Shrill screams echoed through the building as our elementary students played in the gym this morning. The weather was so chilly that it necessitated a move indoors. A trial run outside had resulted in kids huddled next to the building rather than playing. When they bunch up like cattle in a storm, we always know it’s time to head inside.
Unpopular opinion: indoor recess is the best.
Reason number one: I get to join in. There have been so many days I've glanced at the security camera of the playground while I was busy in my office, knowing I couldn't go out and watch them play or take a turn on the slide. But when the kids come in for recess, I'm steps away from the gym, I can hear the happy shouts, and I can join them in a jiffy.
Reason number two: vicarious recess time. All of the junior high and high school students (and staff) get a chance to hear and remember the experience of indoor recess. Students holler the rules of line tag to one another, calling to mind how thrilling that game can be. I'm sure the secondary students remember massive games of "sharks and minnows". We all get a trip down memory lane.
Reason number three: I get to see neat rows of cowboy boots and tennis shoes stacked against the wall. Seeing all these little shoes reminds me vividly of all the little souls in this building. It illustrates the individuality of all those we're responsible for, how short their time as kids really is, and all the places those little feet will go in a lifetime.
Wherever their lives take them, they will always have memories made in the best gym in Colorado and the times it was too cold to play outside. I've certainly never forgotten--thanks to them and gym recess.