Using the restroom is a privilege, if you are a teacher

[UMaineTeach]

Jul 28, 2015 7:49:38 GMT -5 wambam said:

Jul 28, 2015 7:46:09 GMT -5 sunshine608 said:

I once walked out of class b/c a teacher refused to let me go and I was having an monthly emergency leak.  She tried to get me in trouble but my mom went up and talked to the principal and she backed down and changed her policy.  I get if there is a legitimate reason ( safety, lockdown, individual student issue ect) for me not going but to just outright ban it is ridiculous especially since at out school hall bathrooms were locked and you had to go the office. Other teachers gave passes and the fact that she didn't was crazy. When I told my mom, my mom told me if I had to go- to go.

I could not imagine being a teacher and pregnant between bladder issues and MS. I had bad MS when I was teaching college and once had to leave my hour long class twice ( before I said F- it- Class dismissed)

I finally had a teacher my junior year who was like "Most of you are mere months away from being legal adults. If you need to go, just go. Don't ask, just go." I had SO much respect for him.

I teach PK, and thankfully have a bathroom for the kids in my room. I don't make them ask to go, unless we are on the mat doing a group lesson, and I want to know why they are leaving. Bathroom, sure. To go chit-chat with the 80 year old volunteer who doesn't know enough to send your butt back, no.

Then, in the summer, I teach older kids and it throws me off when they ask to go.

[UMaineTeach]

I'm not a big drinker or pee-er, so teaching works for me. I also have never been able to work and eat/drink it's a multitask too far, so I work then eat/drink. Even if I fill my water bottle and bring it to school, I don't make time to drink.

But I have covered for many teachers who really need to go. Especially as an ed. tech. I walk into the room and pleading eyes fall on me, Please, I know, it's not your job, but could you please just watch them while I pee.. And since the schools only have (1) one hole bathroom for staff and everyone has the same break, you might not get in during your time slot.

[sparkythelawyer]

Jul 28, 2015 7:15:18 GMT -5 wambam said:

I have the tiniest bladder ever and a sensitive stomach. I find this sort of...barbaric? I guess is the right word. I'm surprised this article didn't get into menstruation and TSS risk. That has to be an issue, one would think.

Also, in high school, I had teachers that did not allow restroom use during class. Ever. They expected you to use the restroom between classes. The problem was that I went to an extremely large high school and with the bustle of 3200 students getting from class to class, it often took the entire 5 (or maybe 7?) minutes between classes to get from one end of the building to the other. It was impossible to do and I remember feeling really stressed about changing my tampon at school.

I had some teachers tote out this crap.  My mother informed me that if I needed to go to the washroom, that I was to go, teacher permission or not.  That no, it did not give me carte blanche to wander the halls, but that she was not about to deal with her kid getting a UTI so that some English teacher could prove a point.  

[FloFTW]

Ha.

[joenali]

Often times I avoid using the staff bathroom and going to the bathroom altogether. It's absolutely disgusting. And doesn't get cleaned as it should. And I often don't have time. I'll go if I can't absurdly hold it. But there have been many days I just don't go until I get home.

[DarcyLongfellow]

The lack of bathroom breaks was a large factor in me deciding not to go into teaching. Seriously.

I remember my government teacher in high school RUNNING to the bathroom after our class. That stuck with me. I particularly don't know how teachers of younger kids (who don't change classes) do it.

[janetplanet20]

When I was teaching middle school my principal expected us to stand in the hallway and monitor the students during passing period. I went to the restroom one day, which was right next to my classroom, and there was an altercation between a couple students. My principal was upset with me for not being there monitoring, even though I explained I was in the bathroom (I was also pregnant at the time).
I was upset with her annoyance and told her it was unreasonable to expect me not to use the restroom during passing period.

I don't know how elementary school teachers do it. I drank a ton of water everyday, otherwise I'd get a huge headache from dehydration and being "on" all day, so I always had to pee. My co-workers and I would call each other during prep periods to watch our classes so we could go to the bathroom.

[laurenpetro]

I CAN GO ALL DAY WIHTOUT PEEING. IF I CAN DO IT TEACHERS SHOULD, TOO!

[AJL]

My non-teacher opinion, so take it for what it's worth -

Teachers are adults. Adults know when they need to go to the bathroom. If you need to go, then go. I know this is nearly impossible with elementary age students because you can't leave them alone, but that's when I think the administration needs to have a floater available (yes, yes, so much easier said than done, I know). In middle and high school, FFS, just let teachers go to the bathroom. Other than nursing or assembly line jobs, I don't know of and other industries that make their employees limit bathroom trips. It's paternalistic and turns adults into infants.

[hopecounts]

Jul 28, 2015 13:55:55 GMT -5 @moonbeam said:

This is so unbelievably cruel. I wish school boards would take into account some kind of relief staff for teachers so they could get a break. I'm not sure how something like this would work, but the way things are now is wrong.

DD's private ABA school does this they have 2 full time floaters whose only job is to fill in as needed whether for bathroom breaks/a kid who is upset and needs to step out of class and collect themselves/helping cover lunch breaks/etc  

Basically they literally float around the school jumping in where needed. It allows people who get sick to leave immediately because someone is there to take their spot, a teacher who needs to pee can just buzz the office and they'll send the floater and so on. 

If we actually properly funded education instead of the hot mess we have it wouldn't be a big deal to have something like this in public schools. There is certainly enough to do to justify paying them if used properly. 
Basically just hire a couple/few paraprofessionals and have them fill the gap as needed.

[joenali]

Jul 28, 2015 16:50:50 GMT -5 hopecounts said:

Jul 28, 2015 13:55:55 GMT -5 @moonbeam said:

This is so unbelievably cruel. I wish school boards would take into account some kind of relief staff for teachers so they could get a break. I'm not sure how something like this would work, but the way things are now is wrong.

DD's private ABA school does this they have 2 full time floaters whose only job is to fill in as needed whether for bathroom breaks/a kid who is upset and needs to step out of class and collect themselves/helping cover lunch breaks/etc  

Basically they literally float around the school jumping in where needed. It allows people who get sick to leave immediately because someone is there to take their spot, a teacher who needs to pee can just buzz the office and they'll send the floater and so on. 

If we actually properly funded education instead of the hot mess we have it wouldn't be a big deal to have something like this in public schools. There is certainly enough to do to justify paying them if used properly. 
Basically just hire a couple/few paraprofessionals and have them fill the gap as needed.

We can't even get enough money to support students, let alone hiring more adults to take over a classroom so a teacher can pee. You just have to either hold it or call an admin to watch over your class.

[tamarindy]

Jul 28, 2015 16:34:25 GMT -5 AJL said:

My non-teacher opinion, so take it for what it's worth -

Teachers are adults. Adults know when they need to go to the bathroom. If you need to go, then go. I know this is nearly impossible with elementary age students because you can't leave them alone, but that's when I think the administration needs to have a floater available (yes, yes, so much easier said than done, I know). In middle and high school, FFS, just let teachers go to the bathroom. Other than nursing or assembly line jobs, I don't know of and other industries that make their employees limit bathroom trips. It's paternalistic and turns adults into infants.

I teach HS.  If I have a bathroom emergency when a class is in session I can either call and wait for someone to arrive (at the very least 5 minutes IF they can find someone, it will probably be more like 10-15), or take my chances holding, or go in my pants.  If I leave a room of students without supervision, I risk my job, and possibly a good amount of personal property.