Last year I visited New Salem State Park in Illinois, which has reconstructed the village where Abraham Lincoln lived between the ages of 23 and 27. In an introductory film, I remember one theme. There's something about these woods, and about this town, that made Abraham Lincoln the man he was. To most of us in college, this should make some sense. After all, if education were just about learning mathematical theorums and reading the plays of Shakespeare, we could do this living at home.
Recess is another formative activity, albeit at an earlier age.
The mere idea that a superintendent believes that education in First Grade revolves around addition and the alphabet shows that he's really out of touch. Ultimately, we must recognize that eliminating recess has costs that are not measured in percentage points. By looking only at statistical indicators, however, educators are missing the forest for the numbered trees. Even worse, eliminating recess not only weakens our educational system, but we take away another part of their childhood. It seems a tragedy to help kids grow up even faster in a culture that makes them grow up too fast already.