You are not alone!!! Our elementary school at lunch time when the kids start talking they turn the lights off on the kids and make them eat in the dark. When they get quiet they turn them back on again. One of the parents found out that this was going on and she went to the teachers lounge when the aides were eating and turned the lights out on them and told them to "SHUT UP AND EAT!!" now the kids can talk at lunch but they have to do it quietly. I think this Parent got the point across. Kids need time to "talk to eachother" and "vent" too. I would go nuts if I couldn't.

We have paid aides that do all coverage for recess and cafeteria. Problem..the children are treated so strictly that they get no real social/kid time. They get 20 min for lunch and use this system of red/yellow/green light to keep the children quiet.Of the 20 min. they may get 5 min to talk to each other. These kids are very good but put any 60 kids at a time in an echo chamber and you see the challenge. The aides have no patience and the kids ask me to come to lunch as often as I can because when I am there they don't yell at them. Get the picture? I really am looking for opinions. Am I wrong to feel this is not the way children in elementary school should be treated during the little "off" time they have in a day. This is a great school. Do I try to go through the channels and address this or are your schools just as strict during recess & cafeteria and am I making too much out of this?