While writing this post, I remembered how in high school my friends and I would often leave class to 'go to the bathroom' - and once we even ended up with a ball on the basketball court near the school, where the school principal caught us... But that's a completely different story, and the only thing it has in common with today's is the topic of 'bathroom visits.'
The user @MamaSitaa_ on X recently told about a new rule introduced in her daughter's class by her math teacher. No more than one bathroom pass per week. The mom was outraged by this - and she decided to report it to the school board. But let's just take things in order.
More info: X
The author of the post is a mom of a schooler whose math teacher recently introduced a new rule on bathroom visits
Image credits: Karolina Kaboompics / Pexels (not the actual photo)
The rule stated that each student has only one bathroom pass per week, with perks if it's not used
Image credits: MamaSitaa__
Image credits: cottonbro studio / Pexels (not the actual photo)
The mom got livid and contacted the teacher to talk about it - and they just asked her to 'understand their situation'
Image credits: MamaSitaa__
Image credits: MamaSitaa__
Image credits: Thirdman / Pexels (not the actual photo)
Image credits: MamaSitaa__
Image credits: MamaSitaa__
So the woman simply decided to take it online to vent about it - and to ask if she was wrong to report it to the teacher
So, the Original Poster (OP) has a daughter, and she recently told us that the math teacher - apparently fighting unplanned 'trips' to the bathroom - introduced a new rule. From now on, each student gets only one bathroom pass per week. And, importantly, if they don't use it, they get academic extra credit.
The mom saw red. She wanted to immediately contact both the teacher and the school principal and vent her indignation - but the daughter begged her not to do so. And yet the woman wrote to the teacher and received a response that the "bathroom rule isn't harming anyone's grade," as well as a suggestion to "try being a teacher for a day and come up with a better solution for managing chronic bathroom visit abusers."
Of course, this answer didn't satisfy the author at all. In her opinion, if a teacher cannot captivate the class with their subject, then this is the teacher's problem. And resorting to repressive methods is definitely not the solution. The OP understands perfectly well that teachers are underpaid today, and that this is far from the most rewarding job in the world, but the health of her child is more important to her.
For example, in a recent lesson, the author's daughter had to restrain herself for half an hour - simply because she had already used her 'limit' of bathroom visits. "This is only the second issue we've ever had, but it's a big one and I'm not letting it go," the original poster wrote, addressing netizens in general and educators in particular.
Image credits: RDNE Stock project (not the actual photo)
Well, as a former university professor, I can partly understand this teacher, but as a parent, I am sincerely outraged along with this mom. "Yes, some teachers try to prevent a drop in discipline in their class by resorting to any methods - but this is definitely not an option," says Volodymyr Nemertsalov, a teacher and school principal from Odesa, Ukraine, whom Bored Panda asked for a comment here.
"Firstly, the student may have medical contraindications, and secondly, it is simply not pedagogical at all. I think the teacher can easily talk to each student who abuses trips to the bathroom, or to their parents, just to explain the situation."
"Ultimately, restrictive measures often appear simply from an unwillingness to do something more. After all, introducing a ban is the easiest thing. Much easier than getting students interested, isn't it?" Volodymyr questions.
The vast majority of people in the comments to the original post also massively agreed with the author. "Some kids may have a medical condition, seems like this policy would be unfair to them," one of the responders wrote. "Schools are more and more like prisons. It's sad," another person summarized.
The readers are also sure that mom should bring all this to the attention of the school administration. "Honestly I'd just send a 'so explain to me the bathroom pass thing' and let them use the opportunity to put it all in writing to immediately take to the principal and/or school board," one of the commenters added.
And now we'd also like to know your opinion on this case, so please feel free to share your thoughts in the comments below.
People in the comments supported the mom, and even urged her to go further and report this new 'rule' to the school board
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