Only 3 bathroom breaks per week?

bmoruzzi

I'm not a teacher but do work in a high school.  There are plenty of kids who abuse bathroom breaks.  They go to goof off, be destructive, etc.  I think teachers have the right to limit who goes to the bathroom.  If a person has a medical issue, they can get a note and there's nothing a teacher can do.  You know who the kids are that abuse the system and those that aren't.  

eorea

Like Anna, in kindergarten I peed on myself because I was too scared to ask to use the restroom. I would be really pissed off if my kid came home and told me she ran out of passes and couldn't use the restroom.

whitsy

In Response to <a href="http://forums.theknot.com/Sites/theknot/Pages/Main.aspx/wedding-boards_etiquette_only-3-bathroom-breaks-per-week?plckFindPostKey=Cat:Wedding%20BoardsForum:9Discussion:a75ed647-854c-4e38-a13c-5a9b081e9788Post:91d17480-8126-4fe3-9be2-274ffc3076fb">Re: Only 3 bathroom breaks per week?</a>:
[QUOTE]Our middle school tried to do this when I was in 7th grade. We had a notepad with 15 'hall passes' to use for a whole semester, once they were filled you were SOL. Well I have a very small bladder and mine got filled right away. I ended up getting a UTI from holding it and I had to get a DR's note to allow me to use it whenever I needed to.
Posted by vk2204[/QUOTE]

Our middle school does this, and we've been doing it for about 5 years now. And the only reason I know the length is because the teacher that was in charge of it before I got handed the reigns was the one that started it, and when she retired the buck was passed to the new teacher that doesn't say no to anything. :D The students get 8 passes to use within a nine week period. I can't remember a single incident in the past two years that I've been teaching here that anyone has had a problem with it. Students get five minutes in between classes to go and  before and after lunch.

whitsy

In Response to <a href="http://forums.theknot.com/Sites/theknot/Pages/Main.aspx/wedding-boards_etiquette_only-3-bathroom-breaks-per-week?plckFindPostKey=Cat:Wedding%20BoardsForum:9Discussion:a75ed647-854c-4e38-a13c-5a9b081e9788Post:c8091fd3-872b-4736-aedf-6a8c94ed8879">Re: Only 3 bathroom breaks per week?</a>:
[QUOTE]In Response to Re: Only 3 bathroom breaks per week? : WTF.  Can't they have a bathroom monitor?  Look, I pee three times a night.  I pee so many times at work that my boss has said that he'll buy me a laptop to keep in the bathroom if I get KU.  There has to be a middle ground because three breaks a week?  Nope.
Posted by EaglesBride2012[/QUOTE]

We have a bathroom monitor. It doesn't stop everything. Kids are so dang fast, I'm the bathroom monitor for my hall, and I can't get to the bathroom until all my kids are out of my room, and I'll scurry ten girls out just in the thirty seconds it takes to dismiss my students.

Ciardasully

In Response to <a href="http://forums.theknot.com/Sites/theknot/Pages/Main.aspx/wedding-boards_etiquette_only-3-bathroom-breaks-per-week?plckFindPostKey=Cat:Wedding%20BoardsForum:9Discussion:a75ed647-854c-4e38-a13c-5a9b081e9788Post:7b9b8ffa-8028-4e0b-9993-0cd1e4ad2a27">Re: Only 3 bathroom breaks per week?</a>:
[QUOTE]I think it's absurd. If it's an issue with ONE kid, address it with the kid. But yeah. The kids that wouldn't normally skip class to go to the bathroom are now gonna go three times a week. Way to go, dumbasses.
Posted by crfische[/QUOTE]
 
I had several thoughts and that was one of them.  I am unsure how many people commenting have ever had to taught/substitute taught or somehow had to manage a classroom.  You can't just have kids getting up and down all class.  Kids need to plan ahead within reason.  When I have a meeting at work, I have to go before or wait until  after.

That being said, there are kids with health issues and such so three hall passes a week is unrealistic.  But from my experience in the classroom, you develop the instinct of knowing which kids sincerely need to go and which just walk around and if you give three passes a week, some kids will take advantage.

