I have a question for the homeschool parents?

Question

Do you ever read the questions in other categories under Education and Reference and get annoyed? I know that the "certified teachers" must feel the same about our questions, but really...

I have read two questions recently that really annoyed me. The first was about limiting access to the pencil sharpener, and the second was about limiting access to the bathroom! I think both are absurd.

I know that in public school, there are different issues and that perhaps some students woudl take advantage of these opportunities to disrupt the class, but really-should ALL of the students be punished for the possibilities that a few of them would abuse it?

In our homeschool "classroom", I keep a supply of sharpened pencils but each of my children also have these manual pencil sharpeners-they even have attachments on them to catch the debris. They were only about a dime each! If a child has a broken lead, though-is s/he really going to be punished for that? What if the parent bought the cheap pencils that break frequently?

The bathroom issue is even more serious. It is unhealthy for a child to be denied liquid anyway. A large percentage of people are dehydrated as it is, which causes us to be tired and lose focus, etc. Not only do we deny liquid, but if a child has to use the bathroom, s/he is punished for being late or having to leave class! If my children attended school and that happened, there would be a scene. It is also unhealthy for children to hold their bladders, and it is nearly impossible for a student to visit their locker, wait in line for a stall to open, and get to class before that bell rings. Considering that a lot of girls start menstruating young and need to visit the bathroom frequently, well...how can you deny that RIGHT? It is not a privelege.

I wish teachers would limit their bathroom visits to those three or so minute breaks, and use the student restrooms (not their planning break, and not the staff restroom) and get back to class before the bell rings-they would develop a bit more sympathy, for sure. I also wish that students that are denied the right to visit the bathroom would have the audacity to show the teacher the consequences of that-I am certain the teachers would be more accomodating after that.

Perhaps that is one of the best parts of ME teaching MY children-I know when they have legitimate needs and when they are making excuses to procrastinate. A school teacher could never know her students so intimately.

Answer 1

You know a lot of what teachers learn in college is crowd control. So they have to learn how to deal with issues of "Oh My, Johnny sharpens his pencil too much!  Now what do I do?"  

Wouldn't it be nice if each teacher was only in charge of teaching 5 or less students?  Just imagine how much faster those kids would learn!  And they might get to use the bathroom when they need to.

P.S. My son tried Junior High after homeshooling.  He would hide in the bathroom because they wouldn't give him enough time to go and then skip his next class all together.  Some of us didn't go to college to learn how to control bodily functions.

Answer 2

I do not necessary agree with your comment. I home school my son who is going into 3rd grade next week. I worked at an elementary school for 7 years before I had my son. I was not a teacher but the line to the one female and one male restroom for the teachers on recess break was long. I even had teachers coming into the nurses office to use that bathroom so they wouldn't be late to class. I do not believe in making children wait to use the restroom because you are right it is not healthy not only physically but mentally especially if they have an accident which could have been avoided. As far as the pencils I make sure my son has several sharpened and ready to use on his desk.

Answer 3

My son was so stressed in 2nd grade when he was afraid to use points to go to the bathroom. How crazy! I felt so bad for him that his day was consumed by worrying if he was going to have to go to the bathroom before recess and that he might get in trouble.

I understand that many students in higher grades might take advantage of bathroom breaks but it's still sad.

Best of Luck to You!

Jana

http://www.purehomeschooling.com

http://www.summerhouseliving.com

Answer 4

The bathroom thing really upsets me, because when my son was in public school, he had doctors papers stating if he has to to the bathroom, let him go rightthen & there. Butthe teachers refused to listen to those papers, so twice teh school called us to coem change my sons pants, becuase when hed raise his hands to ask to go, they would tell him NO, you go when the rest of the class goes.

I went off on the school, my son was made to sit there & wet his pants.That was so uncalled for!

I flat out told my son in front of the prinicple, & teachers, if you have to go, GO, if they dont like it, let them call us, I WILL more then GLADILY deal with them. How would the teachers like it if they were told NO you cant go, HOLD IT UNTIL the rest of the class goes??? I promise you, they go by there OWN rules, thats so worng!

Whats fair for the teacheres, is FAIR for the students too.

As for the pencil thing, my son was never into that, for some reason, he was scared of the pincle sharpener, I have no idea why, but to this day, he wont sharpen his pencils, I have to do it for him.  

My sons homeschooled now, & is so much happier too. But theres other reasons why we homeschool.  

the biggest reason we homeschool is because here in our state they dont see dyslexia as a learning disablitiy, were told "it doesnt exisit"!

Also my son is on a feeding pump every 3 hours, the school said they deal with that, ONLY if I came up to hook him up & unhook him.

