Bathroom Breaks
Bathroom breaks can be a hassle to deal with in an elementary school classroom. Students will often ask to leave at inconvenient times during instruction, use it as an excuse to get out of completing work, or try to go with a friend so they may talk in the bathroom instead of doing work. It is important to have a system that minimizes these occurrences and helps you keep track of your students at all times. However, this can also be a delicate situation if you have a student with a digestive issue.
- Bathroom Passes: Having one boy and one girl bathroom pass with minimize students leaving the room together to talk and avoid classwork.
- "Pause Box or Sign": Have the students place their work in a "pause box" or place a "pause sign" on top of their work. This will ensure that when they come back they must finish the work they were completing. This prevents to students from putting away unfinished work after returning from the bathroom. However, for this idea to work the teacher much pay attention to who has the "pause sign", otherwise it is just as easy for them to leave the work uncompleted.
- Bathroom Breaks: Schedule times during the day when multiple students may leave to use the bathroom. This will minimize the amount of times students ask to leave during instruction. When it is time for a bathroom break you can place a sign on the board so the students know when it is acceptable to go. Try to schedule these breaks before or after instruction, during free time if your schedule allows, or during a time when multiple students out of the room will not cause a distraction, such as independent work time. One possible problem with this method is if students begin to abuse this time and take too long because they are talking to friends. I advice against giving a time limit, in case you have a student with a digestive issue, but try to be aware how long students are gone. Make sure they know you are waiting for them to c