Teacher forced to resign over inappropriate pics on her phone. Something is just wrong here

[Hikergirl]

Aren't the students expected to take their bathroom breaks in that 4 minutes between classes?

I'm not sure how its done at that poster's school but in my kid's high school they are not allowed to use the bathroom during the break between classes. They can get a bathroom pass when they reach their next class if they have to go during that time, but if they are "caught" in the bathroom without that pass because they decided to duck in during class change they get sent to some kind of in house detention for a little while. It doesn't make any sense to me that they have the kids miss class (to use the bathroom and for the in house) but that is how it is.

 

[FlightlessDuck]

I'm not sure how its done at that poster's school but in my kid's high school they are not allowed to use the bathroom during the break between classes. They can get a bathroom pass when they reach their next class if they have to go during that time, but if they are "caught" in the bathroom without that pass because they decided to duck in during class change they get sent to some kind of in house detention for a little while. It doesn't make any sense to me that they have the kids miss class (to use the bathroom and for the in house) but that is how it is.

That seems highly inefficient when it comes to time management and probably done because of kids skipping classes by going into the bathroom. Student has to go to bathroom. Student has four minutes to get from one class to another. Student not allowed to go to bathroom during those four minutes and instead has to waste the teacher's time and miss class.

 

[DizBelle]

I'm not sure how its done at that poster's school but in my kid's high school they are not allowed to use the bathroom during the break between classes. They can get a bathroom pass when they reach their next class if they have to go during that time, but if they are "caught" in the bathroom without that pass because they decided to duck in during class change they get sent to some kind of in house detention for a little while. It doesn't make any sense to me that they have the kids miss class (to use the bathroom and for the in house) but that is how it is.

When are they supposed to go to the bathroom?

 

[Hikergirl]

That seems highly inefficient when it comes to time management and probably done because of kids skipping classes by going into the bathroom. Student has to go to bathroom. Student has four minutes to get from one class to another. Student not allowed to go to bathroom during those four minutes and instead has to waste the teacher's time and miss class.

The school is very crowded, so I know they also do it because the bathrooms can't accommodate the 2K students trying to use them in that 4 minutes too but the consequence for doing it shouldn't mean missing the first half of your class. My dd got caught and was sent to the in house room, came home griping about it but now we just laugh. At least she is almost out of there and doesn't have to deal with that kind of nonsense anymore. My son is another story but at least boys can be much quicker in the bathroom

 

[Hikergirl]

When are they supposed to go to the bathroom?

During class, they need a pass from the teacher. Most teachers also have a limit on how many students per class can use the bathroom, and/or limits on how many times a student can use it during the semester.

 

[DizBelle]

During class, they need a pass from the teacher. Most teachers also have a limit on how many students per class can use the bathroom, and/or limits on how many times a student can use it during the semester.

Does this sound absolutely ridiculous to anyone else?

 

[Wishing on a star]

It is what it is.... It can seem ridiculous at some level, but.
It is this way in most every school around here.
Not that the teachers are tracking this, and using it as any leverage against kids.
I don't think that would fly, here. At all.
But, we all have heard the horror stories about teachers the denial of restroom access.

Longer breaks have proven to be time for the students to get into trouble and do whatever it is that they are not supposed to be doing.

Here, the class periods are longer, so that time for bathroom breaks, sometimes grouped up into smaller groups, is managed to facilitate getting the issue taken care of in a timely manner, to then get back into the classroom instruction or studies. With the longer class periods, there seems to be an abundance of free time.

 

[kamik86]

Schools and their bathroom issues have been stupid for years.

Mine school was small around 400-450 students. However for most students it had only 1 set of bathrooms. There were others but all designated only for specific things. The ones near the cafeteria were locked because there were some post grad classes that complained that students smoked in that bathrooms so instead of making someone check it every so often at lunch they locked it only for the post grads.

The ones in the locker rooms required you to walk through the gym and were far away from most classes. Also the gym instructors would yell at you if there was a class in gym.

Some of our shops had their own but only for those in that shop.

So that pretty much just left half the school that was in academics that week all sharing one bathroom between classes since you couldn't go at lunch (they wouldn't let you leave to the other one). Luckily most of the shops would try to only send people in the middle of class periods so they weren't also clogging up the bathrooms.

