Do you let children go to the bathroom in class time?

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Miss bexs

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I always say no and make them wait until recess or lunch. What is your policy?
 
OP, if you look through the past threads, you will find that we have discussed this thoroughly within the last week or so. Probably in elementary boards. Good luck.
 
We keep discussing...and arguing, I'm afraid. Oh, to think of all the things my courses went over that were somewhat useless and bathroom policy recommendations were never mentioned.
 
Yes, I recall that discussion, too, but coincidentally I was reading about similar classroom situations just last night in the book, Teach Like Finland. Compared to American kids, Finnish kids are expected to be much more independently responsible. I suspect this would not even be an issue in a Finnish school. Personally, as far as interrupting class time, I wonder if it's more important to teach the students to leave the room as necessary. It seems disrespectful to restrict a student's personal needs.

Source:
Walker, Timothy D. Teach Like Finland: 33 Simple Strategies for Joyful Classrooms. N.Y.: W. W. Norton & Co., 2017. (So far a highly interesting and fun book to read)!
 
Obadiah said:
Yes, I recall that discussion, too, but coincidentally I was reading about similar classroom situations just last night in the book, Teach Like Finland. Compared to American kids, Finnish kids are expected to be much more independently responsible. I suspect this would not even be an issue in a Finnish school. Personally, as far as interrupting class time, I wonder if it's more important to teach the students to leave the room as necessary. It seems disrespectful to restrict a student's personal needs.

Source:
Walker, Timothy D. Teach Like Finland: 33 Simple Strategies for Joyful Classrooms. N.Y.: W. W. Norton & Co., 2017. (So far a highly interesting and fun book to read)!
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Wouldn't independence mean they don't ask, they just go when necessary? What is independent about holding it in until a predetermined time.
 
I have a sign out sheet by the door and the kids go when they need to. I speak privately to any who abuse the privilege.
 
I would rather students go than to have an accident in the classroom. We have bathrooms in our K classrooms and I allow students to go. They usually go when it's time to go to centers or when it's time to clean up. There is nothing worse than then stopping the flow of the day to call a parent and take a student to the office for clean clothes.
 
Backroads said:
I don't believe in bathrooms at school. The little ones can hold until they get home. They should know better than to hydrate.
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I almost choked on my breakfast! Then I realized you were speaking ironically. If I might add a more serious note, I think we should encourage students to hydrate, and with water, not soda or other sugary drinks. The brain needs water to function; (of course, it needs sugar, too, but that comes from snack and lunch time). The entire body actually needs water to support the brain, too.
 
Yes, I allow mine to use the bathroom when they need to go. I am much more sympathetic as I am older and I can't always wait until break or lunch. I understand a bit more how awful it feels to have to wait when you really need to go. When a child asks too often, then they may hear the word "no", or to wait. I try to use common sense about it.
 
Wow, common sense! What a novel concept - there is such a difference between allowing what should be able to happen without making it monumental, and recognizing avoidance behavior, a completely different occurrence. When I sit at the hall for bathroom breaks, the kids who come out, for the most part, spend less than 2 minutes in the restroom - they actually need to use the restroom. There is no dilly dallying, playing with water in the sink, or enough time wasted to make me think for an instant that it was a wasted trip. The occasional student who asks to go out every period, and then takes the long way to and from the facilities soon is on the "no" list, in that they may have to wait the entire period to be called out. Doubting every student isn't fair; managing the student who abuses the policy makes more sense.
 
:beatdeadhorse:
Ok... no more beating dead horses. A link from a previous thread was given. The OP only had this one post.

NO BATHROOM BREAKS FOR YOU! Buy some Depends! :toofunny:
 
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