What can recess teach us about education?

I spend a lot of time on my blog talking about why recess is important and advocating for all of us to view it as a relevant and useful part of education.  A lot of the responses I get back seem to look fondly back on a time when recess was better, longer, more fun, and more free.  Even my own childhood seems somehow rosy with the glow of play.

When I was a kid, it seemed like recess lasted forever.  We played kickball or dodge-ball for what seemed like hours.  That was all that school seemed to be composed of in fact.  The rest of the time, Math, Science, Social Studies, English, and even Lunch, seemed to be but interruptions in my recess time rather than the other way around, but when I look back at it, I'm sure recess was only ten or fifteen minutes long at most.  

How did such a short time make such a huge impression on me?  I think it was because I loved it so much.  I really did cherish the time I got to be outside (I hated indoor recess) playing.  It's not that other things weren't important, or that I didn't learn anything except how many outs make an inning, I learned a lot in school and always got good grades, but recess was where I found joy.  It gave me a reason to focus on math and writing because they were part of it, part of the experience.  You couldn't have recess without math, and you couldn't have math without recess.  The very dailiness of it made it true.  

That's what education was for me, and I can't help thinking that's how it was intended, that reading, writing, research, work be coupled with catharsis, that they be intertwined.  Too often I hear about a school administrator taking recess away from a child because he didn't finish his math homework, and I think to myself that all of school is transmuted into punishment when adults make that decision.  

Learning is not something to get out of the way before we are allowed to play.  Learning and play are not separate things, just as joy and work are not separate.  They're inseparable, inextricable.  Learning cannot exist without play just as play cannot exist without learning.  They are two ends of the same meaningful endeavor.  To pretend that they are separate impoverishes both, renders them meaningless even.  

Most schools (especially in Salt Lake) realize this on some level.  After all, recess is still part of the school day, but we need to celebrate it, and bring adults in on this most basic and ancient secret.  I realize that teachers have far too little time for breaks, and that recess is usually one of those sacred times.  I'm not asking for educators to spend every recess with their kids, but we have district wide drop everything and read days.  Why not a drop everything and play day where everyone, even the adults participate?  After all, teachers deserve joy too, and it's part of what school is all about.

Run, Run As Fast As You Can

I'm a runner. I've been a runner for almost as long as I can remember. It started with my dad taking me out to the track at SIUE (Southern Illinois University at Edwardsville) and having me run a mile with him. It was a struggle. I was eight years old and four laps on a track seemed like a ridiculous distance to me. I remember struggling to get faster, working towards an eight minute mile, and when I finally broke through that barrier, I felt like the fastest kid on the planet. I've been a runner ever since.

Running requires a lot from a person. It requires strength and speed and endurance and stamina, but it also requires something else, an indefinable something related to discipline or will. I say related because those aren't exactly the right words.

When you think of discipline, you think of forcing yourself to keep moving even when you're out of energy, but running requires something else. It's almost a trick. You tell yourself that all you need to do is keep moving until that next tree or that next crack in the pavement, and when you get there, you convince yourself you can go just a bit further... to that shadow up there or that blue car or that stop sign, and you keep doing this over and over until you're at the end of your run. It's not will power precisely. It's more like the ability to believe what you're telling yourself even though you know it's a trick.

You may be wondering why such a skill would be important. In a world where people are constantly being told that crime is getting worse, jobs are becoming scarce, and money buys less, I think it's important to be able to tell yourself a different story and believe it.

I tell myself that most people have good intentions. I tell myself that things are bound to get better. I tell myself that the world is a good place to live. There are times when it's easy to believe this, and times when it's more difficult. When you fall down and skin your knee, or get laid off from your job, or have a fight with someone you care about, things can seem pretty bad, but you tell yourself that tomorrow you'll find something beautiful, that you'll laugh again, that you'll get by, that circumstances are bound to turn around.

I guess what I'm getting at is optimism. Running teaches you how to keep going through the hard stuff until you can reach your goals. It's good practice for life.

March 10^th, Playworks SLC is sponsoring a 5k and 1 mile fun run in Liberty Park. We'd like to invite you to come out and run with us. Not only will you be building your muscles and keeping fit, you'll also be training yourself in optimism and supporting play in public schools throughout the Salt Lake Valley. So sign up and start training. We'll see you there!

Meet Playworks SLC

I talk about these people all the time.  It’s time I introduced my readers to Playworks Salt Lake City staff.  Here’s a little video I took during our staff training.  Now you’ll be able to put faces to the names of our coaches.  As you can see, we have a lot of fun at work!

What makes a difference on the playground?