So yeah people were late a lot because they were in line for the bathroom. Especially since we also couldn't carry our backpack so most of the time you had to get to your locker to switch books and to the bathroom in that short time. A few teachers would let you leave during class but most wouldn't.

 

[declansdad]

Does this sound absolutely ridiculous to anyone else?

No. If there is only a 4 minute break you don't need many students waiting to go to the washroom and then disrupting class when they show up.

 

[mom2rtk]

I have found in general that school administrators forget that students need bathroom access. This is particularly complicated for young ladies.

 

[DizBelle]

No. If there is only a 4 minute break you don't need many students waiting to go to the washroom and then disrupting class when they show up.

So having them disrupt class by asking for a pass and missing class is preferable?

 

[declansdad]

So having them disrupt class by asking for a pass and missing class is preferable?

There would be less distraction with asking for a pass than having a number of students enter class at different times.

 

[sunshinehighway]

Does this sound absolutely ridiculous to anyone else?

Not to me. That's how it's been done here for longer than I remember.

 

[rigs32]

When I was in high school in the 90s, if you were on the honor roll, you qualified for a special school ID that would function as a bathroom/hall pass during classes. The presumption being that honor roll kids really did have to use the bathroom and/or would go where they said, I guess. I had one, so bathroom passes weren't a big issue.

But in elementary, I had some IBS issues when my parents divorced and I have memories of my parents having to fight the school about allowing me to use the bathroom when I needed it. I also have a vivid memory of getting a nose bleed during a standardized test and the teacher allowed me to go to the restroom to clean up only because I'd finished that section. As if I would have done well with blood all over me and the desk!

 

[Aliceacc]

As to the hairties: It was a small example. It was a hot, hazy day in late September. We were outside for a good half an hour. Once we got her conscious, we were able to pull her long hair back off her neck and she did feel more comfortable.

On the bathroom front: Many of the kids do use the bathrooms between periods, or sometime during their lunch break. But I have never, never told a kid he/she couldn't leave my classroom to use the bathroom. It simply isn't possible for 2700 kids to use the bathrooms during the 4 minutes between periods. I start each class with a few kids asking to use the bathroom; my response is "Sure. Try to be quick and leave your homework out." Almost without fail, they're back in 2 or 3 minutes, and a good part of the time the homework is out

In my kids' school, they're not allowed to use the bathroom between classes. I suspect that in many schools it's a security issue; the bathrooms would be very crowded, and graffiti-- or worse-- would be a lot easier to get away with.

And I'm not saying or implying anything about your relationship with the kids you teach, or the "care you take with (your) personnel possessions." Each of us has different routines, different ways of making teaching work. My post spoke about the only one on this forum I know anything about: me.

Anyway, back to the point. The teacher in the story had her phone on her desk. She was in the hallway doing the job she was supposed to do. The student, on the other hand, was not doing what he was supposed to do. He was at her desk, not his own. He was touching the phone that didn't belong to him. He invaded his teacher's privacy. He looked at her pictures. He then sent those pictures to others. He was wrong. She was doing her job.

 

[PollyannaMom]

During class, they need a pass from the teacher. Most teachers also have a limit on how many students per class can use the bathroom, and/or limits on how many times a student can use it during the semester.

Does this sound absolutely ridiculous to anyone else?

I think a limit on how many kids can be sent at once is reasonable (there are only so many stalls, and if they have to wait anyway, I'd rather have them waiting in class still hearing the lesson than waiting in line by the bathroom) but, I agree, a limit on how many times they can go in a semester is ridiculous!

 

[Kathryn Merteuil]

Not on the original question about the teacher, in regards to bathrooms.

A lot of this depends on the administration. Some principals are like psychos about this stuff. We had one reduce the passing time from like 7 minutes to 5 minutes. Some of these kids had a very long haul to get from one class to the next. However, he and an assistant principal "timed their trip", if they could walk from one end to the other in that amount of time, so could the kids according to him. This made no allowance for bathroom or even stopping to tie your shoes.

He also set a limit, 2 free trips per semester. After that a tardy for each trip. After a couple those, you get after school detention. That made it really hard for the kids. Of course it made it hard for the teachers too, you have to STOP what you are doing and log each kid's trip to the bathroom, when they left and when they get back. His line was "you can't learn content in the hallway". Disrupting an entire class is much easier for everybody than just letting somebody go. He would also collect the logs every month. Whether or not he actually looked at them, well I doubt it. I think it was just a power thing. A lot of teachers, myself included just kinda selectively did it, only log it when if came handy. He never said anything to me about it.

