No Recess? The View From Fourth Grade

Imagine the surprise in my fourth-grade class when they opened up their newspapers and read about the possible elimination of recess (“Ruckus Over Recess,” Dec. 2). We debated the pros and cons of a longer P.E. session, versus the elimination of the childhood respite. Here are some of their opinions:

* “Daily exercise is important because people shouldn’t be weak.”--Jerome

* “I think we need to keep recess because we need to eat our snacks.”--Briana

* “We should keep recess because we all need exercise and to have a fresh morning start.”--Fernando

* “ . . . We need to use the bathroom and play for 20 minutes, with handball and sockball. We can see ex-classmates. Even exercise a lot!”--Alex

* “I feel that we should keep recess because we need fresh air, the sun and a break!”--Mustafa

Room 1 at Palms Elementary School votes to keep recess the way it is!

--KAREN MARKS, teacher