● In the past few days, the topic of "10 minutes between classes" has aroused widespread concern in the society. Many students, parents and netizens reported that some primary and secondary schools restricted students' recess activities, "not even going to the corridors", "not leaving their seats at will", "not talking loudly, running and jumping"
● Many parents surveyed believe that the main reason is that the school and teachers want to facilitate management and reduce trouble. In an interview with reporters, many teachers reluctantly said that they "couldn't help themselves", mainly because of the limited space and dense personnel, and students are prone to accidents such as bumps when playing on the playground. In the event of an accident, teachers and schools may "eat lawsuits"
● To resolve safety concerns, it is necessary not only to have a reasonable protection mechanism, to support the school with the law, but also to have school administrators who dare to take responsibility, and more importantly, to have reasonable parents. To break the deadlock, it is necessary to build consensus between the family and the school and even the whole society
□ reporter Wen Lijuan
□ Bi Ran, intern of this newspaper
"My child is in the third grade, and he doesn't dare to go out of the classroom to play during recess, and the range of activities is basically four bricks under his feet." Mr. Zhang, a parent of a student in Chaoyang District, Beijing, complained to a reporter from the Rule of Law Daily, "Except for toilets and physical education classes, their teachers don't let their children out of the classroom at all, and let the class cadres keep an eye on them during recess, and whoever goes out casually will deduct the points of the whole group, so no one dares to go out." ”
For this reason, Mr. Zhang had in-depth communication with the teacher and clearly opposed it, but things did not change.
In the past few days, the topic of "10 minutes between classes" has aroused widespread concern in the society. Many students, parents and netizens reported that some primary and secondary schools restricted students' recess activities, "not even going to the corridors", "not leaving their seats at will", and "not talking loudly and running and jumping".
The 10-minute recess, commonly known as "small recess", is an important time for primary and secondary school students to adjust their learning status, relieve fatigue and communicate with each other. The Provisions on the Protection of Minors in Schools formulated by the Ministry of Education clearly require that students shall not be unnecessarily restricted in their freedom of speech and behavior during recess and other non-teaching hours, such as proper communication, games, and classroom activities.
A number of industry insiders recently pointed out in an interview with reporters that some primary and secondary schools require students not to leave the classroom at will during the small class break violates the relevant regulations, which will not only suppress children's creativity and imagination, but also is not conducive to their physical development, harmful to physical and mental health, and it is recommended that schools, parents and society implement comprehensive policies and collaborative education to truly realize "everything starts from children".
The school restricts children from playing between classes
Worried about the occurrence of an accident "eating lawsuit"
The reporter recently visited several primary schools in Beijing and found that because students were required to not leave the classroom at will for 10 minutes between classes, even if the bell rang after class, the campus was still very quiet.
A similar phenomenon exists in some primary schools in Guangxi, Shanxi, Henan and other places.
Ms. Zhang, a parent of a student from Nanning, Guangxi, told reporters that her son's school "prohibits students from going downstairs to the playground, basketball court or table tennis court during recess, and they are all restricted to activities at the entrance of the classroom."
Some parents in Taiyuan, Shanxi Province reported that in the past 10 minutes of recess, children could still go out of the corridor to the corridor activities, but they could not go to the playground, and recently they could not even go to the corridor, and they could only go to fetch water and go to the toilet for 10 minutes between classes.
Some parents in Zhengzhou, Henan Province, said that their children's primary schools are only allowed to receive water and go to the toilet for 10 minutes between classes, and when they walk around the corridors, their daily recess exercises can only be carried out outdoors in the afternoon, and their children spend most of their time in the classroom.
In addition to primary schools, some secondary schools also have the phenomenon of restricting students' small recess activities. In an interview with reporters, a parent of a student at a middle school in Beijing's Haidian District mentioned that his son was criticized by the teacher a few days ago because "he violated the rules by going downstairs to play basketball between small classes, which is prone to accidents", and the teacher also told him to teach the child a good lesson.