The last year I was there, the administration came up with a better idea... instead of the teachers dropping everything to log this stuff. The kids would log themselves out! They put clipboards with a form on it in every classroom next to the door. This was genius! (NOT). Well let's see, Batman went to the bathroom today, oh look Justin Beiber signed out. Oh yes, the kids would write other kids names instead of their own. Of course kids would draw "things" on the sheets. It was just a disaster.

Of course you get the kids in there who have a 504 who are allowed unlimited trips... the other kids are saying "Why does such and such get to go so much"? It is just a disaster created by the administration.

Where I am working now (in a sub capacity), the administration is pretty relaxed about this stuff. With block scheduling, many (if not most) of the teachers allow a "break" during class. The kids have about 5 minutes or so to wander around, go to the bathroom, get a drink and come back. The kids look forward to it, and you can use that as a reward. It really cuts down on people wanting to go during instruction because they KNOW they will have a chance at a certain time. Sacrifice 5 minutes of instruction to save a lot of hassle and disruption? Yes, it makes sense to me.

It seems that so many times administrators are doing stupid things just to have a "policy" in place. "IF this, THEN this"... It seems as if they want to remove themselves (and I guess the school entirely) from actually having to think or use any kind of judgment.

OK I am ranting, I will be quiet now.

 

[smiths02]

Not on the original question about the teacher, in regards to bathrooms.

A lot of this depends on the administration. Some principals are like psychos about this stuff. We had one reduce the passing time from like 7 minutes to 5 minutes. Some of these kids had a very long haul to get from one class to the next. However, he and an assistant principal "timed their trip", if they could walk from one end to the other in that amount of time, so could the kids according to him. This made no allowance for bathroom or even stopping to tie your shoes.

He also set a limit, 2 free trips per semester. After that a tardy for each trip. After a couple those, you get after school detention. That made it really hard for the kids. Of course it made it hard for the teachers too, you have to STOP what you are doing and log each kid's trip to the bathroom, when they left and when they get back. His line was "you can't learn content in the hallway". Disrupting an entire class is much easier for everybody than just letting somebody go. He would also collect the logs every month. Whether or not he actually looked at them, well I doubt it. I think it was just a power thing. A lot of teachers, myself included just kinda selectively did it, only log it when if came handy. He never said anything to me about it.

The last year I was there, the administration came up with a better idea... instead of the teachers dropping everything to log this stuff. The kids would log themselves out! They put clipboards with a form on it in every classroom next to the door. This was genius! (NOT). Well let's see, Batman went to the bathroom today, oh look Justin Beiber signed out. Oh yes, the kids would write other kids names instead of their own. Of course kids would draw "things" on the sheets. It was just a disaster.

Of course you get the kids in there who have a 504 who are allowed unlimited trips... the other kids are saying "Why does such and such get to go so much"? It is just a disaster created by the administration.

Where I am working now (in a sub capacity), the administration is pretty relaxed about this stuff. With block scheduling, many (if not most) of the teachers allow a "break" during class. The kids have about 5 minutes or so to wander around, go to the bathroom, get a drink and come back. The kids look forward to it, and you can use that as a reward. It really cuts down on people wanting to go during instruction because they KNOW they will have a chance at a certain time. Sacrifice 5 minutes of instruction to save a lot of hassle and disruption? Yes, it makes sense to me.

It seems that so many times administrators are doing stupid things just to have a "policy" in place. "IF this, THEN this"... It seems as if they want to remove themselves (and I guess the school entirely) from actually having to think or use any kind of judgment.

OK I am ranting, I will be quiet now.

A this probably causes a glut of kids needing 504s and even IEPs. If some administrators (and teachers, sometimes) wouldn't be so into "zero tolerance" for everything including things like going to the bathroom, a lot of kids could be accommodated without it.

 

[Kathryn Merteuil]

Teaching is not "one size fits all" like many administrators would like to think.

 

[Pea-n-Me]

Not on the original question about the teacher, in regards to bathrooms.

