Watch this video [1:27] to learn how I keep ‘bathroom breaks’ under control in my classroom.

“Can I go to the restroom?” Now, how many of you battle with ‘the bathroom’ on a constant basis?

I never say no. But I always put something with it.”Yes, as soon as I finish this direction.” Or “Yes, just let me pass out these papers.”

Then I get back and say, “OK, I’m done with that. It’s OK to go to the restroom.” Sometimes the child is like, “It’s OK, I don’t have to go.” Then I know that they were just doing it to seek avoidance.

In some classrooms, especially with older kids, I put a bathroom policy in place, right from the beginning. Sign out, take the pass, sign back in. At the end of the week, I take the time to calculate how much time each kid signs out for—how long did it take them to come back?

If I see a problem, I sit down at the end of the week with that kid and say, “What’s going on here? We’ve got to remedy this problem.”