Ciardasully

In Response to <a href="http://forums.theknot.com/Sites/theknot/Pages/Main.aspx/wedding-boards_etiquette_only-3-bathroom-breaks-per-week?plckFindPostKey=Cat:Wedding%20BoardsForum:9Discussion:a75ed647-854c-4e38-a13c-5a9b081e9788Post:8b2253ee-6284-4e63-bad2-a096b36cf21e">Re: Only 3 bathroom breaks per week?</a>:
[QUOTE]In Response to Re: Only 3 bathroom breaks per week? : No, why "by 10"??  The fact is, there are a few people IN THIS THREAD who are saying that AS ADULTS they have to go to the bathroom 3 times during the night and quite often during the day.  It is just stupid to expect everyone's bodily functions to function the exact same way.
Posted by crfb87[/QUOTE]

When I was a kid, I had an iron bladder.  It wasn't until I was an adult that it got weak.

Megbo2012

Uhhh, my coach tried to tell me to hold it when we had to drive from PA to MA and were in NY in crazy traffic, and I had already held it in for an hour.  Once we stopped at McD's I staggered to the bathroom I could barely walk and still hold it in.  It was the most uncomfortable thing ever, and he was obviously pissed at me because there were no exits on this long bridge thing or whatever so we literally couldn't stop. But when the bathroom is RIGHT there, eff off, buddy.

Megbo2012

In Response to <a href="http://forums.theknot.com/Sites/theknot/Pages/Main.aspx/wedding-boards_etiquette_only-3-bathroom-breaks-per-week?plckFindPostKey=Cat:Wedding%20BoardsForum:9Discussion:a75ed647-854c-4e38-a13c-5a9b081e9788Post:f5c55e0b-7998-4acb-b850-b0907adcfbf2">Re: Only 3 bathroom breaks per week?</a>:
[QUOTE]In Response to Re: Only 3 bathroom breaks per week? : When I was a kid, I had an iron bladder.  It wasn't until I was an adult that it got weak.
Posted by Ciardasully[/QUOTE]

<div>Right because you OBVIOUSLY have the exact same bladder as the millions of children in the public school system. </div>

number55

I get that in some school bathrooms can be a safety issue but frankly at that point, it's a larger issue than kids going to the bathroom more than 3 times a day. It's a culture thing that needs to be addressed at a systemic level. Punishing kids who need to pee because other kids are doing it in the bathroom doesn't solve the deeper problem of why kids are doing it in the bathroom.

katehar01

It's a very difficult thing because I agree that it seems odd to tell kids how often they can go, but I can tell you that even in 7th and 8th grade (which I teach) many kids abuse it and it becomes very disruptive for everyone's learning.  I try to deal with it on a case by case basis, but I can understand the temptation to make a set rule to avoid the appearance of being unfair or inconsistent. 

The PP makes a great point about other things going on.  Right now in my middle school, we're having serious problems with drug deals going down in the bathrooms, so it's being much more strictly regulated and some kids can only go if accompanied by an adult.  Sounds crazy,  but schools are crazy nowadays.

PS - being a teacher does cause bladder problems.  Holding it is bad bad bad for you, but you can't really leave a room of 12 yr olds alone....

annakb8

In Response to <a href="http://forums.theknot.com/Sites/theknot/Pages/Main.aspx/wedding-boards_etiquette_only-3-bathroom-breaks-per-week?plckFindPostKey=Cat:Wedding%20BoardsForum:9Discussion:a75ed647-854c-4e38-a13c-5a9b081e9788Post:bce5b6c3-9bbb-45be-92c0-de98a4d91d80">Re: Only 3 bathroom breaks per week?</a>:
[QUOTE]I get that in some school bathrooms can be a safety issue but frankly at that point, it's a larger issue than kids going to the bathroom more than 3 times a day. It's a culture thing that needs to be addressed at a systemic level. Punishing kids who need to pee because other kids are doing it in the bathroom doesn't solve the deeper problem of why kids are doing it in the bathroom.
Posted by number55[/QUOTE]

<div>Preach on. </div>

Serendipty11

I would raise holy HELL if my son came home and told me he wasn't allowed to go to the bathroom. And if he peed his pants? Sorry, but heads would roll. Not everyone's bodies function in the same way and putting a limit, especially on younger children, is absurd. 