In fact, the phenomenon of "disappearing in 10 minutes between classes" has been around for a long time. According to a 2019 survey of more than 1900,75 parents, 2.<>% of parents believe that the phenomenon of "quiet recess" in primary and secondary schools is widespread, and it is most prominent in primary schools.
How did the 10 minutes between classes disappear in these schools?
Many parents surveyed believe that the main reason is that schools and teachers want to facilitate management and reduce trouble. In an interview with reporters, many teachers reluctantly said that they "couldn't help themselves", mainly because of the limited space and dense personnel, and students are prone to accidents such as bumps when playing on the playground. In the event of an accident, teachers and schools may "suffer lawsuits".
A teacher surnamed Xiao in Beijing's Haidian District said: "In the past, our class was able to go out to play, and there were only a few classes of students running around outside during recess, but after being approached by some parents a few times, I didn't dare to let them go out." To be honest, it's hard not to affect my attitude towards student recess activities. In particular, some parents ask to check the corridor monitoring at every turn, and complain immediately if they are a little bumped, but there is really no way. ”
A teacher in Chaoyang District, Beijing, also mentioned: "In any case, if a child is injured in an accident with a student, the class teacher must urgently transfer the class to ask someone to see the class, accompany him to the hospital to see a doctor, and follow up home visits." If it's serious, such as hitting a tooth, you may not be able to live in peace for the next year. I'm a Year 2 homeroom teacher and I've been to the hospital twice this week. How dare you let your children out to play between classes? ”
The teachers' fears are not unfounded. According to public information, 29% of the 91 campus personal injury cases heard by a local court in recent years occurred during recess or after school, and 86% occurred in playgrounds and classrooms. Judging from the verdict, 30% of the schools were sentenced to bear more than 50% of the responsibility, because "school education and management were not in place, and potential safety hazards were not eliminated and timely assistance was not provided".
There are also some parents who over-expect "their son to become a dragon" and "their daughter to become a phoenix", which is also one of the reasons. In the interview, some parents said, "Canceling recess activities can save some time for children to read more pages of books and do more questions." Some teachers proposed that in order to live up to the expectations of parents, it is necessary to seize all the time to let students learn more.
In addition, the objective constraints of the site cannot be ignored. A number of teachers reported that many urban schools have relatively high school buildings, with only 10 minutes between classes, and students are not enough to run up and down the elevator, and the narrow corridors are prone to the risk of crowding and stampede. In addition, the playgrounds of urban schools are small and have many children, so the space for activities is very limited.
"Behind the phenomenon of disappearing in 10 minutes between classes, it is not only a question of whether the educational concept is advanced, but also a complex practical reason. For example, there is not enough space on campus due to problems such as architectural design. For some schools that are at full capacity or even overloaded, the campus space is even more cramped, and it is indeed difficult to get students out of the classroom between classes. Li Yiling, a researcher in the field of education, said.
When he went to many primary and secondary schools in Hunan to investigate, he found that there was a school covering an area of less than 10 acres, and the whole school had more than 3000,10 students. According to him, the school that allows students to "go to the corridor to play" between classes is still the physical education teacher as the principal, "maybe it is relatively important to pay more attention to sports, and it is difficult to say about other schools".
Repressive nature affects physical and mental health
Increasing the length of recess is encouraged in many places
The Provisions on the Protection of Minors in Schools, which came into effect in September 2021, require that schools must not set up management measures that infringe on students' personal freedom, and must not set unnecessary restrictions on students' freedom of speech and behavior during recess and other non-teaching hours, such as proper communication, games, and out-of-classroom activities; Schools shall improve management systems to ensure that students use the school's sports venues and facilities to carry out physical exercise between and after class.
The General Office of the Ministry of Education has also issued a special "Notice on Further Strengthening the Management of Primary and Secondary School Students' Physical Health", requiring that "students should be arranged to go out of the classroom for appropriate activities and relaxation during each class".
