When it’s time to go, sometimes you just have to go. Some teachers, however, treat the need to use the bathroom like a privilege that can be taken away, or sometimes go as far as to penalize students for needing to leave class.
Using the bathroom is something that every person, even teachers, has to do. It’s common to hear teachers telling students to use the bathroom between classes. Sometimes, however, this isn’t the easiest task.
Junior Bailey Loving has trouble squeezing in a bathroom break between classes. “It takes a while to get from class to class,” Loving said.
When this happens, students can’t be in class on time. To avoid being late, students just skip the bathroom and try to wait until they can get a chance to go during class, which doesn’t always work out as planned.
Needing to use the bathroom, besides being an everyday feeling, can also be distracting. The need can sometimes break a student’s focus and interfere with his or her participation in class.
Sophomore Thomas Walker said, “We were doing silent work [in class] and I couldn’t concentrate because I really had to go the bathroom.”
There is no administrative rule at Kettle Run about what a teacher can and can’t do regarding their bathroom policy. Administrator Tripp Burton realizes the issue and, despite the time given between classes, understands that sometimes situations come up when leaving class may be necessary.
In some schools, however, administration has taken over the classroom bathroom policies. According to the Huffington Post, Evergreen Park High School in Chicago has developed a policy that gives teachers the right to limit students’ bathroom breaks to three times per semester. As for students who need to go more than three times, the teachers are now allowed to keep the students after school to make up the missed time.
What policies, like the one at Evergreen Park High School, don’t take into account is that sometimes it can be difficult for students to just wait. Sometimes, especially for female students, needing to go to the bathroom isn’t something that can be planned.
Sophomore Xing Zhang agrees with Burton. “If there’s an emergency, you just can’t control it,” Zhang said.
Some teachers, such as English teacher Kim Overholt, have developed a more lenient policy. Overholt has taken into account that going to the bathroom is a natural thing.
“[I let students go to the bathroom because] I either A. trust their judgment, or B. hold them accountable [for lack of judgment]. But if a student disrupts class, I will harangue them,” Overholt said.
Despite her seemingly lenient policy, Overholt understands where the issue lies and that students, under certain circumstances, will take advantage of teachers who allow students to come and go as they please.
“This method doesn’t work for every teacher, if, in fact, students don’t respect the teacher or the system,” said Overholt.
Nearly every student has experienced a situation in which a teacher didn’t understand his or her need to go to the bathroom. Some teachers resort to taking away class participation points, while others simply just say “no.” In some cases, students do take bathroom breaks just to get out of class, to socialize, or to visit other classes. The argument, however, is whether or not all students should be punished for the actions of a few.