Monday, September 29, 2014

It's Just a Restroom Pass List

"Can I use the restroom?"

Me: "Sure. What's your name?"

"You're writing down my name? I'm in trouble?"

Me: "No. I keep a list of students who use the restroom."

I keep a list of students who leave class for any reason. Restroom passes are by far the most frequent request.

"But... but... what if Ms. S. gets mad?"

Me: "Does she let you use the restroom?"

"Yes."

Me: "Then you have nothing to worry about."

"But she hates me. If my name is on a list, she's going to be mad."

Me: "I do this in every class I cover..."

I don't recall my exact explanation, nor did I give the student the entire rationale. Some teachers have restroom policies that include hall pass tickets, time owed after class, and/or a specific number of out-of-class times per semester. And not every teacher remembers to put this detail in their lesson plan. So, some students try to take advantage of the loophole. With my list, teachers have the option of maintaining their policy if they choose to do so. And those that don't care ignore the list.

Me (con't): "...It's clearly marked as a 'used the restroom' list."

He moaned for a minute or two more before deciding that he needed to go more than he needed to not be on a list. (Although, the list did keep at least three students from going that day.)

7th graders! Every little thing... 

13 comments:

  1. hahahaaaa! I remember asking to go to the washroom and staying a long time away from class even if it meant just being in the washroom:)

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  2. Good that he decided to go and didn't have an accident so as to avoid being on the list. :) My husband still tells the story of a teacher who refused to let him go to the restroom and he suffered through the next 30 minutes or so. I guess at some point teachers would have had enough, I know I would, but that's a bit on the extreme side.

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    1. It's a fine tightrope. You don't want accidents. But kids take advantage. And as a sub, it's hard to know what's truly an emergency and who knows that the way to get around any sub is to tell us that it is an emergency.

      The list covers me regardless.

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  3. I understand the fear of getting in trouble, even for something like using the bathroom. Teachers can be...overly strict about their rules. The kid's lucky you let him go at all.

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  4. Hah! I think I might start doing that just to illustrate how many times they seem to need to go! Mind you I wouldn't want to say no and cause an accident. I never let more than one go at a time and never more than once in a two hour session. The trouble is they all have water bottles they're constantly drinking out of. Plus immature bladders.

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    1. I covered a teacher on Friday who had every student sign in and out every time they wanted to go. I thought that was a good system.

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  5. Hmm, I seem to recall using the bathroom for something other than its intended purpose...

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  6. The ultimate reason to get out of class indeed to go to the bathroom :) I can see why teachers would have to design policies about it, it could indeed become a very abused request.

    betty

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  7. In one of the schools where I worked, a student missing more than 10 minutes out of a 50-minute-long period is marked as 'absent' whatever the reason may be, so they should come back within 10 minutes if they go to the bathroom during the class.

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    1. Oooh, I like that policy. It'd make students hustle back much more quickly.

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  8. They're SO worried about what everyone thinks! It always makes me so happy that I'm at an age where I don't care what people think anymore.

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  9. Along with kids trying to take advantage of the substitute you also have to enforce policies that you might not be aware of. Substitutes really deserve more respect.

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