Inside Recess?

So, I really wish that I had been keeping this up all year because there has definitely been some funny stuff, but for now I will just start with today.

When the weather is unstable like it has been this week, we collectively (with the office) decide if it is okay to take the kids outside or if we need to have an indoor recess. The guidelines are based on temperature, air quality, and if it is calm or actively storming. Yesterday we called an indoor recess because of the snow and then it cleared up within 15 minutes so we sent the kids outside. Unfortunately we were just in the eye of the storm or something because it picked up again and we had to move the kids back inside. We definitely should have just stuck with the inside decision once we had made it, but it is SO much easier to manage the kids outside, and they really need to be able to run around and burn off some of their energy. Indoor recess is pretty much a nightmare for everyone involved. We keep the kids in their individual classes and the 3 of us (playground aides) monitor the halls and check on each class periodically. Let's just say they have a really hard time behaving in that situation - so we try to go outside if possible.

Today the weather at 11:20 was 42 degrees, with a 'feels-like' temp of 35, so we decided to go outside. Unfortunately, most kids are not appropriately dressed for that kind of weather this late in the spring. At about 11:50 the first snow pellets started coming down and by 12:00 it was coming down side-ways. The kids were complaining about it, so I was able to get in touch with the office and we decided to take them inside at 12:05. We blew the whistles and let them know we were going in, but by the time we got them lined up at their grade doors, the snow had all but stopped. I was surprised because it felt and looked like it was going to get way worse. We had to stick with our decision at that point though.

Now here's the funny part.... Do you remember when you were a kid and the swings were THE place to be? It hasn't changed - kids literally sprint out of the lunch room to get a swing before everybody else does. Anyway, I got all of the big kids inside and I realized that there was one first-grader out on the swings on the younger playground. Somehow he had slipped by the person inside the lunchroom that is supposed to send them back to class instead of out the doors. He was completely alone and I'm sure he felt like the king of the world because he managed to get a swing. Usually the third-graders are already out on the playground when the first-graders go out, so they don't stand a chance. I walked over to him and asked him if he had noticed anybody else playing outside. He looked around and said 'no'. I really hated to break it to him that it was an inside day and that we needed to head in. I couldn't help but laugh when I thought about what must have been going through his mind. Did he think he had just gotten really lucky? Or that he must have eaten lunch super-fast? It made me smile for a minute, but it didn't last long once I realized that I had to go and babysit 3 classrooms of rowdy fourth-graders for the next 20 minutes. But that's another story for another day...

Intro

For those of you who may not know, I work at an elementary school as an aide. Part of my time there is spent in the teacher workroom, preparing materials for the teachers. However, the other part of my job consists of helping on the playground during lunch recess for just over an hour. Let me just say that there is never a dull moment around that place, and every day is a new experience.
Ask my family about my stories - it seems like I have something funny to tell them about everyday. I plan on using this blog to pass them on to you. Hopefully you will get a laugh out of them and it may even take you back to your own childhood.