Recess Duty Anyone?

When I signed up to be a teacher, I knew that recess duty was part of the deal. I also knew that recess duty was one of the things veteran teachers hate most about their jobs, but being young and naive I figured being able to spend extra time outside would be a perk.

Well let me tell you, in those early months of the school year I complained non-stop that it was just way too hot during recess. And as the weather cooled down it didn't get much better - then I complained that it was too cold! by mid-October I could tell that my hour long daily lunch recess duty was going to be a serious pain once the real winter hit! We get some brutal winter weather where I'm from!

I went out and bought the longest, warmest coat that money could buy (after reading an abundance of online reviews!) and as many cozy winter accessories as I could possibly fit on my body. So since the snow fell in late November, every day as my students finish up there lunches I bundle myself up with a scarf, a hat, and gloves that convert into mittens. I slip into my magical new winter coat, flip up the hood and tighten the draw strings.

For those of you interested, my coat is the TSS15-2 from Avalanche Ski Wear (You can see it here!) and it is the best thing to have ever happened to me! It's the same stuff the Canadian ski patrol wears and its so much warmer than it looks! If you get lucky you can sometimes find them at Costco in the fall.

Even though I now have this amazing winter coat, I can say with confidence that I've pretty much complained about the cold every single day on my way back up the stairs to the staff room after that bell rings. However, the weather is starting to warm up now (finally!) and I have to say, looking back on my winter of recess duties, that snow is really something special! I have never enjoyed winter as much as I did this year. Seeing my students' faces light up during that very first snowfall in November, and every single time they've bolted through that schoolyard door since then, has been a truly magical experience for me that has totally changed my outlook on winter... and I guess recess duty!

There's something about putting on a snowsuit that makes a child feel invincible. Like they could do anything they imagine without a care or a worry in the world. And with every tiny jacket I zip up, every mitten I shove onto a tiny hand, and every snowpant leg I stretch over the top of a tiny boot, I play a part in making that happen. These kids come out to play each day, not worried for a second about being cold, or being wet. They come out with a mission to make the biggest snowman in the world, to build the perfect snow fort, or slide down that slide faster than ever before! That look of wonder in their eyes, the look of endless possibilities, is what has made my hour long, freezing cold, daily recess duty totally worth every shivery minute and frost-bitten fingertip.

So even though I'm relieved to see warmer weather on the horizon, I admit that I will miss the snow...

My first lesson for new teachers: 
The secret to winter recess duties is to keep warm from the inside out!

Miss Jaime