Playworks coaches have a unique perspective on a student’s day. Children’s true personalities, often through stories and questions, are particularly present during play at recess. When we ask ourselves, how can we tell we are making a difference? We usually end up with standard measurements (surveys, etc.), but it’s the little things--moments with students on the playground that we have a harder time quantifying--that make every day meaningful.

How readily does a student smiles. How quick she is to join a game, how open or guarded he is while talking to peers or adults.  These cues often tell us more than measures of academic success or how much improvement a particular student shows at a certain game.  They are subtle indicators of kids states of mind, which are influenced by innumerable factors.  Home environment, bullying, relationships with friends and family, how much sleep he/she got last night.  These impacts are not measureable, but we do notice, as educators, the subtle signs that mean our kids have other things than school on their minds.  For the most part, teachers are limited in how they can manage subtle changes in kids behavior.  Teachers have material they must teach, other kids who need their attention, and a schedule to keep.  

The time Playworks coaches spend with kids everyday at recess becomes that much more important in this context.  Recess provides more freedom than time in the classroom, which means that students have time to talk with their peers, to open up if they need to, to decompress, and to relax. Though we have games set up to play with students and we hope all students are engaged in some way, coaches are also available to listen to students who simply need an adult to talk to on their own terms.  

Coaches, while still authority figures in a lot of ways, are often viewed by students as available and fun.  With the playful nature of coach’s role, students feel safe expressing themselves in ways they may not normally do so around other adults with whom they have a more formal relationship.  

Most of the time, this is incredibly positive.  Kids can run and scream and express excitement.  They tell us how much fun it is to play, or how they can't contain themselves at the thought of whatever exciting event may be happening at home, a birthday party, or a trip to grandma's house.

Other times, coaches are confronted with distress, an incident of bullying they can't tell their teacher about, or something happening at home.  These types of communication are important, too, because they allow us to see problems kids might otherwise keep to themselves.  Once problems are out in the open, we can help kids find the resources they need to address those problems.

That role, and the unique relationships our coaches form with students is one of the intangible things about Playworks that makes having our program at a school so valuable, and immeasurably important.

Good Enough

2012 is upon us and I hope everyone has resolved to have a playful year.  We're halfway through the school year and our coaches are about to start new truly amazing programs with the students in their schools.  Each year at this time, Playworks starts up a girls basketball league.  Later, our coaches will facilitate a co-ed volleyball team. There are a lot of leagues available for both boys and girls, so you might be asking yourself what's so special about our leagues?  To answer that question, I need to relate a story.  

I started playing basketball in the third grade on a team sponsored by my elementary school.  Actually, there were three teams sponsored by my school that year because there were so many who wanted to play.  My team, the Columbus Clippers, was about as bad at basketball as possible.  I remember a game in which we scored only 4 points, and all of them were from free throws.  We were psyched because we'd finally scored in only the third game of the season!  I was responsible for two of those points and got taken out for ice cream after the game for being our top scorer.

The Columbus Clippers was a co-ed team, and our coaches philosophy was that everybody played.  We learned to dribble, pass, shoot and play defense, and as the season progressed, we got better.  I played basketball in a league like that all through elementary school, and by the end of sixth grade, I thought I was good enough to try out for the junior high team.  

When I got there, I realized this was nothing like the team I'd played on.  There was a varsity team and a JV team.  About a hundred people tried out.  One of them was a six-foot-tall seventh grader who could almost dunk.  I didn't make either team.  Though I'd learned a lot about basketball in the three years since I'd started playing, I couldn't hack it in such a competitive setting.  After that, I never played basketball on a team again.

I was lucky.  I got to play for three years before someone told me I was no good, and even after that, I played soccer and ran track.  There were opportunities for me to remain athletic and be part of a team, and I think I've benefited immensely from those experiences.  Playing sports taught me how to learn a skill, how to cooperate with people, how to celebrate the victories of others.  These are lessons I don't think a person can learn anywhere else.

Sometimes I wonder how it would have been if I'd never played basketball or any other sport.  Would I have worked as hard at school without the lessons I learned from playing basketball?  Would I be able to make friends as easily as I do if I hadn't had the experience of being on a team?  Would I think of myself as a failure because I'd been cut?

Playworks partner schools have a large low-income community.  We only operate in schools at which 50% or more of the students receive free or reduced price lunch.  We operate almost exclusively in urban settings.  Our populations tend to contain high proportions of minority students.  Each of these factors means that the opportunity for our students to be engaged in organized sports is very limited.  Playworks leagues might be the only leagues in which many of our students ever have the chance to play.

