Bathroom breaks for students when subbing?

Question

I am working as a short call sub as I advance through my teaching program. Inevitiably, I go to classes where the teacher does not leave the bathroom or drinking fountain rules for me. Usually, I say "no library passes, no media center passes, and no drinking fountain passes" during class. The bathroom is a gray area though. I get a string of students simultaniously asking the question... "can I go?"... I ask if it's an emergency, and of course it is! I'm in a quagmire in that I'm not stupid, I know it isn't an emergency... yet I am not sure if I should put a "blanket" no bathroom pass policy into effect in the fear that a student will have an accident. Does anyone have any suggestions as to how to manage this fairly, yet firmly? Remember, I am a sub, so rewards and extra credit really aren't applicable.

Answer 1

I work in a school system for at risk students grade 6th through 12th. Our school is very structured and students are not allowed to use the bathroom on their own. Our teachers have set designated bathroom times for each of their classes.

I was a sub teacher at one point though going from school to school and not knowing all the routines. What I would suggest is when you go to a knew school and routines are not left on when bathroom breaks are etc .. I would then ask a teacher that is in the class next to you how they do bathroom breaks. If you are in a classroom all day with the same students where changing classes does not happen, I would then look at the schedule and find two best times when you believe bathroom breaks would be acceptable.

When a student asks can I use the bathroom you can then let them know they will have to wait until the next schedule bathroom break is. Then you can watch them and if you really believe it an emergency pull them off to the side where the rest of the class can not hear them and let them use the restroom while also letting them know this is the only time you will do this.

All though you may not be able to give extra credits and such you can leave notes for the teacher and give marks, letting them know that Johnny was disruptive to the class and not following the classroom rules. You could also leave in a note that since instructions were not left on bathroom breaks and such this is what you used in order to keep the disruptive behavior down. Then ask if this was not acceptable could you please leave instructions on a more efficient policy.

If you are working for high schoolers where bathroom breaks are not necessarily handled with a group classroom break, again I would consult a teacher next to your classroom and ask how they handle this in their school. Since most high schoolers are able to use the bathroom between classes and during lunch I would just tell them they will have to wait. Since you are a sub, it is considered a safety concern for the subs to know where their students are at all times. Tell them I am sorry, it is just policy and leave it at that.

Again though if you believe they really need to use the rest room then pull them off to the side give them their hall pass and make sure they know you are doing this only once and never let more then one person go to the restroom at a time. If it becomes disruptive and the rest of the class starts chiming in simply tell them "No", if they start what is consider harassing you about not letting them do this, reply in a firm tone, "If they want to continue with this and not with the lesson at hand you will buzz the front office and have the principle come down and speak with them." Usually that will quieten them down and then you can go back to teaching the lesson.

There is no way to really know if they are telling the truth or not. It is all about trusting your judgment and being firm in your rules. Every sub will have their own rules they bring into a classroom. For example when I subbed I put a stop to sharping pencils, no what grade students would always want to get up and sharpen their pencils. This was disruptive to the class and was another way to pass notes or bombard the teacher so that work could not be done.

So I started sharping all the pencils I would need for the day as they would break of get dull, I would just replace the pencil.

Hope this helps some

Answer 2

I teach senior high (Grades 9, 10 , 11). Bathroom breaks ar not permitted at all. The sudents have enough time before and between classes and at lunch to be able to use the washroom. No regular teacher or even a sub lets them go to the bathroom.

In elementary schools, there is usually a bathroom break in the morning or in the afternoon, but that is up to the individual teacher and depends on the grade level.

Find out the school rules for each school where you sub. Each school operates differently, so don't be surprised if there is no standard policy. When I was a sub, I never gav passes for anything that involved leaving the classroom. Unless the Principla or some Admin came and specifically asked to speak to certain students, they never left the room till time was up.

Answer 3

I use to allow high school kids to go to the bathroom beacuse other teachers do. I no longer do that unless I can tell that it is an emergency. The reason a student went to the restroom and didn't come back by the end of the period. The students complain but, I say have have been burned by students in the past so no one is allowed to go to the restroom. Middle school the past few days I have allowed them to go. I don't think I will after the break since the class is only 45 mins they can hold it. Elementary have bathroom breaks that is when everyone goes to the restroom. Special needs kids go more often. Water break I will allow if all their work is complete.

Answer 4

I definitely think that you should allow students to use the bathroom . I would tell the student to sign out and write the time down on a sheet of paper before they use the bathroom. Maybe you should consider giving the child a time limit so that they return promptly after using the bathroom. A child may have medical problems that cause them to need to use the bathroom throughout the school day. If the child does not return after about five minutes of using the bathroom, you may want to call the office for a hall monitor.

Answer 5

Depending on the age of students, I would put down the "No bathroom pass" policy. If they are middle school or older they should have no problem in asking anyway if it really is an emergency, rather than have an accident. I think some are probably still going to ask just to test you to see if they can get away with going. You should be able to tell the ones who are just looking for an excuse to get out of class from the ones dancing around saying, "Please, please... I need to go!" The latter I would think you can make an exception for. =)

Answer 6

It depends on the age group. If they are younger students then how about a set time before or after lunch where they go on a group bathroom break. You set aside time for everyone to take a turn to use the bathroom. After that set time they have to wait until lunch or another period that has time built in for bathroom breaks.
If they are older, like jr. high or high then i would say to tell them to go between periods. Otherwise, maybe you can have a rule where they can go during the first 5 minutes of the period or during the last 5 minutes. I remember something like this way back in my high school days.

Answer 7

At our school students are allowed out of class to go to the bathroom only in the first 5 minutes or last 5 minutes of class. I have had some pregnant students that I allow out at other times, though.

Answer 8

My suggestion is to allow 1-2 (maximum) students to have bathroom, but not at the same time (this varies on age of student and length of class). Tell Jimmy he can go when Sally returns. If multiple students are requesting breaks, tell them NO. They have breaks between classes for the purpose of getting ready for class and if they use it to socialize then they have to suffer the consequences. Unless they have a bladder problem, they are out of luck.

Answer 9

Well ask the other teachers what they do then. They u kind of dont have a choice u need to tell ur students that they need to attend the bathroom b4 class. But i know sometimes i wouldnt have to go b4 class then half way thru i really had to go. And if u gotta pee u gotta pee man! let the kids go potty! good luck!

Answer 10

Only let the students who ask before class go and if that doesnt work have tham finish all there work first or have a cut of time like after the first 20 min of class you are no longer allowed to go to the bathroom.If they ask to go everyday then just say no.