...bathroom breaks when you don't have bathrooms IN your classrooms? My school district has built a new facility for the primary school (yay for us!), but we are moving from a school where we have a boys and a girls bathroom in our classroom (actually shared between 2 classrooms) to a common bathroom for our whole grade level. For some reason the logistics of giving 100+ kids a bathroom break without spending tons of time doing it has me stumped! Please share how you/your school handles this....
We do not do bathroom breaks. We let the kids go when they need to. It seemed odd to me at the start, but then when I thought about it, I can't pee on demand, so why should the kids have to? We send them with a partner. Didn't have any trouble all last year... well, trouble with the bathroom! Kelly
That's pretty much how I've handled it in the past (minus the partner since bathrooms were in the classroom), but with the bathrooms being outside of the classroom....just didn't know how that would work. The last couple of years I've taught my kids the times that it's okay to just get up and go (trying to eliminate the "Can I go to the bathroom? blues), but once again....Do you have a "system" for letting them go? I mean, do they have to ask your permission, or how does that work?
When I taught first grade, I taught them how to signal wanting to go to the restroom.....I taught them this so they don't have to interrupt the lesson. It worked out fine....I just nod my head and they go...I explain to them, if I am busy with a student and I don't see the signal ....then just go.
I taught departmentalized 4th grade last year so I told the kids they could go the first or lasst 5 minutes of the period. That worled fine though I warn against explaining homework/other important things as part of your routine during the same time. When I taught self-contained, the students went as they needed and indicated when they needed by a hand signal (raising a hand with two fingers held up). After lunch/recess I gave the whole class a bathroom break on the way back to the room.
I've always taught my kids the appropriate times they can go to the restroom. Basically, if I am teaching a lesson- they'll have to wait until I am finished and then they can go. I think it's important for them to be there when I am teaching directly to them in small group or large group. It really only takes about 15 minutes. Of course there are emergencies and when they gotta go, they gotta go. IThey get to know the "best" times and it works out well.
I basically do what Mable does. I also have a sign-out sheet to keep kids from going who don't really have too. I've found that that is too much work for some kids and they'd rather stay in class. Many times I will let the kids out for recess a little early for the purpose of using the restroom.
When I was student teaching we did take restroom breaks because the restroom was far from our room. We took one in the morning, one before lunch, and one after lunch. ALthough, if they needed to go at a different time that was fine with the teacher. In my room we have a rr on every hall. Its right by my room. I can even hear if they are playing-its that close. They can ask to go at any time and are allowed to go. During guided reading I do not like to be interupted by questions like that so I have a boy pass and a girl pass and they can go one at a time at free will during stations/guided reading. We do take a formal rr break after recess but just because they all need to go and get a drink. I almost never tell them no because I don;t want a mad parent calling because they had an accident and its my fault.
We had a problem with our kids playing around/writing on the walls. Only have 2 sets of bathrooms for our huge school. We have a sign up list for the bathrooms and we take 3-4 breaks a day. Really worked for us!
Wow! Thanks for all the replies! At the beginning of the year last year, to teach my classroom procedures I introduced the "top ten things that bugged me"..one of which was being asked a bazillion times if they could use the restroom". I also teach them when it is appropriate to go (pretty much anytime except direct teaching time unless it's an emergency). It sounds like many of you do the same thing and it's good to know that things don't have to change just because the restroom is not in the classroom. I love the idea of having a bathroom pass..that way only one at a time would be gone. Thanks for your input!
My 3rd grade students can just grab a hall pass and go. That way they know if some one else is out. With my 5th they lost the hall pass the 1st week of school and I didn't replace it. My only rule was one at a time. When I first started teaching a wise professor told me never tell a teenage girl she cant use the bathroom. As a parent of a child who had difficulties potty training, never tell any child they cant go. My answer when a child asks if they can go, and it is an "inconvinient time" I ask them if they can wait, if they say no, they can go. I can always repeat directions it is much more difficult to repair a child's self esteem if they have an accident.
I take my kids on scheduled breaks. I do not want any of my students leaving my classroom alone if I can help it. They stand in two lines. (boy's line and girl's line) They go in three at a time and when one child comes out, the next child goes in. It works out fine and they can take books or flash cards to look at while they wait.