Our core values of inclusion, respect, healthy community, and healthy play mean that we never cut students from our teams.  We concentrate on helping everyone who wants to learn develop the skills necessary to improve at basketball, volleyball, and all the other sports we teach.  Our students learn how to play as a team and how to win and lose graciously.  They learn to celebrate each others successes, and to support one another, not just in the leagues, but in school, and in every aspect of their lives.  It's exciting stuff, and these leagues are about to begin.

I'd like to invite you to come out to our league nights this winter and spring, and help us celebrate the learning taking place there.  If you live in or around Salt Lake City, our games will take place from 6-8 p.m. in the Lincoln Elementary school gym every Tuesday beginning January 17th.  If you live in another Playworks city, check our website to find out how you can support your own city's leagues.  Not a Playworks city?  Click here to find out how to get Playworks in hour school district, and come cheer our remarkable students on!

It's been a great year in SLC!

For my last blog post of the year, I thought I'd repost some of the great comments we've been getting from students and staff at our Salt Lake Valley schools.  These stories were posted on our internal website by our coaches.  Enjoy!

Oct 7

I was wandering around during indoor recess time yesterday and walked by a class doing their indoor PE time.  They were playing Over Under Kickball! They had just learned it from CGT (Class Game Time) and were using it on their own time. Great to see.

Oct 18

I was walking into the gym to gather my equipment for recess, when I noticed a class was playing elbow tag during their PE time. I asked the teacher if she started the game, and she told me the students started it. They enjoyed the game so much during CGT that they asked the PE teacher if they could play it. They taught her the game and started it themselves.

Oct 19

Today a teacher told me she used to dread recess duty, but now she looks forward to it. She loves how the kids are engaged and not fighting. She thinks Playworks has already made a noticeable difference at the school.

Nov 2

Today at recess I had a random bucket of colorful bean bags. A first grade student grabbed the bucket and went over to the map of the US. He started tossing the bean bags onto the states that were the same color as the bag. It was a great game that attracted ten other students. As the students tossed the bags, I quizzed them on their states. It was a great game and a great learning activity. I am going to start putting out random equipment to see what the students invent with it!

Nov 9

Played "I Love My Neighbor" in CGT with a group of 3rd graders and the student in the middle said "I love my neighbor who loves Coach Jaime!" And everyone moved. Super cute and awesome.

Nov 9

I test out new games with my ASP (After School Program) kids to figure out how to explain activities to them and if the games are any fun, etc, so the ASP kids know a lot  more games then everyone else. They have been taking their favorite games from ASP and playing/teaching them to other kids at normal recess time! Really cool to see.

Nov 9

During ASP I took a moment to lead one of my students favorite songs. One of the students said "Coach Vee, I want to lead the song". I let this student lead and was thrilled to learn that all of my students not only knew the song ,but took turns leading it as well. So fun! After all this time I realized I need to take more time to let my students take more active leadership roles.

Nov 9

For the past three weeks I have been hyping up "high fives" and "nice tries" on our play paradise at Lincoln. A para (para-professional) that helps with lunch recess said to me "Coach Vee, your energy is really changing the students. Today during my reading group one of my students pronounced a word wrong, and his reading partner gave him a "high five" and said "nice try!" Made my whole day!

Nov 9

One of the questions on the Junior Coach application form is “Why do you want to be a Junior Coach?” One of my students who applied answered the question, "When I grow up, I want to be a coach because Cpach Vee helps so many kids. It's like being a super hero!" I chose this student to be a JC, and she rocks our tag circle each and everyday!!

Nov 11

During ASP I took my third and fourth grade classes to play soccer. They decided to pick their team names. Team 1 named themselves "Playworks" and Team 2 named themselves "The Lincoln Way" (Respect, Inclusion, High Fives, Nice Tries, etc is the "Lincoln Way). When I asked them why they picked these names, they said it was because they love Playworks and playing respectfully. I could only smile!!

Nov 14

Went to an after school teachers council meeting yesterday to discuss using only my equipment on the recess playground. All of the teachers were in favor after I explained the benefits (sharing, playing together, increase interaction between students, etc.)  A few of the teachers told me they had stopped giving out equipment a while ago and had noticed their kids all playing together, being respectful to each other and choosing to play group games during their individual recess time, which they attributed to Playworks and what was happening at recess.

Nov 16

I walked into the building this morning and instantly was getting high fives and compliments from teachers about my JC's. I took a sick day and my JC's really stepped up their game. Teachers told me they asked for help to get into our office. They set up recess for the day and totally ran our program without me. To my surprise, they also lead all of our school cheers for cool down at the end of each recess. Teachers said they were blown away when they were able to cool down over 150 students at our last recess. WOW! I feel so proud to be back today! When I say Lincoln. . .You say PRIDE!!