Megbo2012

In Response to <a href="http://forums.theknot.com/Sites/theknot/Pages/Main.aspx/wedding-boards_etiquette_only-3-bathroom-breaks-per-week?plckFindPostKey=Cat:Wedding%20BoardsForum:9Discussion:a75ed647-854c-4e38-a13c-5a9b081e9788Post:803b306f-2eb5-4d05-9a38-be9bdc65d58f">Re: Only 3 bathroom breaks per week?</a>:
[QUOTE]That's good for you Ciarda.  I have always been one with an iron bladder.  But just because I have one, doesn't mean that everyone else does.  It is not up to me to determine how many times someone else can go to the bathroom.  It isn't up to anyone except for the person who has the bladder.
Posted by crfb87[/QUOTE]

<div>Yes it is.  When I say pee, you pee! </div>

vk2204

In Response to <a href="http://forums.theknot.com/Sites/theknot/Pages/Main.aspx/wedding-boards_etiquette_only-3-bathroom-breaks-per-week?plckFindPostKey=Cat:Wedding BoardsForum:9Discussion:a75ed647-854c-4e38-a13c-5a9b081e9788Post:064383f4-faa7-4c3f-a61b-74e016f55ced">Re: Only 3 bathroom breaks per week?</a>:
[QUOTE]In Response to Re: Only 3 bathroom breaks per week? : Our middle school does this, and we've been doing it for about 5 years now. And the only reason I know the length is because the teacher that was in charge of it before I got handed the reigns was the one that started it, and when she retired the buck was passed to the new teacher that doesn't say no to anything. :D The students get 8 passes to use within a nine week period.<strong> I can't remember a single incident in the past two years that I've been teaching here that anyone has had a problem with it.</strong> Students get five minutes in between classes to go and  before and after lunch.
Posted by whitsy[/QUOTE]

Well then you are fortunate. I got an infection from it.

Megbo2012

In Response to <a href="http://forums.theknot.com/Sites/theknot/Pages/Main.aspx/wedding-boards_etiquette_only-3-bathroom-breaks-per-week?plckFindPostKey=Cat:Wedding%20BoardsForum:9Discussion:a75ed647-854c-4e38-a13c-5a9b081e9788Post:b86ec197-5d85-408f-a72c-6fdbcfc96dc6">Re: Only 3 bathroom breaks per week?</a>:
[QUOTE]In Response to Re: Only 3 bathroom breaks per week? : So, I am supposed to go two times right now? ;-)
Posted by crfb87[/QUOTE]

<div>Four, because you quoted me, so it's like saying pee again, twice more.</div><div>
</div><div>Now 5 times.  ;)</div>

whitsy

In Response to <a href="http://forums.theknot.com/Sites/theknot/Pages/Main.aspx/wedding-boards_etiquette_only-3-bathroom-breaks-per-week?plckFindPostKey=Cat:Wedding%20BoardsForum:9Discussion:a75ed647-854c-4e38-a13c-5a9b081e9788Post:a495e056-99d3-4664-b4a9-af5a571d3c53">Re: Only 3 bathroom breaks per week?</a>:
[QUOTE]In Response to Re: Only 3 bathroom breaks per week? : Well then you are fortunate. I got an infection from it.
Posted by vk2204[/QUOTE]

We're not going to say kids can't go if it is truly an emergency. I just think that's common sense, not being fortunate. I'm not going to be all NO YOU CAN'T GO! But we only have 55 minute classes, and it's just never really been an issue.

aragx6

In Response to <a href="http://forums.theknot.com/Sites/theknot/Pages/Main.aspx/wedding-boards_etiquette_only-3-bathroom-breaks-per-week?plckFindPostKey=Cat:Wedding BoardsForum:9Discussion:a75ed647-854c-4e38-a13c-5a9b081e9788Post:c9bdfa47-d08e-4cc1-999c-b6f38e1d70ea">Re: Only 3 bathroom breaks per week?</a>:
[QUOTE]I would raise holy HELL if my son came home and told me he wasn't allowed to go to the bathroom. And if he peed his pants? Sorry, but heads would roll. Not everyone's bodies function in the same way and putting a limit, especially on younger children, is absurd. 
Posted by Serendipty11[/QUOTE]

This. If my school/teacher had tried to pull this my mom would have gone off. She's a real nice lady until you piss her off.

LP11509

If specific students are abusing bathroom breaks, take it up with those students privately.  Don't regulate everyone else's bodily functions just because a few students like to ditch class frequently.

