Maybe jumping jacks are the answer

It takes approximately nine minutes to take 23 first graders to the bathroom. I'm in charge of the boys' line. Around the corner, my co-teacher supervises the girl's line.

It's the worst nine minutes of my day.

Honestly, what is it about school bathrooms that makes little boys want to play around? Is it the chance to crawl under the stalls? Is it that your female teacher can't go in there (or so they think!)? Is it the tantalizing rolls of toilet paper, or splashing your friend at the sink?

I have to constantly poke my head through the door and say things like: "No crawling!" "Do you want to be on yellow today?" (that's the warning color) "Stop playing in there", and "I WILL come in there!"

Not only that, but then there are the 18 others I have to keep in line in the hall. And I feel bad for them: expecting them to stand still without talking for nine straight minutes when the principal doesn't allow us to go out for recess. Ever.

10 comments:

Sarah Garb said...

There's NO END to the ways to play around in the bathroom! I once had a kid pee in the trashcan. It's like an amusement park of bad ideas in there.

Mrs. Fine said...

No recess? Ever? Eek...that's a catastrophe waiting to happen! Luckily in Gr. 5 I only have to do bathroom breaks before field trips...and then I feel the same pain...kicking in the door...yelling. Ah, yes.

Mama Pike said...

That does not sound like a fun nine minutes in your day. I have three sons and I can just imagine them playing around in the school bathroom when they were that age,

Putting up with duties like this is probably why you school teachers make the big bucks!

Anonymous said...

You should have a Janitor Appreciation Day for having to clean up THEIR mess.

Sneaker Teacher said...

I have several boys that play in the bathroom too, but we don't really have a set time that we go, so unfortunately I am in the classroom and I sometimes hear about their poor behavior from the 3rd grade boys who share the bathroom with Kinders or the male 3rd grade teacher. He actually came in today saying that one of my students was crawling into the sink or something and I got a report that another student peed on a 3rd grader....not good!

malia said...

Ok no recess? That's crazy! Recess is so important for those little buggers... they must get their energy out.

Your post reminds me of taking kids in the dressing room... similar stuff happens. (-:

Anonymous said...

OK, so you need a MALE perspective here. Bathrooms are UTOPIA at so many different levels. It is where WE do our BEST work at being male WITHOUT female intervention. We will NOT stop. In fact we CANNOT stop. It is in our make-up (not the pretty kind you ladies use) I am afraid this will be a burden that you will have to carry and maybe appreciate at some level. Why else do they call it the boys room...

jfb57 said...

I just love this! It doesn't matter how old they are either - toilets are all the same problem areas!

Bethany said...

Be glad you're not the janitor!

Mariposita Obsidiana said...

I decided to follow you because I went to college to be a teacher, and I get a kick out of reading things from other teachers. I don't have a job right now (I still haven't quite gotten over being told all my life that teacher's will ALWAYS be needed, and now they're not hiring elementary teachers anywhere within 150 miles of my home), so I will live vicariously through you. I hope that's okay. If not, too bad, I'm following you anyway. :-P

Btw, if you think it's hard taking 23 first graders to the bathroom, try 16 three and four year olds. It ended up taking nearly half an hour. And I stood IN the boys' bathroom, just because the damage was often irreparable if I didn't. lol.

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