In Defense of Breaks

As I make my way through Norway, more and more often I am asked what things I want to take back with me, what the biggest differences I see between Norwegian and American schools, and what I like best about both systems.

I’m nearing the end of my time traveling to schools, so I thought I would share some of the differences I want to address when I return to the States. One of the biggest and most important differences I’ve seen is the structure of the school day. I thought I would use this post to focus on what we could do to improve how we structure our days in the US.

First, I will just say there are things I really love about American schools. And, I will make sure to address those in another post. But, one thing I think we do wrong is our structure. Even starting in primary schools, we do not create a time for breaks, play, and being in the world. I’ve written about this before as a parent with children in Norwegian schools. But, I also find it important as an educator, teacher, and teacher educator.

By the time I’m done Roving I’ll have visited around 75 different schools, taught thousands of students and met hundreds of teachers. Being able to see such a wide range of schools and school days enables me to make a strong argument for what I see working in Norwegian schools.

Most videregående skoles (VGS) in Norway structure the school day closer to what we would call a block schedule in the United States. For example, every VG1 (first year of upper secondary school) student must take 5 hours of English a week. Usually, this is divided in a way that they have longer, block classes throughout the week. For example, they could have English on Monday morning for two periods and then again Thursday afternoon (it is not usually the same time each day).

Throughout the school year, there are also Fagdags. These are Subject Days. The students spend a day focusing on one subject. Teachers have the ability to do engage students in longer projects, go on trips, and dedicate more time to learning.

During the school day, VGS students will often have a class for two 45 minute periods (for a total of 90 minutes) and then have a break of either 10 or 15 minutes between that class and the next. During the break students are spending time talking to each other, hanging out in and outside of the classrooms, or just relaxing. Then, they move to the next class period. Many will have 3 or 4 classes a day, so it could be that they are in school the whole day or that they start later or end earlier, depending on what classes they have scheduled that day.

In addition, EVERYONE eats lunch at the same time. There are no A, B, or C lunch (or however your school schedules it). Instead, all students and teachers have lunch at the same time every day. It allows everyone to have a common break to eat and relax with others. And, before you say: but what about large schools? I have seen this happen in schools with 2,000 students and it works just fine.

These breaks are important. They allow everyone to slow down, to breath, to have time to use the bathroom, grab something to drink, hide out or rejuvenate; whatever it is their bodies and minds desire. It allows teens with brains and bodies that need to catch up with their world to have that time. When you have a large group of teenagers who value friendship and relationships together without giving them a chance to socialize and be with one another, it can make for intense situations. Breaks give young people a chance to be the social people that they are. Or, take the time for themselves that they need.

Breaks happen all over the school. There are students in the library, in the common area, hanging out playing table tennis (most schools I’ve visited have a table or two), foosball, or chess, checking their phones, listening to music, or hanging with their friends. And, they are not monitored. There are not people patrolling the hallways making sure students behave. Instead, everyone is using that time as a break or preparefor what they are doing next. If students don’t have a class, they hang out in the library or canteen, not in a study hall.

And, like students, because of these schedules, teachers have more unscheduled time to get things done as well. Teachers do not usually teach 5 days a week. Instead, they teach an average 3 or 4 days and then have time to plan, grade, and meet with other teachers and students during the time they are not in the classroom. They have the ability to have longer planning sessions and set up times to meet with other teachers about students. They can work on planning for other projects and even grade during the school day. And, because all lunches happen at the same time, they can meet, talk, and check in during lunch. (See more about teaching in my earlier post on the subject.)

When I teach The American Teenager workshop I show students a typical schedule for a high school student in the United States. When students see the schedule of a high school sophomore that starts school at 7:00 every morning and goes until 15:05 (3:05 p.m.) every afternoon with only 4 minutes of passing time between each class and then a break for lunch, they wonder how it’s possible to make it in that system.

Think about it. That’s telling a 16-year-old that they need to go to 8 different classes a day for 8 hours with NO breaks other than a lunch period. If they had a job, that could be illegal. And, we know it wouldn’t be productive.

Students complain about school days. Teachers talk about never having time to get things done. And, we wonder why. Day after day we set up schedules that do not allow freedom. We structure days so packed that young people don’t know what it’s like to have free time. And, we assume that they don’t know how to act when they have unstructured time.

What would happen if we put more breaks for everyone in the workday? What would it be like if as a teacher, you didn’t teach more than two classes a day? What if you had breaks between your classes to breath? To use the bathroom? To play a game? To be?

What if we trusted that our students could handle that free time?
Needed that free time?

And that if they had that time they would be more focused, stronger, better prepared?

What if we stopped herding them like cattle and instead gave them space?

What would that mean?

Could we handle that?

And can we give teachers the same freedom?

Or do we load up the classes, burn out our teachers and students and keep producing the same?

Even when that same doesn’t work?

These are questions I continue to ask. I have been to schools of all sizes in Norway. Some with as many as 2,000 students, and they all look the same. Breaks, freedom for students and teachers, and lunch for everyone at the same time. On the whole, students seem calmer, more willing to do what they are asked, and can handle the freedom. And, teachers are not running around to get to the bathroom and make copies in the short time they have between each class.

Americans do not spend less time in school than other nations. And, we know that many of the nations that do have high performing students spend less time in schools than American students. So, is the intense and excessive school day really needed? Why not try something different? What if we reimagined schools as places to engage learners and not to meet the needs of adults? And, what if we structured the schools in those ways? One way may be to start by reimagining the school day, breaks and all.