From the full playground to the "captivity", where did the "10 minutes between classes" of primary and secondary school students go?
Text: Lin Yuan
"The 10-minute recess between primary and secondary school students is severely compressed, and many students are running out of time to go to the bathroom."
Recently, the complaint of a front-line people's teacher rushed to the hot search on various platforms, causing heated discussions on the whole network. It is reported that 70% of students do not leave the classroom during recess, even if it is a 20-minute recess.
In recent years, "recess captivity" has become a common phenomenon in primary and secondary schools, especially in primary schools. After the bell rang for the end of class, the campus seemed to be pressed the "mute button", and there were almost no students in the outdoor activities.
As early as 1982, the Ministry of Education issued the "Regulations on Effectively Guaranteeing One Hour of Campus Physical Activity for Primary and Secondary School Students Every Day", which clearly required that "students should be guaranteed to rest or play outside for ten minutes between classes".
In the past 40 years, why has the recess activity, known as the "second classroom", become "collective silence" and "civilized rest"? What are the latest responses from the Ministry of Education to primary and secondary school students' "10-minute recess"? This article tries to decipher.
Desks become the smallest "cells"
"10 minutes between classes", commonly known as "small recess", is an adjustment time for primary and secondary school students to rest and relax and communicate with each other after each class, which should be a happy memory of their student days.
However, in order to avoid being held accountable for student recess disputes or safety incidents, some schools have adopted a "captive" model for students during recess for comprehensive considerations.
According to a survey by China Youth Daily, the more common "three major regulations" in recess discipline in primary and secondary schools are prohibiting loud talking or laughing indoors, prohibiting going out of the teaching building, and prohibiting loud talking and playing outdoors.
Teachers in some schools advocate postponing classes after class or starting classes early, so that students are not even guaranteed time to drink water and go to the toilet.
Some schools will arrange for teachers and student cadres to conduct patrols and work during the week, and in the event of students fighting, running, or "talking to each other" in the classroom, they will be given verbal warnings, class points deducted, and parents will be criticized by name and other punishments.
In addition, decibel meters are installed in the corridors outside the classrooms to sound an alarm when a student is loud.
Even some schools with good hardware conditions can simplify the setting of recess activities. Lunchtime care is also used for homework assignments or exam paper teaching.
An official of the Ministry of Education once said in an interview with CCTV: "I am afraid that students will be easily injured once they move, and now all schools put safety first."
Li Zimeng, the anchor of "News Network", recently recorded a video saying that recess is originally a time for children to relax, breathe, and move their hands and feet. "Pressing" children in the classroom not only deviates from the spirit of "double reduction", but also violates the relevant regulations of the Ministry of Education. The most important thing is that it is not conducive to the healthy growth of children. "As parents, don't be too glassy, if the child has a bump, there is no need to ask the teacher for the crime, and we should rationally defend our rights." Li Zimeng said.
Guangming Ribao commented that in order to ensure campus safety, the mainland's education department has set up a strict campus security system. Schools can also ensure the safety of students by setting up full-time safety officers and purchasing student personal safety insurance. If the school does this homework in the early stage, I believe it will be enough to help students shield most risks.
From the point of view of sports business, the practice of "grounding" between small classes is also a manifestation of the school's "emphasis on literature and light on martial arts".
Some analysts believe that with the implementation of the "double reduction" policy, the weight of students' physical education classes and outdoor activities has increased, and many schools have chosen to extend the teaching time in disguise by squeezing out the "10 minutes between classes", so as to achieve the purpose of supplementing cultural classes.
For a long time, it has been common for physical education classes in primary and secondary schools to be taken seriously. Driven by policy provisions such as "opening up physical education classes and taking good physical education classes" and "guiding students to develop lifelong exercise habits", all localities are gradually implementing rigid requirements on the content and class time of school physical education courses, requiring primary schools to open one physical education class per day, junior high schools to open five physical education classes per week, and high school schools to gradually increase class hours.