Nov 16

During class game time today, I heard a boy exclaim, "This is kinda fun!" It soon progressed to "This is fun!" followed by "This is cool!" and ending with "Why do we have to stop?"

Nov 16

The recess duty at my school approached me and told me how much of a change she had seen in students at Hillsdale. I said I hope that the program is making a difference and she responded by saying, "A sixth grade girl moved to this school and wouldn't smile at anybody, she would hardly say a word, now she smiles, gives high fives and plays four square every day. I see the improvement!" It made me realize that I don't see the change because I am just getting to know these kids, but it's wonderful to see a game put a smile on a child's face.

Nov 18

Today at recess I brought out a new piece of equipment the office gave me not knowing what do with it, a GIANT volleyball a good 15" in diameter. I put in on the playground and my 5 and 6 grades invented a game using the ball. Everyone collaborated on the rules and it was an amazing group effort! Look out for Air Ball taking off at Meadowlark!

Nov 22

Today one of the 5th grade classes was making notes on those Thanksgiving themed cut-outs (turkeys/those horns that have food in them). A group of the kids made theirs for me. Here is my favorite one: 
"Dear Coach Jaime, Thank you for teaching us new games for PE. Also thank you for helping us on the playground. This is the best year for me because you came for the Playworks. This school would not be the same without you."

Nov 28

I saw a 1st grader pouting during a basketball game. Another 1st grader came up and said, "It is not about winning and losing. It is about both and having fun. If you lose, no big deal. If you win, great." I gave her a much earned high-five for her wisdom.

Dec 12

"Thanks for making time for me and my class on Thursday. My class really enjoys their Playworks time, so if they missed it, they would be upset. We'll be there at 9:10.” -Email from a teacher in regard to me rescheduling their CGT because of an assembly.

Thanks for making 2011 a great year!  Happy Holidays from Playworks SLC.

A Little Holiday Spirit

The holiday season is upon us. I am appalled, once again, by the utter madness of Black Friday.  It seems like every year I hear about someone being trampled or robbed or shot as the holiday rush begins.  This year, the big story was about a woman who pepper sprayed fellow shoppers over an X-box.  To me, these things seem to be in direct conflict with the notion of goodwill and fellowship I traditionally associate with the holiday season, but I recognize that to some, this is what the holidays are about: fighting with family, making a huge profit on irrational consumer behavior, and getting the one awesome thing you want for Christmas or Hanukkah or Kwanzaa...

Gift giving goes back thousands of years to various civilizations, and the idea seems to be that a person shows his or her appreciation for someone by giving him or her something special.  The holiday season has a certain ceremonial aspect to it in this regard.  For many of us, it's the one time all year that we will go out of our way to say thank you to people we ordinarily take for granted.  I'm giving my son's daycare provider a hand-made quilt for Christmas this year, and I admit it will be the first time I've gone out of my way to let her know I appreciate what she does for my family.  Perhaps you will be giving similar tokens of appreciation.

This aspect of gift giving is, in my opinion, a good idea, but the tradition of gift giving is less often about appreciation these days than about an obligation.  Many of us feel bound by an unspoken code to give everyone we know a gift regardless of whether that gift is heartfelt or not, and many of us, too, have used the holiday season as an excuse to get the toy or gadget or whatever thing it is we feel we deserve.  

For parents, the desire to fulfill our children's most frantic desires by buying the toy that is too expensive to justify at any other time of year is bound up with our self worth.  If we can purchase an X-box or an iPad for our sons and daughters, we consider ourselves good parents, but if we can't, we are utter failures.

All of these aspects contribute to the insanity of an event like Black Friday, and all of these impulses are, at some level, justifiable or at least understandable, but we are missing something important when we allow ourselves to sink into crazy pants land.  We are missing an opportunity to make the holidays meaningful and important in a manner that transcends material possessions.

We must ask ourselves what lessons our children are taking from the holidays.  Do they see our intentions, our deepest wishes for them, that they will be happy and healthy?  Do they see our kindness and generosity?  Or is it something else that they see when we buy meaningless gifts for people solely because we think we owe it to them?  

I'd like to encourage you to do something rather different this holiday season.  Instead of buying things, volunteer.  You can volunteer at soup kitchens or food banks or shelters or even at your child's school.  Many teachers would really appreciate a helping hand in their classrooms, and if your school is a Playworks school, you can volunteer with us out on the playground.  All you have to do is play a few games, and you will be contributing to something meaningful and valuable.  Plus, your kids will see you doing it, and that will go a long way towards communicating what the holiday season is really all about.

Don't feel like volunteering or can't find the time, consider a donation or microvolunteer by sharing information about a cause you support with people you know.  Sometimes networking is just as good as giving.

Happy Holidays from Playworks SLC