Saying NO to Whole Group Bathroom Breaks!

Before I even start this blog post I should state that I do not have a bathroom in my classroom.  Most schools in my district do not have a bathroom in the classrooms.

Now, let's talk about bathroom breaks and why I refuse to take my whole class to the bathroom for a "bathroom break."

 It wastes A LOT of instructional time.  When I used to take my whole class on a bathroom break, it would take between 10 to 15 minutes.  We would take two bathroom breaks a day.  That is a loss of almost 30 minutes of instructional time a day!

 Less behavior problems.  Ninety-nine percent of my behavior problems came from either the playground or the BATHROOM!  When there is a group of children in the bathroom it is inevitable, there will be problems.

Students don't have to go to the bathroom "on demand."  When you take your whole class to the bathroom, you are basically expecting them to go "on demand" but our bodies don't work like that.


Now that you know why I no longer take my students to the bathroom as a group you may be wondering what I do instead.

We have hand signals for a tissue, bathroom, and drink of water.  My students know to put up the amount of fingers for what they need.  I just shake my head yes or no depending on what we are doing and if it is a good time for the student to leave the classroom.

One question I always get from other teachers is "Aren't your students always asking to go?"  My answer is NO!  Because no one hears another student asking to go to the bathroom it reduces that domino effect you normally have.  All my students see is me nodding my head yes or no.  Many times the other students don't even notice me nodding.

Want my hand signal posters for free?  Just click on the image below and grab them for yourself!

How do you handle bathroom breaks with your students?  Let me know in the comments below!