In the education system, primary school has the least pressure on schoolwork, and the right to outdoor activities between classes should be fully guaranteed. But in reality, the freedom of recess for primary school students has become a luxury. Some primary schools have intensified the occupation of physical education classes and recess, so that children do not have a break after more than 40 minutes of "knowledge-intensive labor", and their active nature is also suppressed.
If the management of recess activities only stays at the safety level, it also ignores the consideration of children's health throughout the life cycle. Before the age of 12 is a critical period for children's cranial nerve and physical development, exercise plays a positive role in promoting it. Outdoor activities between classes can improve children's motor coordination.
In 2022, the overall myopia rate of children and adolescents in mainland China has reached 53.6%, and sedentary life has led to a rising scale of "Little Fat Dun" and a continuous decline in physical fitness. "The children's psychiatric department is full after more than a month of school", to a certain extent, it is also related to the lack of recess in primary and secondary schools. When exposed to a highly tense competitive environment for a long time, coupled with a heavy workload of schoolwork, children's long-term physical and mental health rights are reduced in the "silence between classes".
School recess activity management: a dilemma for teachers and anxiety for parents
A review of some cases of accidental injuries to primary school students during recess games in 2023 found that schools tend to bear 20%-30% of civil liability.
In these cases, even if the child is over 8 years old, the court will still find that the school is at fault for the personal injury suffered by the student, simply because the school has failed to provide evidence to prove that it has fulfilled its educational and administrative responsibilities.
Previously, Beijing, Shanghai and other places have issued regulations on the handling of injury accidents of primary and secondary school students, which strictly define the responsibilities of all parties involved in the accident at the legal level. Some schools also have "School Liability Comprehensive Insurance", which is compensated by the insurance company within the scope of its coverage. In some places, these school liability insurances are procured by the Education Bureau in the form of public tenders. In addition, many parents also choose to purchase student accident insurance for their children.
However, for some schools and teachers, "encircling" students is still the first choice for "self-protection", which can minimize the chance of accidental injuries in the jurisdiction.
At present, many schools assign teachers a lot of tasks, including but not limited to teaching, administration, communication, investigation, caregiving, etc., and sometimes serve as "school nannies" for students.
Under the heavy pressure of work, front-line teachers have been in a state of physical and mental fatigue and exhaustion for a long time, and professional burnout has intensified. This burnout is reinforced by problems such as an uneven teacher-student ratio and a shortage of sports venues in schools. On the Internet, teachers have complained about "no energy to teach": "When is the teacher a teacher, a parent is a parent, and a student is a student", "Incomplete forms and solitaire", "Everything must be linked to performance", "Please let education return to the classroom"...
Some teachers reflected, "If children's sense of rules and self-management are not established as soon as possible, there will be behavioral problems after entering primary school." Teachers and schools can only set strict rules, but it will be difficult for children with a sense of self-discipline. ”
Parents also complain that not only do they have to spend a lot of energy to help their children complete their homework after work, but also actively participate in parent group communication and check-in, and are even asked to volunteer at school to assist teachers in class work, etc., which breeds burnout.
Driven by the utilitarian nature of education, many teachers and parents hope that their children will also keep quiet reading during recess, and add the "double minus" minus. Some parents have a strong desire to interfere in school education, so that the professionalism and fairness of education are not fully respected.
There are also parents who initiate irrational rights protection after learning that their children were injured in recess games, and frequently stage "school disturbances" to disrupt the normal teaching order.
It is worth noting that some schools are close to reaching a tripartite consensus among teachers, parents and students on the management of campus recess activities.
Some schools have concluded that the root cause of students' injuries in recess games is that they "can't wrestle", and the solution is to teach students to predict the danger when playing in physical education or during recess at the time of admission. Once students learn the right way to protect themselves, the probability of accidents will decrease.
The experience of some teachers shows that chasing games between classes is more likely to be safely safe, and teachers can help children find safer ways to play within their ability. For example, turning the classroom into a mental arena between classes, and introducing games such as backgammon, chess, and Rubik's cube, can reduce students' "chasing and playing" to a certain extent.