A number of industry insiders believe that these regulations and requirements are well-intentioned, which not only reflects the respect for teaching and education rules, but also reflects the care needed for children's growth. Today's practice of overly restricting 10 minutes between classes violates the relevant regulations of the Ministry of Education, and is also a manifestation of the school's extensive and lazy management. Strictly restricting the scope and intensity of activities between primary and secondary school students, although it can reduce the probability of accidents, is not conducive to the healthy growth of the majority of children.
"Letting active children feel like living in a 'cage' not only suppresses their creativity and imagination, but also detriments their physical development. As professionals in the field of education, school administrators understand better than others that the management method of 'captivity' suppresses the nature of teenagers, damages their physical and mental health, and deviates from the concept of 'five educations' and educating people at the same time. Li Yiling said.
According to the "Report on the Development of China's National Mental Health (2021-2022)" and the "2022 National Blue Book on Depression" released by authoritative institutions, 14.8% of adolescents have varying degrees of risk of depression, which is higher than that of adults. 18.30% of the patients under the age of 28 were depressed, and 50% of the patients were students.
There are also media reports that the number of adolescent psychological counseling clinics is increasing year by year, which is manifested by "depressed mood, difficulty concentrating, refusal to go to school, and increased frequency of interpersonal conflicts".
"Excessive restriction of children's recess for 10 minutes will suppress their nature, and staying in the classroom for a long time may cause mental fatigue, unable to relax the body and mind, and is not conducive to concentrating on the next class, which may lead to boredom over time." Huang Aixiang, a psychological counselor practicing in Changsha, Hunan Province, told reporters that proper exercise and movement of limbs outside the classroom between small classes can relieve learning pressure, promote interpersonal communication, and be conducive to students' physical and mental health.
However, in reality, there are also some schools that attach great importance to the use of "10 minutes between classes" to encourage children to have fun.
The reporter combed through public reports and found that some schools used 10 minutes between classes to carry out a variety of outdoor activities. For example, the primary school of Changchun Foreign Chinese Experimental School in Jilin Province has opened up basketball, volleyball and other activity areas, and students can choose according to their personal interests. Liancheng Primary School in Congtai District, Handan City, Hebei Province, is not only equipped with sports equipment such as basketball, football and badminton, but also equipped with books, chess and backgammon items in the classroom, which are easy for students to access between classes.
Shanhaitian Experimental Primary School in Rizhao City, Shandong Province "kicked" the students out of the classroom. "The 10-minute recess is meant for the children to play. The school asked the teachers not to drag the class and let the children go out and relax. Dang Xinlong, vice president of the school, said in an interview with the media that although the 10-minute recess is short, it has a great soothing effect and cannot be ignored. Under the guidance of the school, this approach has been recognized and responded to by the teachers. When the bell rings, the teachers at the school leave the class and the children rush out of the classroom to play.
The education departments in many places have issued documents emphasizing that schools should guide students out of the classroom during recess to ensure that primary and secondary school students have time for recess activities. For example, on October 10 this year, the Chengdu Municipal Education Bureau of Sichuan Province issued the "Notice on Reasonably Arranging Work and Rest Time to Promote the Healthy Growth of Primary and Secondary School Students", encouraging schools to appropriately extend recess and guide students to go out of the classroom to relax through moderate activities or distant views. Teachers must not use delays or other methods to squeeze students' recess time, and must not set unnecessary restrictions on students' recess activities. In addition, on the basis of guaranteeing physical education classes, the school arranges no less than 31 minutes of recess sports activities every day.
In September this year, the Office of the Zhejiang Provincial Department of Education issued the "Notice on Carrying out the 9th Myopia Prevention and Control Publicity and Education Month", which also mentioned that students should be guided to go out of the classroom during class and look into the distance, ensure that students have 7 hour of physical activity time in school and outside the school every day, and encourage students in schools with conditions to have 1 hours of outdoor activities in school.
