Greater Boston video debates the importance of recess and what other discipline measures work for teachers when students misbehave.

Here's some Peaceful Playgrounds solutions called, "60 Alternatives to Withholding Recess."

School Recess: Structured Games and Activities at Recessby Melinda Bossenmeyer, Ed.D. Structured recess.  Good idea or bad?
Today I received a phone call from a second grade teacher.  She indicated that she had a behavior challenged child (frequent discipline issues) and was growing pretty frustrated with him.  In response to Jeremy (not his real name), who was hitting kids, pushing kids, and causing chaos at recess, the school decided that they w…

"[Classroom management] is probably one of the things that's least understandable and most complex about teaching. This is the hardest skill to master."

-- Randi Weingarten, president of the American Federation of Teachers, The Los Angeles Times, December 14, 2009.



Check out this week's LA Times article on : Controlling a classroom isn't as easy as ABC

A mom is peeved at an Oklahoma school which reportedly punished her son by having him stand facing a wall at recess. The parent claims that he was told to stand close enough to the wall to touch it with his nose. The punishment was for failing to finish a homework assignment.

"I think it's a horrible policy. I think it's humiliating and I think it's disgusting," the parent reported to the school. "It was extremely tra…

A principal from the Burnsville-Eagan-Savage school district is being investigated after a parent filed a complaint. It seems a six year old student flushed a paper towel down the toilet in his classroom restroom after a bathroom break resulting in a clogged toilet.

Complaints from the parents of a kindergarten student that their son was forced to unclog a toilet with his bare hands resulted in proposed disciplinary action against an Eagan ele…

Have you missed any of our recently posted Peaceful Playgrounds featured articles. Topics include bullying, physical activity, nutrition, discipline, recess before lunch to name a few. Click on the links below for the complete articles.

Bullying Prevention: Life Lessons on Good and Evil


School Recess before Lunch

Countdown to Good Health: 5-4-3-2-1 Go

Playground Liability: Accident or Injury

Schoolwide Discipline: What Works?

Recess is on the Upswing

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Introducing our next FEATURED ARTICLE.

Why is it that some schools have found the magic formula to orderly classrooms and a safe emotional and physical environment for learning, while other schools experience continuing discipline disruptions to the learning environment? We reviewed research for a list of prevention strategies including how to enforce school rules and being proactive in playground problems.

According to the research, sch…

Tracy Bale, a new principal at Spencer County High School in Kentucky set out to make some changes to school culture. But unlike what most principals resort to in "getting schools back in control" (by adding new rules) he focused on building new relationships.

Bale's advice for other educators who want to build a school environment that supports learning: show you care. "A high-achieving school is a school where adults care…