Recess and being outdoors in general provide an important avenue for free play with a variety of other children. When children play with each other, they learn important social skills such as how to take turns, communicate effectively, listen, assert their needs, deal with conflict, and practice leadership skills. Adults often try teaching children these skills, however, when adults take over and direct play for children or put children under relentless supervision, the play loses its inherent value (Barefoot and Balanced, 2016, p. 156).

I went to the teacher with what would become my usual recommendations: “body breaks” so he can move more, a list of focus strategies, and cursive for his illegible printing full of reversed letters. The teacher may as well have patted me on the head and said, “Oh that’s sweet. You’re new here aren’t you?”