If one kid is screwing around and misbehaving than sure give them a time out. If it's just a handful, take it away from them. I can't count on my hands the number of times my goody two shoes ass had to sit out because some morons couldn't control themselves. And as you mentioned Zeppie, it only made me think, "why bother." And the minute I noticed the class getting wild, I joined in too because, "might as well be bad and have fun if I'm gonna get punished anyhow."

But if done right, this is the right thing to do. If the kid acts out in class then they can deal with losing a day of recess to make up for that.

LOL I literally struggle with this question every year when I sit down and go over my discipline policies.

The argument for "No," FYI is that recess is as essential to learning as any other subject in school. There's brain research that suggests students need breaks and exercise to help them process and cement the learning they're doing throughout the day. Evidence shows that the less recess kids get, the worse their scores become. Additionally, children do have a legally protected "right to play" cemented in the Convention on the Rights of the Child.

I prefer NOT to keep kids in from recess. To me, it feels like making them miss out on art, music, or some other fun but educational activity. They NEED it. And nine times out of ten, they are acting up precisely BECAUSE they need to exercise.

That being said, I've been known to ask kids to stay in and finish an assignment before going out to play, or keep a kid back for a "discussion" about her behavior. But I never take more than five minutes (recess at my school is ten minutes).

What Zeppie said.

^Zeppie

No. I am going to be a teacher after I graduate next year and every single one of my child psychology and education courses has said how terrible it is to take away recess.

It is the time when kids can get exercise, improve their brain functions so they can learn and retain information, and gives them a chance to build social interactions with their peers (which is a much needed skill in today's society). I could go on.

There are other ways that teachers can get students to listen besides taking away something vital to their education.