Bathroom Policy

4 thoughts on “Bathroom Policy”

1. Robert Harrell

   August 23, 2016 at 6:33 pm

   I have always had a very liberal bathroom policy because I do not wish to become the “pee police”. Many of my colleagues are much more strict and do things like give five bathroom passes per semester but extra credit for any that are not used, give “passes” that can be used for the bathroom or a free homework, simply tell students that they have enough time during the passing period, etc.

   My school’s policy is that students may not go to the bathroom during the first and last 10 minutes of the period.

   Only one student may go to the bathroom at a time, so if someone is out, the next person must wait. Fourth period is the worst for people needing to go to the bathroom because some students have been holding it since second period. A couple of times it has been so bad that I simply took the class out into the quad and told everyone to go to the bathroom.

   I also point out to students that school is the only place where they will have to ask to go to the bathroom. When they are adults, they will simply tell people that they have to go and excuse themselves. So, I teach them “I must go to the toilet” in German, and they must tell me that in order to go. I also teach them “May I go to my locker?” so they get the “may I” practice.

   Students must wait for a transition to tell me they have to go to the bathroom. I will not let them go if they interrupt class, unless they convince me that it is an emergency.

   No, it is not aimed at acquisition. It’s aimed at classroom management, but students who need to go will memorize these sentences and remember them for life.

   Yes, I do keep track – and so do students – of who goes regularly and how long they are gone. If I think it is excessive, then I restrict the privilege. Sending students to the nurse for a conversation about bladder infections often curbs the abuse. (After all, I’m just looking out for their health, and the excessive bathroom use makes me think there may be a problem.)

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2. Steven

   August 24, 2016 at 4:10 pm

   Awesome response Robert. I used to be one of those teachers that gave like 6 passes out for the semester and any unused ones were extra credit. I threw those out because I felt obligated to input their passes into their grades. Too much paper. I let my kids when they need to. They only have three minutes between classes and they have a break.

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3. Orlando

   August 24, 2016 at 7:53 pm

   I used to be the pee police. I decided to give up my badge and decided to just let them go (1 boy and 1 girl at a time). A student who has to go just has to fill out a pass before I sign it. They then write their name on a dry erase board. The catch is that I they are responsible for making up any missed assignments. They also might miss key info that could be on a quick quiz.
   have had students miss a quiz while they were in the restroom. I actually had a student complain about me letting her go to the bathroom before a quiz. I didn’t intentionally make her miss the quiz, i was just focused on teaching the class. After about a month it is working out pretty well with a few kinks. I like the idea of students saying I must go the bathroom instead of May I…

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4. Brigitte

   August 29, 2016 at 6:07 pm

   In our school, students are not allowed to use the bathrooms during the transition periods. They have to go during class time (ridiculous, I know). I just tell them to get up if they have to go and slip out quietly so as not to interrupt the flow of the class. If somebody appears to have a bladder control issue, I handle it the same way Robert does.

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