Re: Bathroom Issue

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Bathroom Issue

by Cat

May 6, 2014

I’m a first year teacher and I’m teaching English at a Catholic girls’ high school. Saturday was my first time supervising Saturday detention. It’s from 8 AM to 12 Noon and they get a bathroom/stretch break from 9:55 to 10:05. That’s the only time they are supposed to be out their seats for the whole 4 hours. I understand all that, but I had a situation on Saturday that I had to deal with.

I had 12 girls on Saturday and it wasn’t 15 minutes after the bathroom break that one of the girls came up to me and asked to go again. Of course, I asked her why she hadn’t gone before when she was supposed to. She didn’t really have an answer for me, but she was insistent that she really did have to go now. She didn’t say it, but somehow I got the impression that she had to go #2 and she didn’t want to do it with 11 other girls in the bathroom at the time. She is a really shy and quiet freshman so I can kind of understand how she was feeling about that. She apparently ...See MoreI’m a first year teacher and I’m teaching English at a Catholic girls’ high school. Saturday was my first time supervising Saturday detention. It’s from 8 AM to 12 Noon and they get a bathroom/stretch break from 9:55 to 10:05. That’s the only time they are supposed to be out their seats for the whole 4 hours. I understand all that, but I had a situation on Saturday that I had to deal with.

I had 12 girls on Saturday and it wasn’t 15 minutes after the bathroom break that one of the girls came up to me and asked to go again. Of course, I asked her why she hadn’t gone before when she was supposed to. She didn’t really have an answer for me, but she was insistent that she really did have to go now. She didn’t say it, but somehow I got the impression that she had to go #2 and she didn’t want to do it with 11 other girls in the bathroom at the time. She is a really shy and quiet freshman so I can kind of understand how she was feeling about that. She apparently had waited in the hopes of being able to go later when she’d have the opportunity to be alone in the girls’ room.

So I let her go even though I wasn’t supposed to. Somebody apparently saw her coming out of the girls’ room at the inappropriate time. Tuesday, I got a letter from my principal reminding me of the rules of Saturday Detention and reiterating specifically that no one was to be out of the room except during the designated bathroom break. OK – I understand all that but what was I supposed to do in this situation? Was I really supposed to tell this girl she couldn’t go to the bathroom when she obviously needed to? Obviously, she should have gone during the bathroom break when she was supposed to. But the fact was that she didn’t. Was I really then supposed to deny her for close to 2 hours and make the poor girl risk soiling herself just to adhere to the rules? I hated teachers that didn’t use common sense in these kinds of situations and I vowed that I’d never become one of those.

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My thoughts On 5/06/14, Cat wrote: > I’m a first year teacher and I’m teaching English at a > Catholic girls’ high school. Saturday was my first time > supervising Saturday detention. It’s from 8 AM to 12 Noon > and they get a bathroom/stretch break from 9:55 to 10:05. > That’s the only time they are supposed to be out their > seats...See MoreOn 5/06/14, Cat wrote: > I’m a first year teacher and I’m teaching English at a > Catholic girls’ high school. Saturday was my first time > supervising Saturday detention. It’s from 8 AM to 12 Noon > and they get a bathroom/stretch break from 9:55 to 10:05. > That’s the only time they are supposed to be out their > seats for the whole 4 hours. I understand all that, but I > had a situation on Saturday that I had to deal with. > > I had 12 girls on Saturday and it wasn’t 15 minutes > after the bathroom break that one of the girls came up to > me and asked to go again. Of course, I asked her why she > hadn’t gone before when she was supposed to. She didn’t > really have an answer for me, but she was insistent that > she really did have to go now. She didn’t say it, but > somehow I got the impression that she had to go #2 and she > didn’t want to do it with 11 other girls in the bathroom at > the time. She is a really shy and quiet freshman so I can > kind of understand how she was feeling about that. She > apparently had waited in the hopes of being able to go > later when she’d have the opportunity to be alone in the > girls’ room. > > So I let her go even though I wasn’t supposed to. > Somebody apparently saw her coming out of the girls’ room > at the inappropriate time. Tuesday, I got a letter from my > principal reminding me of the rules of Saturday Detention > and reiterating specifically that no one was to be out of > the room except during the designated bathroom break. OK – > I understand all that but what was I supposed to do in this > situation? Was I really supposed to tell this girl she > couldn’t go to the bathroom when she obviously needed to? > Obviously, she should have gone during the bathroom break > when she was supposed to. But the fact was that she didn’t. > Was I really then supposed to deny her for close to 2 hours > and make the poor girl risk soiling herself just to adhere > to the rules? I hated teachers that didn’t use common sense > in these kinds of situations and I vowed that I’d never > become one of those. >

Can you tell your principal just what you said right here in your post? I think the girl had an extenuating reason for going and I think you did the right thing. Think about how that girl would have felt if she did soil herself. She would have been subject to all kinds if harassment for that. Is your principal open minded enough to hear why you let the student go to the bathroom past the bathroom/stretching time?

May 7, 2014

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Old Teacher I agree with "My thoughts".

On 5/07/14, My thoughts wrote: > On 5/06/14, Cat wrote: >> I’m a first year teacher and I’m teaching English at a >> Catholic girls’ high school. Saturday was my first time >> supervising Saturday detention. It’s from 8 AM to 12 > Noon >> and they get a bathroom/stretch brea...See MoreI agree with "My thoughts".

On 5/07/14, My thoughts wrote: > On 5/06/14, Cat wrote: >> I’m a first year teacher and I’m teaching English at a >> Catholic girls’ high school. Saturday was my first time >> supervising Saturday detention. It’s from 8 AM to 12 > Noon >> and they get a bathroom/stretch break from 9:55 to > 10:05. >> That’s the only time they are supposed to be out their >> seats for the whole 4 hours. I understand all that, but I >> had a situation on Saturday that I had to deal with. >> >> I had 12 girls on Saturday and it wasn’t 15 minutes >> after the bathroom break that one of the girls came up to >> me and asked to go again. Of course, I asked her why > she >> hadn’t gone before when she was supposed to. She > didn’t >> really have an answer for me, but she was insistent that >> she really did have to go now. She didn’t say it, but >> somehow I got the impression that she had to go #2 and > she >> didn’t want to do it with 11 other girls in the bathroom at >> the time. She is a really shy and quiet freshman so I can >> kind of understand how she was feeling about that. She >> apparently had waited in the hopes of being able to go >> later when she’d have the opportunity to be alone in the >> girls’ room. >> >> So I let her go even though I wasn’t supposed to. >> Somebody apparently saw her coming out of the girls’ > room >> at the inappropriate time. Tuesday, I got a letter from my >> principal reminding me of the rules of Saturday Detention >> and reiterating specifically that no one was to be out of >> the room except during the designated bathroom break. > OK – >> I understand all that but what was I supposed to do in > this >> situation? Was I really supposed to tell this girl she >> couldn’t go to the bathroom when she obviously needed > to? >> Obviously, she should have gone during the bathroom > break >> when she was supposed to. But the fact was that she > didn’t. >> Was I really then supposed to deny her for close to 2 > hours >> and make the poor girl risk soiling herself just to adhere >> to the rules? I hated teachers that didn’t use common > sense >> in these kinds of situations and I vowed that I’d never >> become one of those. >> > > Can you tell your principal just what you said right here in > your post? I think the girl had an extenuating reason for > going and I think you did the right thing. Think about how > that girl would have felt if she did soil herself. She would > have been subject to all kinds if harassment for that. Is > your principal open minded enough to hear why you let the > student go to the bathroom past the bathroom/stretching > time?

May 16, 2014

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