Some people in the industry suggest that shuttlecock kicking, pot throwing, paper airplanes, etc. should be carried out during the small class break. While ensuring the safety of students, it also cultivates children's interest in physics and traditional sports.
In order to completely alleviate the safety concerns of home and school, it is necessary to help from many parties. For example, in response to the lack of sports facilities on campus, the courtyard space on campus is adjacent to classrooms, and the safe activity space between small classes is expanded.
On November 3, the relevant personnel of the Ministry of Education responded to the problem of primary and secondary school students "being restrained for 10 minutes between classes", saying, "It is very important and necessary for primary and secondary schools to arrange recess, which is conducive to students regulating their emotions, relaxing their minds, enhancing their physical fitness, and preventing and controlling myopia." ”
The official told Xinhua News Agency that the Ministry of Education attaches great importance to students' recess, and the "Regulations on the Protection of Minors in Schools" (Order No. 50 of the Ministry of Education), which came into effect on September 1, 2021, clearly states that students shall not be unnecessarily restricted in their freedom of speech and deeds such as proper communication, games, and classroom activities during recess and other non-teaching hours. In practice, primary and secondary schools are required to arrange 30 minutes of large-scale recess sports activities every day, and students should be arranged to go out of the classroom for appropriate activities and relaxation during each recess.
Next, the Ministry of Education will further urge local governments and schools to strictly implement relevant national regulations——
Abide by the laws of education and the laws of students' physical and mental development, and resolutely correct the practice of simply restricting students' necessary recess and activities on the grounds of "ensuring students' safety".
The Ministry of Education will guide localities and schools to scientifically implement management and safety precautions, strengthen the investigation of outdoor facilities and personnel on duty, strengthen the education of students' safety knowledge, minimize the risk of safety accidents, and let children be happy and at ease.
At the same time, schools will be required to work closely with parents, schools and communities, strive for parents' understanding and social support, and work together to ensure students' normal activities between classes and promote students' healthy growth and all-round development.
The physical education teacher is the class teacher, so that the "body returns to teaching"
"10 minutes between classes" makes it difficult for students to leave the classroom, reflecting the death of physical education. In the stereotype of primary and secondary education, the learning efficiency and performance of students will be guaranteed for all subjects taught by the class teacher.
Parents who oppose the "PE teacher as class teacher" believe that PE teachers are not proficient in cultural knowledge and examination skills, and do not help students improve their grades.
However, facts show that many physical education teachers are class teachers, and the academic performance of the students they lead is also among the best.
On the one hand, the advantage of physical education teachers in managing classes is that they integrate students' favorite leisure activities into class construction, which can effectively improve children's awareness of sports and health, encourage children to "move", and on the other hand, create a relaxed and stress-relieving learning and growth atmosphere, and improve students' mental health.
Considering that the high incidence of school violence is also during recess and on the way to and from school, physical education teachers, as class teachers, also have a set of methods in mediating disputes and resolving conflicts.
Recently, Xinhuanet tracked and reported that Jingwai Mingde Primary School in Xuanwei City, Yunnan Province implemented the policy of "all physical education teachers", that is, all teachers and staff of the school are involved in physical education teaching and student activity organization.
Initially, this was only to rectify the school spirit and discipline of the co-school and improve the cohesion of students. However, after years of practice, it has been found that this rural primary school has become a strong local sports school, and the football and basketball teams have won the championship many times in various competitions, exploring a new way of integrating sports and education.
Conclusion: In 2023, the number of primary school students in mainland China will exceed 20 million, which has reached the peak in recent years. Recess activities are not part of the will of adults, and "grounding" is not a safety charm for students. Retrieving the disappeared "ten minutes between classes", loosening the restrictions on outdoor activities on campus, and spreading children's laughter to every corner of the campus, requires the joint efforts of parents, schools and society.
Note: The images used in this article are from Pixabay and Unsplash