5 Myths About Classroom Breaks
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In my special education classroom, breaks were standard practice for supporting students’ self regulation skills. I primarily worked with students with emotional and behavioral disorders, which meant that we took a lot of breaks as a behavior management strategy.
And, they were effective! They helped teach self-regulation, prevented escalating behaviors, helped students get back into their learning brains, and saved my sanity as a teacher.
But once I started working as a behavior specialist, I found a lot of teachers didn’t have the same faith in breaks that I did.
I knew a break wasn’t a magic bullet that instantly stopped every interruption in its tracks. But, until we find something that does actually do that, breaks are a great option!
So, I’m here to debunk 5 of the myths that prevent teachers from giving breaks a try.
Myth #1: “If they’re on a break, they’re not learning.”
The idea that we have to pack every minute full with instruction has been forced on teachers since the start of state testing. And it’s to everyone’s detriment.
It can be hard to see how not learning for a few minutes can actually improve learning for the rest of the day. But, it’s science!
Here’s a little neurobiology lesson:
There are two important parts of our brain that I want to call your attention to: the prefrontal cortex and the amygdala.
When the prefrontal cortex is in charge, we are in our “learning brains.” This part of the brain helps us make good decisions, and it decides when things are important enough to remember long-term.
The amygdala, on the other hand, has a competing job- keep you safe at all costs. This includes the cost of not learning anything until you’re safe again. This is the part of our brain that takes over when we are in fight or flight mode.
The amygdala doesn’t discriminate when it comes to threats. It sees a physical threat, like a bear or a lion, the same as a social threat, like a mean comment from a peer, or a math test that’s about to make us feel stupid.
And when the amygdala takes over, we can’t learn or remember until we feel safe again and are back in our learning brain.
So the truth is, “If they DON’T take a break, they’re not learning.”
If a student is not in their learning brain, there’s no point in having them push through the work. They won’t learn it either way. So, you might as well take the time to help them reset and get their prefrontal cortex back in charge so you can actually use the remaining class time for learning.
Myth #2: “If one kid gets a break, the whole rest of the class will want to too.”
In my experiences, I can say this, “Maybe at first.” Anytime kids, especially younger kids, see someone doing something different or new, they want to try it out too.
I’ve gotten this argument not only with breaks but with basically any accommodation that some students need: adaptive seating, technology, and flexible timing. But, in all my years, I’ve never had this be an ongoing barrier after the initial excitement of something new.
The reality is that if you let anyone who needs a break take one, they all may take a lot at first, but the novelty will wear off quickly. Like, in a day. And, you’ll find that the kids who continue to take them will be the ones who actually need the breaks.
So, don’t let this particular fear stop you! You might have a lot of breaks for a bit, but just accept that as part of the process. Your students will figure out if taking a break is helpful for them or not. Especially if you encourage them to self-reflect on how they’re taking breaks.
Myth #3: “Having a student take a break is more work for the teacher.”
Again, “maybe at first.”
You do have to actually teach what a break is, how to know when you need a break, what to do at a break, and how to return from a break. Plus, you need to set up a space to take a break and provide any items they need. You might even have to check in on how students are using the break space.
But all of that is at first. And we’re teachers. We think long-term. Setting up a system is always more work at first. But when we set it up right, we know that it will pay dividends for the rest of the year.
When you spend the time to set up a break system in your class, you’re going to get a ton of instructional time back and increase student learning. You’re also going to prevent your future frustration with student behavior, and you’re teaching students a life-long skill.
So, yes, up front a little more work. But over the course of the year, a major saver for your time and headaches.
Myth #4: “If I let her take a break, she won’t ever come back.”
This is a myth that could easily become a reality– if you let it. This comes down to teaching. And luckily, the teachers are great at this!
When you start using breaks, it’s incredibly important that you teach students what a break is, how it works, and when it is over. Whatever system you have for signaling the break is over, be it a timer or a verbal prompt from you, students need to know the expectation for cleaning up and returning to their work. The vast majority of students will honor the expectations that you set for breaks if you uphold them.
But, we all know that there will be a few who push the boundaries.
Some students might need a little more support for returning from a very nice break to very hard work.
Here are some ideas for when breaks are taking too long:
- If you use break cards, you might allow them an extra break card if they transition back from their breaks successfully. For example, a student who gets two break cards a day may earn a third break card for coming back from both breaks at the right time.
- Instead of having the student transition directly from the break back to work, have them end the break and come straight to you.
This is really helpful if they are motivated by your attention (this way they’re getting it for good behavior rather than disruption!). Or, if they needed the break because the work was confusing or frustrating, you can give them the support they need once they’re regulated from the break. - Add a self-monitoring component to the break. Before students return to work, have them reflect on a few quick questions, such as:
- Why did I need a break?
- Did my break help me feel ready to work?
- Do I need help to get started back on my work?
If you’re consistent in teaching and reinforcing your expectations for returning from a break, and you still have one or two students struggling, these strategies will usually do the trick.
Myth #5: “Breaks don’t help students regulate. They come back just as upset as before.”
If you’re finding this is true for you, then I encourage you to take a look at what students are doing while they’re on a break. Because this can be tricky!
Again, we have some brain science that can explain what’s helpful for a break and what’s not.
The way that our bodies were designed to process stress does not always align with what we want to do when we feel stressed.
This is because the things that caused our ancestor’s stress were things that required us to physically do something. Think about the causes of stress in the past: predators, rival groups, war, famine. How we dealt with these stressors was to fight, plant food, build walls, and seek out the help of others. Basically, we moved.
What are our stressors now? Emails, math quizzes, a mean comment from a student, someone cutting us off in traffic. How do we deal with these stressors? Send an email, take the math quiz, talk to the student, and honk our horn. None of these responses actually tell our bodies that we did anything to deal with the stressor. So, we continue to feel the stress.
Here are a few things that students can do during a break that research shows will actually process the stress out of our bodies.
- Breath work. What’s the first thing that happens when something jumps out and scares you? You take a sharp breath in. Your brain uses your emotions to regulate your breathing. And we can flip this! We can use our breathing to regulate how we feel. Breathwork is the number one way to reduce stress.
- Physical movement. Students can tap into the natural way that our bodies process stress by getting a little exercise. Provide some (reasonable) activities students can do in the break area. Push-ups, sit-ups, squats, wall pushes, progressive muscle relaxation, all of these will tell the student’s brain that they’re dealing with whatever is causing them stress.
- Creative Expression. When we get into a creative state, we can help our brains understand that the stressor has been removed. After all, art didn’t develop until humans had a steady food supply and they could let their guards down enough to spend time doing something just for the fun of it. So providing some time to color, draw or write can help students settle back into their learning brains.
If you’re finding that breaks aren’t successful for some students, try offering different options within these categories. We’re all unique, so we need to find how our bodies best process stress. You can also try having students self-reflect on how they feel after trying out different break activities to find the best one for them.
