as well. It's a counter-productive policy that works against the teachers. Other punishments would be better.

[msjones]

I understand the need for movement.  Absolutely.

 

But, this is a classic consequence that gets results in many cases.  Most likely, the child/parent won't forget the item again, and the child will have full recesses once again.

 

Now, a child missing day after day after day...that I would disagree with.  

[MBM]

Well, thanks - that was my very first Ted talk and very timely, not just for my kids but for me.  :)  I have been wondering lately if I have ADHD because I am so bad about focusing on my work.  I shall work on incorporating more exercise in to my day as well as my kids'.  :)

 

I've been pretty good about keeping my kids active in terms of total activity, but I will try to get them to do something in the morning before school.  If only I were a morning person . . . .

 

 

 

You know what's really good? Video games like Dance, Dance Revolution. (I don't know what the latest ones are called.) Anything that involves moving quickly while having to think is especially good and a lot of fun!

[NittanyJen]

For me, it was a hill to die on-- over and over and over.

 

It is absolutely age-inappropriate to use recess removal as a punishment, in my book.  For one thing, the punishment has nothing to do with the "crime."  For another, for those who say that ten minutes is not very long-- 10 minutes out of thirty is MORE than 1/3 of recess time; most of the time, the kids have to start lining up to come in well before that thirty minutes is over so that they are back inside at the end of thirty minutes-- it is more like missing half of recess-- that is half of your free wiggle time.  At five years old, ten minutes is a VERY long time (most people advocate 1 minute of time out per year of age; this would be double that-- and to a five year old, ten minutes is just forever) and we are talking, in practical terms, about half of their play time.

 

Second, we don't know here whether we are looking at full or half day Kindergarten, but as most K's are now moving toward full-day, which is already tremendously long for a 5YO, losing a moment of that recess time is unforgivable.  

 

In addition to just wiggles and stress relief, a tremendous amount of learning happens on that playground; 5 year olds are still learning most efficiently through play!  How does it serve the child to stifle their learning, exactly?  It does not.  Harming the child (and stifling his learning by applying an inappropriate punishment that does not relate to the action you wish to address does harm) accomplishes nothing positive.  

 

My kids attended two different public schools:  In one, the principal was adamant:  zero recess time was ever lost for any child through sixth grade, unless steps had been taken first, up through parent conferences, with no resolution to the problem, AND the team agreed that losing recess time would somehow be effective in deterring future problems-- that it somehow helped address the specific problem.  This was a CITY school, and I have to say-- this school had fewer behavior problems than any elementary school I have ever seen.  Few kids ever even made a trip to the principal's office (probably for starters, because they were not going crazy from being kept inside all the time, and secondly, because the teachers had brainstormed together ways to identify means of diverting kids in advance before behavior got out of control, or how to address it in ways that actually relate to the real problem instead of applying unrelated consequences like removal of recess).

 

In the other school, there was no creativity or energy applied to problem solving or intervening in problems before they happened.  This other school my kids attended "had every advantage," it was a wealthy suburban school with smaller class sizes, and a big banner across the front proclaiming in Orwellian fashion, "We are a superior school!" (because of test results on NCLB).  For every single infraction, real or imagined, kids were instantly kept indoors from recess.  Sometimes entire classrooms stayed in for an entire recess because of the actions of a single kid.  Sometimes they cancelled recess just because of rain-- the previous day.  Or threat of snow.  The kids were going NUTS.  I would see a line of kids going out the door and into the hallway, waiting to see the principal-- yet the school was asking for donations to have enough stuff to give away for its "Positive Behaviour Support" program :P   The school spent more time on discipline than on teaching.

 

It may seem like there was more wrong with the second school than just recess, but in discussing the situation with the principal at the first school, he really said that yes, the difference did start with taking a stand on telling the teachers that under absolutely zero circumstances were they to refuse a child recess.  At that point, he said, they put their heads together and figured out the rest-- first, that punishments should fit the situation, which helped.  Then, a few took classes on how to recognize behavior before it started (and these were elementary classes with 33 and up kids in the second grade, city school, 7 different home languages-- and the teachers did not bother making excuses about why this would be too hard; they just DID it) and intervene with the kid before he could actually get into trouble.  The result was a school where most of the day was ultimately spent on learning rather than discipline, and the kids all got their play time as a priority.

 

So yes, I would absolutely make it an issue.  I would recall to anybody involved to remember that a kindergartener in particular sees 10 minutes very differently from how an adult sees it.  I would ask why on EARTH a Kindergartener even has homework??????  More disruption of playtime?  I would press the principal on the issue, and ask how losing recess relates to homework in the mind of a 5 year old, or even an 8 year old.  I would ask, given what is known about cognitive science, how anybody can justify removing recess time from a child.

 

I asked those questions again and again and again.  I refused to go away.  I let my kids know that while they had to do as the teachers asked, I was fighting for them in their corner, because they were NOT bad, and did not deserve to be treated like that (particularly in cases where entire classes were forced to stay inside because one kid misbehaved.  That is just wrong) and that I expected their teachers to treat THEM with respect too!

 

There is no part of removing a child's recess time that is age appropriate.   Anybody who is teaching ought to know better.

 

 

[Guest moozikteacher]

All the experts say this, so why don't teachers get it?

 

Also, it doesn't work.  My kid, who loves to be active, didn't work faster the more recess she lost.  If anything it just demotivated her.

 

 

 

Sometimes teachers have no choice, as the discipline plans come from administration. The teacher can get in trouble for deviating from that.

[merry gardens]

My son is in kindergarten and lost 10 minutes of their 30 minute recess because he did not have his homework and take home reader. I don't particularly like either of them as the homework is several worksheets that are very repetitive and the reader is well below his reading level. Mind you the teacher has not even tested the students for a reading level at this point in the year and just starts everyone at the lowest level until testing.

 

However, I still make sure both are completed each night. Last night and this morning were very chaotic and my son and I both forgot to place them in his folder to return to school. I don't mind a consequence being given, even though parents were never informed of a consequence, but losing 10 minutes of recess seems wrong to me. Am I overreacting? Is this perfectly normal?

[merry gardens]

Homework in kindergarten??? I mean, I understand optional work for a parent to do with a child, but otherwise homework and punishment for forgetting it seems developmentally inappropriate.