Bathroom

Bathroom times are hard to regulate with young children. In Kindergarten, they were required to bring in an extra set of clothes just in case there was an accident. And there were many accidents. Then in their next year of schooling, they should all be able to hold it until they reach the bathroom. But the problem now in first grade is that they feel a tiny impulse to pee and they have to go. As a teacher, you have to know when kids just want to get out of class and when they really can't hold it anymore.

It's difficult to teach when one student raises their hand and says they need to use the restroom and then 20 other hands immediately jet up because they also need to use the restroom. So, in my classroom, I have designated times that I send children to the bathroom. Once in the morning and then once in the afternoon. Other than that, they must use their lunch/recess time to go.

I have one student who always needs to use the restroom during reading and writing time. Speaking to the parents, they tell me she does not have a bladder problem. Yet, I am always scared that a student will have an accident in the classroom after I tell them they can't use the restroom. Then the parent will definitely have it in for me. But I dont' want the students to miss instruction either. Now, in our school, the girls' bathroom is far from my classroom. It takes about 5 minutes to get there, which equals in about 13-15 minutes the girls being gone from my classroom. If the girls decide to stroll there and look at every bulletin board on the way, that's about half an hour gone by.

So back to the girl. Everytime she goes to the bathroom she strolls and take a long time. Whoever is her partner also says she plays in the bathroom. Her teacher from last year says she always did the same thing but she's actually peed her pants in the classroom. Uuughhhh. I can't not let her go.

So one day, I let her go in the morning. I let her go after lunch. Then, one hour before dismissal, one hour after I let her go to the bathroom, she needs to go again. We are in the middle of a test and she needs to go. The worst part is that everytime she asks, she says it's an EMERGENCY. And after I give her permission to go, she strolls over to the bathroom pass and strolls out the door- definitely NOT acting like it's an emergency. It's like the boy who cried wolf.

So this time, she says it's an emergency and I tell her no. She cannot go because we are taking a test and she went an hour ago. She keeps asking me for the next 15 minutes. I have another teacher in the room at this point. I am quite annoyed because I completely believe that she just wants to get out of the test. I do not believe that she needs to really go. 5 minutes later, she is still asking me and this time, I see her desperate face. Ahhhh that's the face of an emergency. I see tears that are filling in her eyes. I finally say okay, but I want to make sure she's telling the truth. I have the other teacher stay with the class and I take the girl to the bathroom. I tell her that she needs to walk very fast. This is how she needs to go to the bathroom all the time. We get to the bathroom. She does no more than shut the door of the stall that I hear the stream of urine jetting into the toilet. Oops. I guess I was wrong this time. Poor thing. She really needed to go.
Ahhhh the trials and tribulations of a teacher.