Watch this video [1:19] to learn why standing in the thick of it instead of being on the perimeter is an advantage when it comes to recess duty.

Welcome to recess duty, one of my favorite times of day.

I like to refer to it as recess opportunity.

Let’s face it, recess is a classroom. It gives us the time to teach skills like how to play, get along with other kids, and stay out of trouble.

I don’t do recess duty from the pavement or the grassy area, even though that would give me a bird’s eye view.

I do recess duty right down on the playground with the kids, really coaching them to behave the way we want them to in a social situation.

In my experience, before a kid acts on a decision that might not be OK, he looks over his shoulder to see if the adults are looking. If we’re all the way up on the pavement or on the grassy area, then we’re not really going to see what’s going on.

But if kids see that we’re right there where they are, often that visibility is a cue for them – don’t do that, that’s not a good thing.

Get down there on the playground.

Recess is a classroom.

Click on my video above for more.