Although, when I was in 6th grade I cheated on a test by hiding my notes under the trash can in the bathroom before class, then asking to go to the bathroom during the test.  It worked, but it was the first time I'd ever cheated and I felt so guilty that I never cheated on a test again. 

annakb8

That is pretty ingenious LP. I've never heard that one before. 

BrightFirefly

In Response to <a href="http://forums.theknot.com/Sites/theknot/Pages/Main.aspx/wedding-boards_etiquette_only-3-bathroom-breaks-per-week?plckFindPostKey=Cat:Wedding BoardsForum:9Discussion:a75ed647-854c-4e38-a13c-5a9b081e9788Post:f81191eb-837c-4e79-b4ea-2bee7f0fc1e9">Re: Only 3 bathroom breaks per week?</a>:
[QUOTE]As someone who has a very small bladder and once peed my pants in PE in Kindergarten because I was scared to ask the mean teacher if I could go to the bathroom I think 3 passes a week is bullshit. 
Posted by annakb8[/QUOTE]

Agree 100%. It's unhealthy for people to sit and hold it for prolonged periods of time - not to mention distracting and uncomfortable.

Kids who are shy, meeker, or were taught to respect what the teacher says might not have the guts to just ignore her telling them no and going to the bathroom regardless of the answer.

When I was in HS - I made a formal complaint to the principal because certain teachers wouldn't sign you out during class to go to the bathroom - even during self-study time or group work.

But APPARENTLY three minutes is plenty of time to pack up your stuff, go to the bathroom, and then walk to the other side of the building - so my complaint was ignored. I came back with "Pack up your stuff, go to the bathroom, wait in line, change your tampon, get your pants back up, tuck in your shirt (As required by uniform), then get to class"...

Still fell on deaf ears.

Megbo2012

Anna, we had a "block schedule" and one class was split up by lunch.  My Calculus teacher would give us a test, and we could use our notes.  So many people would write down the problems and bring them to lunch and ask around to get the answers.  And by so many I mean everyone. 

[Deleted User]

We had a similar policy in my middle school, but it was only enforced if you abused bathroom "priveleges" (which I always thought was an absurd way to phrase it, but that's what my teachers said). We definitely didn't have enough time between classes to stop at the bathroom and not be late to class.

I only had one teacher ever give me crap about leaving during class. And I told him that if he didn't let me go I'd just bleed all over my chair and he could clean it up. He never gave *anyone* crap about it again.

LP11509

In Response to <a href="http://forums.theknot.com/Sites/theknot/Pages/Main.aspx/wedding-boards_etiquette_only-3-bathroom-breaks-per-week?plckFindPostKey=Cat:Wedding%20BoardsForum:9Discussion:a75ed647-854c-4e38-a13c-5a9b081e9788Post:43abbe40-76e9-4f76-bfb8-4e1149d0e21a">Re: Only 3 bathroom breaks per week?</a>:
[QUOTE]That is pretty ingenious LP. I've never heard that one before. 
Posted by annakb8[/QUOTE]

<div>I thought about just leaving them in my locker, but I was afraid that I'd get caught that way since the lockers were the opposite direction of the bathroom from my class. So bathroom it was. </div>

LP11509

In Response to <a href="http://forums.theknot.com/Sites/theknot/Pages/Main.aspx/wedding-boards_etiquette_only-3-bathroom-breaks-per-week?plckFindPostKey=Cat:Wedding%20BoardsForum:9Discussion:a75ed647-854c-4e38-a13c-5a9b081e9788Post:2174400f-d01d-4841-8e8e-2c564f1be379">Re: Only 3 bathroom breaks per week?</a>:
[QUOTE]Anna, we had a "block schedule" and one class was split up by lunch.  My Calculus teacher would give us a test, and we could use our notes.  So many people would write down the problems and bring them to lunch and ask around to get the answers.  And by so many I mean everyone. 
Posted by Megbo2012[/QUOTE]

<div>We had 3 lunch periods since we had 3,000 students.  If you had "B" lunch, then one class was split up.  But if we had a test, then school policy was to move the class to a different lunch period that day so the class wasn't split so nobody could cheat. </div>

