My Week in Three Words: Bathroom Pass Flowchart

Clearly, it's February.  Because this was the most important thing I taught this week.  Yes, it's come to this.  Sigh.

I am a patient teacher and calm person in general.  One of my first year students commented recently that she's never seen me yell or get mad.  I try to yell only in emergencies, and I don't get angry often.  But there are times when even my patience is exhausted.

Like Thursday morning.  Trips to the bathroom during class time had been increasing in frequency and duration for a while when yet another student asked to go to the bathroom.  3 minutes in to first period.  And his homework wasn't done.  And he asked in English.  In 2nd year German.  I had reached my limit.

So, we had an extended talk then and there about appropriate (during work time at the end of class, when you are finished with an activity) and inappropriate times (when I am helping to someone else, when I am in the middle of a lesson, when a classmate is in the middle of presenting, the list goes on) to ask to use the bathroom.  We talked about the inappropriateness of cell phone use in the bathroom (ick!) and that the walk to the bathroom is not meant for cell phone use.  I didn't yell, but students knew I was angry.  

In many respects, I can't believe I had to have this talk in a 2nd year German class that is almost half seniors.  But apparently this was needed. 

Later, when I had calmed down, I remembered that in addition to teaching German, I am teaching teenagers.  We want them to be ready for college and life, so if they haven't yet figured out how to consider the needs of their classmates and teachers in addition to their own need to use the bathroom (or desire to check their Snapchat on the way), I guess it's my job to teach that too.  

In case your students need instruction on this too, here's my bathroom flowchart.  Happy February!