Recess for High School Students

16-year-old Helena Muffly wrote exactly 100 years ago today: 

Monday, September 11, 1911: Got hit by a stick this afternoon at recess in the region of my left eye. It did hurt a little bit for awhile. It is a little bit sore now.

If I use my imagination I can almost see 16-year-old Grandma, her 6-year brother Jimmie, and the other students playing on the grass outside the old McEwensville School building.

Her middle-aged granddaughter’s comments 100 years later:

I’m amazed that high school students had recess in 1911. The high school and elementary school at McEwensville shared the same building.  Apparently the entire building had recess.

Some things are better now than a 100 years ago—but I’d argue that recess for high school students is an example of something at was better a hundred years ago.

Today high school students don’t have recess. And, obesity is an issue. At the high school my children attended I think that they only have two semesters of physical education during the entire four-year program.

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