Megbo2012

In Response to <a href="http://forums.theknot.com/Sites/theknot/Pages/Main.aspx/wedding-boards_etiquette_only-3-bathroom-breaks-per-week?plckFindPostKey=Cat:Wedding%20BoardsForum:9Discussion:a75ed647-854c-4e38-a13c-5a9b081e9788Post:8e940665-a812-411b-8f96-3fa528c6487a">Re: Only 3 bathroom breaks per week?</a>:
[QUOTE]In Response to Re: Only 3 bathroom breaks per week? : We had 3 lunch periods since we had 3,000 students.  If you had "B" lunch, then one class was split up.  But if we had a test, then school policy was to move the class to a different lunch period that day so the class wasn't split so nobody could cheat. 
Posted by LP11509[/QUOTE]

<div>This was us too.  I really just think he didn't care.  He was awesome though.  With his star trek tin lunchbox. </div>

whitsy

In Response to <a href="http://forums.theknot.com/Sites/theknot/Pages/Main.aspx/wedding-boards_etiquette_only-3-bathroom-breaks-per-week?plckFindPostKey=Cat:Wedding%20BoardsForum:9Discussion:a75ed647-854c-4e38-a13c-5a9b081e9788Post:9f86017a-548d-4a5a-a2b7-58600b4bab0a">Re: Only 3 bathroom breaks per week?</a>:
[QUOTE]But how do you know if it is true emergency?  What if the kid says it is but the teacher doesn't believe them?  or what if the kid is a goody-two-shoes and doesn't want to make the teacher upset? To be a brat: Let's say, directly due to a teacher's snub of letting a child go to the restroom they get an infection.  What if their parents don't have medical insurance and not enough money to take care of all of the medical bills?  Those medical bills would not be in the picture if the teacher just let the kid go to the bathroom. I realize it is a stretch, but some lawyer out there would be able to argue it way better than I could.
Posted by crfb87[/QUOTE]

Well, it's kind of hard to explain, but I just get to know the kids' personalities pretty well that by the time they get bold enough to request bathroom time (whether to actually use it or not), I can tell if they are not serious. Just by how they ask, or whatever. I don't know how to explain it really.

I don't know what else, it's just a system that's been in place for a few years now and it works pretty well.

celticmyss

Some of the patients I work with have urological issues and they need to go to the bathroom on a specific schedule. We actually have some kids who have become home schooled because their school was unwilling to accommodate this. It's ridiculous.

I get that this isn't usually the case but really having to hold your bladder frequently when you have to go isn't good for your urological system. It can actually damage the kidneys. 

whitsy

And the 5th graders use it as well, but instead of 8 for a nine week period they get 12. But I don't work in that school anymore, so I'm not sure if there's been any incidents or parent problems.

If a student has a small bladder or medical issues, the parents have always told the principal and the principal lets us know and we make exceptions.

chelseamb11

In Response to <a href="http://forums.theknot.com/Sites/theknot/Pages/Main.aspx/wedding-boards_etiquette_only-3-bathroom-breaks-per-week?plckFindPostKey=Cat:Wedding%20BoardsForum:9Discussion:a75ed647-854c-4e38-a13c-5a9b081e9788Post:8d73b8fc-3e8f-443a-9fa3-91557e12fd3b">Re: Only 3 bathroom breaks per week?</a>:
[QUOTE]Some of the patients I work with have urological issues and they need to go to the bathroom on a specific schedule. We actually have some kids who have become home schooled because their <strong>school was unwilling to accommodate this. It's ridiculous.</strong> I get that this isn't usually the case but really having to hold your bladder frequently when you have to go isn't good for your urological system. It can actually damage the kidneys. 
Posted by celticmyss[/QUOTE]

Wow that is messed up.

ErinG93

In Response to <a href="http://forums.theknot.com/Sites/theknot/Pages/Main.aspx/wedding-boards_etiquette_only-3-bathroom-breaks-per-week?plckFindPostKey=Cat:Wedding%20BoardsForum:9Discussion:a75ed647-854c-4e38-a13c-5a9b081e9788Post:5797c7ef-b5f9-4202-8f29-671ecb6870b1">Re: Only 3 bathroom breaks per week?</a>:
[QUOTE]I just really think it is no one's business to regulate another's bodily functions.
Posted by crfb87[/QUOTE]<div>
</div><div>Chrissy, you can now sneeze only once a day, at 10 AM. Oh wait...

</div>