A lot of this depends on the administration. Some principals are like psychos about this stuff. We had one reduce the passing time from like 7 minutes to 5 minutes. Some of these kids had a very long haul to get from one class to the next. However, he and an assistant principal "timed their trip", if they could walk from one end to the other in that amount of time, so could the kids according to him. This made no allowance for bathroom or even stopping to tie your shoes.

He also set a limit, 2 free trips per semester. After that a tardy for each trip. After a couple those, you get after school detention. That made it really hard for the kids. Of course it made it hard for the teachers too, you have to STOP what you are doing and log each kid's trip to the bathroom, when they left and when they get back. His line was "you can't learn content in the hallway". Disrupting an entire class is much easier for everybody than just letting somebody go. He would also collect the logs every month. Whether or not he actually looked at them, well I doubt it. I think it was just a power thing. A lot of teachers, myself included just kinda selectively did it, only log it when if came handy. He never said anything to me about it.

The last year I was there, the administration came up with a better idea... instead of the teachers dropping everything to log this stuff. The kids would log themselves out! They put clipboards with a form on it in every classroom next to the door. This was genius! (NOT). Well let's see, Batman went to the bathroom today, oh look Justin Beiber signed out. Oh yes, the kids would write other kids names instead of their own. Of course kids would draw "things" on the sheets. It was just a disaster.

Of course you get the kids in there who have a 504 who are allowed unlimited trips... the other kids are saying "Why does such and such get to go so much"? It is just a disaster created by the administration.

Where I am working now (in a sub capacity), the administration is pretty relaxed about this stuff. With block scheduling, many (if not most) of the teachers allow a "break" during class. The kids have about 5 minutes or so to wander around, go to the bathroom, get a drink and come back. The kids look forward to it, and you can use that as a reward. It really cuts down on people wanting to go during instruction because they KNOW they will have a chance at a certain time. Sacrifice 5 minutes of instruction to save a lot of hassle and disruption? Yes, it makes sense to me.

It seems that so many times administrators are doing stupid things just to have a "policy" in place. "IF this, THEN this"... It seems as if they want to remove themselves (and I guess the school entirely) from actually having to think or use any kind of judgment.

OK I am ranting, I will be quiet now.

The bathroom issue is interesting to me. I try to see both sides of it but I do think, from what I've seen with my own kids, that it borders on the extreme.

From a nurse's perspective, here's how I see it. Kids are supposed to "go" when they have the urge. That's nature's way. "Holding it" isn't a good thing. It can lead to dehydration (kids don't want to drink if they know it's going to be a hassle to go to the bathroom), UTIs, constipation (if you don't go when you have the urge, the urge often goes away; do this constantly and the nerves in the bowels become dysfunctional) and even something like toxic shock syndrome (not to mention messy "accidents" during menses for girls). Add those to the social piece of kids not wanting to "go" in front of others. (I always told my kids to go to the nurses's office to go in private if they needed to go, but were embarrassed.) There are just so many health implications it sort of blows my mind that kids aren't allowed to go to the bathroom sometimes!

My DD doesn't have behavioral issues in school, yet she's been given a hard time about going before. OTOH, she has a classmate who routinely abuses hall passes so I get where teachers are coming from. I just think it's basically unhealthy to not be allowed to go to the bathroom when they need to go. There is actually a lot of anxiety for kids around bathroom issues from what I hear from school age kids. In our high school there are cameras outside the bathrooms now. One of DS's friends, who is as straight as an arrow, i.e. doesn't drink or smoke, etc, was "called in for questioning" because the smell of weed was detected in the bathroom and he was the last one seen going in there on camera. I mean, it's funny, knowing him, but it's not really funny. Kids are afraid to go the bathroom today!

Even further OT, this subject has caused me to think back on my own HS days. We used to be able to leave campus and come back if we had a study. It felt good to be able to do that, like we were starting to grow up and have some freedom. My kids' HS has some beautiful outdoor spaces but they are not even allowed to use them. They can't even go outside, let alone leave campus. And we all talk about how we don't allow kids to grow up. Now of course I get that there have been abuses by many, and things like lawsuits and whatnot, and that's led us to where we are today, etc. But not all kids are going to abuse the system here. Some will do the right thing, and maybe we should give them the chance to do so. Glad my kids have only about three months left of school and they can move on to college! [/rant]