Off Topic Going to the loo during lesson time.

[Gymnastsmum]

I am a primary school teacher (year 5). I don't let children go to the loo during lessons. Would you have a problem with this as a parent?

 

[bogwoppit]

If it was for a medical problem, yes.

If it was a habitual offender, no. Some kids just like to waste time for no good reason.

 

[Seeker]

More than once, I’ve witnessed a child having an accident out on the floor, so be careful. I’d remind them to go before class, but be very hesitant to restrict unless they were seen fooling around when allowed.

 

[MILgymFAM]

Yes, I would. Here in the US kids are in school for very long days with only very short breaks. When you have to use the bathroom, you’ve got to use the bathroom. I wouldn’t like if someone told me I had to hold it all day, and these are kids. I’ve had to take on this situation when my kids were in public school. My daughter’s teacher allowed two bathroom passes per semester. I was absolutely not ok with my daughter being in tears because she had to wait three hours to use the bathroom after school.

 

[gymmomx2]

Big problem. I would prefer that teachers/coaches dealt with cases on an individual basis versus having broad rules.

 

[John]

Yes, I have a problem with restricting the bathroom. A good teacher can tell if a child is taking advantage of a rule. DS simply had to hold up the sign for T get up and use the bathroom.

 

[mommyof1]

Our school gives 4 minutes between classes and something like 23 minutes for lunch, so the only time the kids can actually use the bathroom is during instructional time.

 

[Taxidriver]

Yes I would have a problem with that, whilst I think it’s good to try to encourage children to use the toilets during break time if a child needs to go then it’s not good to make them hold on. Have you ever tried to concentrate when you need to go to the toilet?
I haven’t told this story to many people as I still find it humiliating, when I was 11 I had used the toilet at lunchtime I then asked to use the toilet during afternoon lessons and got told no I had to hold on well I couldn’t hold on and wet myself, can you imagine what that feels like to be 11 years old and wet yourself in front of your peers, I didn’t live that down for the rest of my school life. It still impacts me today as an adult and if I think I might not be near a toilet I won’t drink anything - not healthy I know but that is how much it impacted on my life.

 

[gymdog]

I never stop them. If we started 10 minutes ago and I know they were sitting there for 15 minutes before class I might say in a casual tone "let's try to remember to go before class!" But I don't really feel comfortable saying no. If it became a problem or seemed excessive then I would report it to the parent and figure out what is going on.

 

[coachmolly]

I almost always let a kid go when they ask, little ones just can't hold it. If it's at the beginning of practice I remind them to go before class in the future. I have had a little one (7 years) recently who has taken extended bathroom breaks during beam (she's scared of beam), so I mentioned that from now on she would need to make sure she went before getting to beam. But if she continues to ask, I'll probably continue to let her go and bring it up with the parents.
I also work in a school during the day and spend a good amount of time in a kindergarten classroom. It's very easy to tell the kids who are constantly asking to go to the bathroom because they don't want to sit still or want to get out of something and the ones who actually need to go. It's also easy to pick out the kids who don't use the restroom at designated times because they are having too much fun with something else and then desperately need to go at an inopportune time.
I think a general rule of only using the restroom during designated times is okay, provided they are offered regularly (before important activities where you would prefer they all be present), but I think I would also be flexible about breaking it.

 

[Deleted member 18037]

Yes.

 

[Aussie_coach]

I would always, always, always allow kids to go to the bathroom when they ask to go. It is not fun to deal with accidents on the floor, mats etc. So hard to get the stains and the smell out!

A lot of the time accidents happen when the kids don’t ask to go to the bathroom because they usually think they are not allowed. Even if you have a gymnast who takes habitual bathroom breaks, if the other kids hear you saying no to them when they ask, it can make them think they are not allowed and lead to other kids having an accident.

If a kid is going a lot they may be suffering from a UTI, so it may just be worth mentioning to the parents. Or they may be going through an issue, like they feel like they can’t do the work, so they avoid it. Refusing to allow them to go to the bathroom doesn’t solve the issue.

I remember being a primary school aged kid myself and asking to go to the bathroom in order to get out of class. It wasn’t an avoidance tactic but all the pent up energy in my little body needed to be released. A little walk to the bathroom and back helped emmensly and I could focus a lot better after that. As adults if we feel to restless to sit, we can choose to get up and walk around and do what we need to reign in our focus, kids have limited options.

If you think kids are doing it to get out of something unpleasant it’s pretty easy to deal with too. Example “Susie, you just missed the 1 minute split hold while yiu were in the bathroom, we’ll quickly get it done now while the rest of the class goes to trampoline”. Etc.

 

[Sasha]

I'm unclear if OP is asking about going to the loo in school, or in gymnastics class, and I'm unclear on the age range of the children in question, but regardless, I would have a serious problem if bathroom visits were forbidden as a rule.

As other posters already said, if the instructor believes an individual child's unusual pattern of bathroom needs may signify either 1)a medical issue or 2)a behavior concern like avoiding work or looking for mischief, then deal with this on an individual basis, involving the parents if not easily resolved.

And younger children, especially, often forget to use break time to use the restroom. They need reminded daily! Source: every parent everywhere who has taken kids anywhere outside the home, ever.

 

[Annikins]

Yes, a big problem with that. Surely it should be a basic right to use the toilet when necessary.