Korean Job Discussion Forums

Lizara · Joined: 14 Apr 2004 Location: Seoul

This annoys me...

I don't let my students go to the bathroom in class unless they're obviously really desperate, because if I let one go then they all want to go and it becomes a neverending disruptive parade. They know they can go before class and after class and our kindy classes are only a half hour and so my policy hasn't yet caused any problems. I'm a little bit less strict about it with the younger classes, too.

anyway, so WHY is it that as soon as one student asks to go to the bathroom in the middle of class, and I say no, EVERY other student immediately asks the same question? And then when I keep saying no, they switch to asking for water. I can understand the first student hoping for a chance, and the second one maybe thinking the first one didn't say it quite right, but by the time it gets to the seventh or eighth student, I have to wonder what exactly they're expecting to happen. "Oh, well, actually, I don't like Carter, Joe, Serena, Kenny, Isabel or Patrick, but YOU, Sean, can go to the bathroom."

I realize the answer is they're not thinking about it at all, and probably just assuming that since everyone else is asking they may as well ask too, but... like I said, it's annoying.

/rant.

VanIslander · Posted: Thu May 11, 2006 4:37 am Post subject:

any student can leave the classroom at anytime

and there's no chaos. how?

rules: only one student out of the classroom at one time, and they must ask using the "may I..." form perfectly (questions posted on the wall if they need a reminder)

works like a charm

rarely more than one or two per class, if that. no biggie

Lizara · Joined: 14 Apr 2004 Location: Seoul

No, that used to be my rule. I still had parades. Really though, if anyone has found a good way of stopping the chaos, let me know....

crystal · Joined: 04 May 2006

alabamaman · Joined: 25 Apr 2006

poet13 · Posted: Thu May 11, 2006 3:22 pm Post subject:

I do one at a time too. But..... It's pretty obvious who's asking just to get out the door for a minute. After a year and some with the same students, I have a pretty good idea of the patterns. It used to be that X girl and Y girl always asked to go together. When faced with one at a time, the need to "go" suddenly went away.
In summer though, I never refuse water runs. Gotta keep 'em hydrated, for more than one reason. The first is the obvious health reason, and the second, even mild dehydration can lead to irritability and "contrariness", which doesnt help in the classroom...

riley · Joined: 08 Feb 2003 Location: where creditors can find me

Good point about the water. I took to taking cups and a bottle filled with water into class. That slowed down the water requests. I do believe that the younger kids just don't pay attention to their needs until another kid brings it up. THEN, they realize that they need to pee. I go with both the one at a time policy and a time limit. Most boys can finish up in a minute or so.

OiGirl · Joined: 23 Jan 2003 Location: Hoke-y-gun

I am perfectly okay with the one-at-a-time parade. As long as I know who's out of the room! I have a miniscule bladder myself and would never hold that against a kid. Plus, you may be giving them significant addes stress by asking them to function in English! I remember I went to the restroom at least once in EVERY math section of the GREs!! If I think I kid is trying to get out of something, I'll set a task for them (like "finish this page in your workbook, and THEN you can go to the restroom." If they didn't really have to go, they usually forget about it.

(Kids with gastro-intestinal distress may automatically, without asking, go to the restroom at any time.)

Pak Yu Man · Joined: 02 Jun 2005 Location: The Ida galaxy

They have a 10 min break for a reason. Water....no way.
If they are too stupid to have a cup of water in the summer...tought luck.
They see me with a cup of water everywhere I go.

ella · Joined: 17 Apr 2006

Kids don't carry their own bottled water with them, even in summer?

plattwaz · Joined: 08 Apr 2005 Location: <Write something dumb here>

When the kindies fall into that "one asks we all ask" thing, I line them up and take them all at the same time.

Then I take that time used from their game time. They now understand this, and sometimes come to a concensus amongst themselves that they don't all really need to go and only the first one goes.