If a student sneezes in the middle of class, they don’t need to ask to run to the front of the room to grab a tissue. This is a basic, hygienic right. The same approach should be applied to students having to go to the bathroom during class. Asking a teacher or even worse, sacrificing class points, to use the restroom is unacceptable. Students should be able to go the bathroom when they want without having to ask the teacher if they are allowed.
On the first day of AP World Literature, Mrs. Froehlich went through the class syllabus and at the end she added, “If you need to go to the bathroom, don’t ask, just go.” She proceeded to explain how she expects high school students not to take advantage of this freedom and that if they really need to leave the room it must be for a good reason. “If kids abuse this power and leave class all the time,” she explained, “obviously they should not be enrolled in this course.”
Teachers hand out bathroom passes to try and reduce the flow of students leaving the room. Some even have policies where if unused, the pass can be turned in for extra credit at the end of the quarter. While this does reduce the amount of activity in the hallways during class, asking students to sacrifice personal comfort in exchange for another point on a test is unethical. Furthermore, what if a student athlete is hydrating for their game and needs to go to use the restroom during class? Should they be forced to sacrifice the extra point that their classmates are gaining just because they are preparing their body to represent Edina High School?
Teachers rightfully get frustrated when they are trying to teach and there is a constant flow of students leaving to use the restroom, but part of being a teacher is letting kids make mistakes. If a student abuses their power to use the bathroom, they will miss information or assignments that they will need to make up. Allotting this freedom to students forces them to test their personal control and maturity individuals.
Just like blowing your nose, being able to use the restroom when it is necessary is a personal right that should not be limited by teachers.