Teacher not letting students use the bathroom
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Anonymous
| My children came from school telling me one of the PE instructors didn't let some 1st grade students use the bathroom and let the "in a hurry" kids wet themselves. it is not the first time I hear something horrible, humilliating like this happens at that school. There are a couple of families who mention the same issue but the staff is denying everything. What's wrong in admitting a mistake??? |
Anonymous
If it were just one child saying this, the school administration could brush it off as "just one kid who doesn't like PE is making stuff up." But you say that a couple of families (I assume you mean the parents) have mentioned that this is an issue that their kids have witnessed too. That is actually in your favor. All these families need to get together and ask for a group meeting with the principal ASAP. If one parent or child complains, it's easier for a school to ignore; but if a group of parents band together and present a united front, it is MUCH harder for the school to ignore them or try to make out that there's no issue. If this stuff is happening, for your kids' health and safety, you need to organize these other families and write a joint letter, deliver it in person to school, and say that you as a group are requesting a meeting with the principal by a certain date. Make it soon. Be clear in the letter that you would appreciate a reply by date X and a meeting by date Y. If you don't hear anything by date X, inform the principal that if a meeting date isn't set by the end of that day, the group of parents will contact the school board the next day. Terms like "school board" tend to get their attention. Kids can get UTIs and bladder infections from holding their urine too long and too often. There's a basic health issue here. I'm sure the teacher will say that some kids just pretend to need to pee and want to get out of PE by making toilet trips. Doesn't matter. If even one kid is so bad off he's peeing on himself in front of his peers -- the teacher is wrong. |
Anonymous
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Send in a note that says for "medical reasons" your child needs access to the bathroom at all times. Ask that the note be shared with all teachers, cafeteria, playground staff, etc. that your child is with. Encourage the other families to do the same. I've definitely seen teachers restrict bathroom use or kids being to shy or busy to ask. The note should make you and your child more comfortable. Then, if the school doesn't honor this you can move up and complain higher. Your written request is evidence and if many parents write such note the policies of the school should change.
I'm a special area teacher and always let kids use the bathroom. I explain the best time to go at the beginning of the year. However, even if I'm asked at a non ideal time I just quickly remind them to plan ahead next time so they don't miss the class discussion/clean up etc. but I send them to the bathroom anyways. The kids respect this and I haven't had any abusing the privilege to go as needed. |
Anonymous
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To the PP: Please don't refer to going to the bathroom as a privilege. I get your point, but using the bathroom is a right not a privilege.
From another teacher |
Anonymous
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If this is occuring the homeroom teachers need to all take their classes to the bathroom right before PE and explain to the iids that they jeed to try to go even if they don't think they need to.
I used to teach a structured activity for this age, and for tye six and under set, going to the bathroom is very contagious and social. If one kid gets to use the restroom, suddenly every kid has to go very badly right NOW, even if they went before class. Depending on how many classrooms feed into the PE classes, this could mean a dozen or so kids who all suddenly really need to go pee, even if only one kid actually has to go. I think if the school/homeroom teachers could tweak things a little bit this problem could be eliminated very quickly. One more thing, one of my kids was the kind of kid who always waited until the very last minute to let anyone knoe he had to use the toilet especially if he was having fun. He was like this until third or fourth grade, and actually had a school accident in second because he was excited about the lesson, thought he could hold it, and didn't ask to go until it was too the point that he was about to burst. A common response when a kid asks to use the restroom is to ask if they can hold it or if it was an emergency. My kid would say ty lat he could hold it, when in reality he was asking at the last possible minute. You don't know if these wetters are that kind of kid, the one who waits until the last possible moment to ask, then thinks tuey can hold it because well, they HAVE been holding it. I would jot come in guns blazing, especially since it is not your kid doing the wetting. Talk to the school but realize their might be more to the story. |
Anonymous
| Please excuse the typos above. |
Anonymous
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Sounds to me like there might be more to this story. I taught first grade for years and kids will use the bathroom as an excuse to change the scenery. Sometimes, I would ask if they could wait a few minutes. I never had a child wet himself under those circumstances. I taught for a number of years and could count on one hand --with one exception--the number of "accidents"--and those were not kids who asked to go. However, the accidents that did occur were at recess--maybe because they didn't want to leave recess. Could be the same in this situation.
Also, the kids are generally not allowed to go alone, so it means another child would have to miss PE, too. The one exception to the accidents that I could count on one hand was a child who had frequent accidents. He had "carte blanche" to go to the bathroom "anytime he liked without asking." (DR said it was not a physical problem--I'm not so sure.) Even with permission to just go to the bathroom, he had accidents. Where I taught, the bathrooms were down the hall--so, if the kids needed to go outside the times I took them for a break, they had to ask. |
Anonymous
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Some key points here.
1- Letting a child use the bathroom IS NOT a privilege. 2- Every time we feel the need to use the toilet, IS an emergency. 3- Teachers, please put yourselves in children's shoes. What happens if you feel the need to use the toilet immediately and your boss let you wet your pants or skirt because it is not a convenient time? 4-Many children, including mine, never had wetting accidents since they learned to use the toilet. |
Anonymous
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Please don't say it's for medical reasons if it truly isn't.
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Anonymous
Preventing an UTI is a medical reason. |
Anonymous
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Anonymous
You can roll your eyes all you want but we make sure our children are allowed to use the bathroom at school. |
Anonymous
Just like missing snack is starvation? |
Anonymous
Or there isn't more to the story and the teacher just sucks. Back when my DD was in 1st, she had an accident in school after asking the teacher for permission to go - twice - and telling her it was urgent. It was very humiliating for my DD and the teacher apologized profusely after it happened. She said it was because other kids had abused bathroom time to go chat. This was a teacher with poor classroom management skills in general so it doesn't surprise me much. Anyway, after that I told my DD that *I* gave her permission to go anytime she truly needed to go and she didn't need to wait on the teacher if it was an emergency. |
Anonymous
Twat |