Gather consensus from all parties to break the deadlock
The school innovates management and optimizes the layout
The interviewed experts believe that returning the 10 minutes between classes to children requires comprehensive measures by schools, parents and society: relevant departments should refine the laws and regulations related to school safety accidents, and clarify the responsibilities of schools and teachers; Schools and teachers should strengthen safety education for students, guide children to carry out beneficial recess activities, and adopt safety measures such as increasing protective facilities and sending patrol teachers; Parents should fully understand and trust the school and teachers, actively communicate with each other when problems arise, and protect their rights in accordance with the law.
Zhang Xiaobing, deputy director and associate researcher of the Institute of Children and Youth Studies of the China Youth Research Center, believes that schools, parents and society need to improve their awareness of tort liability. "The Civil Code stipulates that if a person without civil capacity suffers personal injury during his study or life in a kindergarten, school or other educational institution, the kindergarten, school or other educational institution shall bear tort liability. However, this article also stipulates that those who can prove that they have fulfilled their educational and management responsibilities do not bear tort liability, so in practice, the causal relationship and the distribution of responsibilities are not determined according to the venue, and parents cannot be fully attributed to the school because their children have an accident at school. ”
She pointed out that according to the provisions of the Civil Code, the distribution of responsibilities between the school and other entities is relatively clear, and the law does not require the school to bear all tort liability, that is, it does not require the school to bear no-fault liability, but to bear fault liability. For example, if the school provides evidence to prove that it has a relatively complete safety management system, conducts necessary daily safety education and reminders for students, and carries out emergency response and rescue as soon as possible, then it can prove that the school is not at fault and does not need to be liable for the damage suffered by the students. Therefore, schools do not need to excessively restrict students' recess activities due to fear of harsh criticism from parents and society.
"In fact, a large part of the pressure on school safety comes from parents and society. It is common for children who love to fight and make trouble to bump and bump on campus, but if the child bumps, parents will have to mobilize the teachers to find trouble with the school, and make trouble endlessly, and the school will naturally not dare to let the child out of the classroom. It is undoubtedly an unrealistic idea for these parents to let their children grow up in an open space into physically and mentally healthy, sunny and cheerful youth, but they are not willing to take any risks and let the school and teachers bear unlimited responsibility. In order to resolve safety concerns, it is necessary not only to have a reasonable safeguard mechanism and use the law to support the school, but also to have school administrators who dare to take responsibility, and more importantly, reasonable parents. To break the deadlock, it is necessary to build consensus between the family and the school and even the whole society. Li Yiling said.
Li Yiling suggested that in terms of the objective limitation of insufficient campus space in some schools, in addition to requiring school managers to innovate ways and explore improvement measures under the current situation, it is also necessary for the education authorities to gradually resolve the problem from the level of balanced development of regional education, "The reason why some schools are at full capacity or even overloaded is not only related to the arrival of the peak population period, but also related to the unbalanced development of education in the region." Some schools in the region have been spotted as popular schools and have had to accommodate more students, exacerbating the cramped space constraints and limiting school options."
"It can be expected that with the decline of the school-age population, the contradiction between supply and demand of places will be eased, which will release more educational space for schools, but the premise is still regional and inter-school balance. In addition, optimizing the layout of campus space is also an effective way to solve the problem. This requires the use of scientific architectural design concepts when renovating, expanding, and building new schools, leaving enough space for students to play outside the classroom. Li Yiling said.
"Schools should strengthen safety protection capabilities, improve safety management systems, ensure that safety protection facilities are complete, and provide students with a standardized, safe, and friendly environment for outdoor activities." Zhang Xiaobing suggested that schools regularly carry out necessary safety education to enhance students' awareness of risk prevention, inform them of potential safety risks, list dangerous locations and dangerous behaviors, and teach students how to avoid danger and how to respond to emergencies; Carry out self-care ability training to improve students' independent thinking ability; Strengthen the effective management of faculty and staff, and stop students' dangerous behaviors in a timely manner; Improve the notification and rescue system, regularly inspect the monitoring equipment, and ensure the normal operation of the equipment.
"At the same time, parents should build trusting, reliable and intimate relationships with their children and teach them to protect themselves from harm and others." Zhang Xiaobing said. (Rule of Law Daily)