I couldntdo that every 3 hours, so I said I can do so much better then the schools here, & decided to homeschool him.

Answer 5

In part, I do understand the pencil thing...there is an undeniable fascination with the pencil sharpener until age 11-12.  I've taught co op classes, for 4-7 grade, where we actually had to remove the thing from the room and make kids keep 3 sharpened pencils at all times - otherwise, they'd actually "sharpen" the thing until it was about and inch and a half long (resulting in nobody hearing the lesson).  So for that, I can completely understand elementary and early middle school teachers just keeping a sharpened supply at their desks.

I don't think that kids should be punished for it, but I also don't think that the class should be disrupted over and over again simply to watch the machine "eat" the pencil :)  Know what I mean?

The bathroom thing, though, is completely out of line, as far as I'm concerned.  It's one thing for high schoolers who are able to wait 5 minutes until the end of the lecture, but an 8yo often just plain can't.  There are either way to many other things to focus on and they don't realize they have to go until they *really* have to go...is it really worth making a kid pee their pants in public to maintain "class decorum"?  Or is it worth scaring a kid into a bladder infection?  It's not healthy, mentally or physically.

My parents are elementary teachers (public school) and when a kid has to go, they'll look them straight on and ask if they can hold it, or if they really have to go.  If they really have to, they get an immediate pass.  If they can hold it for 5 minutes till the end of the project or lesson, they're asked to do so.  This way, they don't miss out on the culmination of whatever's happening.  However, 5 minutes isn't going to put them in danger of anything if they're able to wait.

I do the same thing with my son, and with my classes.  When we're in the middle of a lesson, he's honestly so engrossed with whatever we're doing that he just doesn't realize it until he's ready to pop.  In that case, he just gets up and leaves.  In my classroom, my high schoolers are able to go when they need to (they generally wait for until there's a break in the lesson and slip out quietly) while my younger kids will tell me honestly if they have to *really* go or not.

I will say, from helping in my parents' classes, that ps teachers deal with things that we don't.  They deal with kids whose sole purpose in being at school is either to cut class or disrupt it, and they deal with kids who "have" to go to the bathroom 3 or 4 times within a 40 minute class.  (I'm sorry, but unless you're suffering from digestive problems, nobody has to go that much.)  Unfortunately, this is becoming so common place that in order to keep any sort of structure at all, they have to set up harsh rules.  Otherwise, the inmates will rule the asylum (so to speak) and nobody will learn a darn thing.

There has to be some balance between a kid being scared to ask for a bathroom pass and complete chaos, but sometimes it can be hard to find.  Quite frankly, even though I face challenges in homeschooling my son and in teaching my classes (5-12 grade), I thank my lucky stars that I don't have to deal with even a fraction of what some public school teachers are faced with every school year.  I do agree that this is a benefit of homeschooling - I know my son so well that I know when it's a legitimate need and when he's trying to get out of something - but I also think that many teachers give their all to try to make a difference to the kids they teach.  Unfortunately, sometimes it can be a trial to hit a balance in all areas, especially if they've had some...uh, "challenging" classes.

(Yes, there are definitely teachers who are more concerned with order in their class than with the needs of the kids, and this is just sad.  However, there are also teachers that are doing everything they can to make the best of a rough situation and may be challenged in finding balance between the two extremes.)

I do agree with you, but I also think that sometimes we don't see what they have to deal with.  We have trials and successes that they may not readily see, and they have the same that we may not readily see.  Anyway, JMHO.

Edit - after reading some responses on the question that prompted you to ask this, though I'm completely aware of where they're coming from, I just have to say that I am SO glad my son is homeschooled.  There is just no way he'd make it with only having one "emergency" pass per semester or year.  Sorry, but there has to be a balance between realizing which kids really have to go and which are milking it.  It's really not that difficult.

I do still understand why they do it, but there has to be some common sense mixed in with the rule-making...they're kids.  For crying out loud, let them pee so that they can pay attention in class.

Answer 6

I couldn't agree more.  When I was in 5th grade, going to school in Southern California, there was one day when it was about 110 degrees outside, so at lunch I drank a lot of water, the heat made me thirsty.  About an hour after lunch, I asked to go to the restroom... the teacher wouldn't let me go and said that I should have gone at lunch.  I explained that I had, but that I also had drunk a lot of water.

The teacher still wouldn't let me go.

1/2 hour later, I was sitting with my legs crossed, unable to think of anything else, so I wasn't learning anyway.  I asked again.  The teacher said no.

About 15 minutes after that it was so urgent I couldn't sit still, and asked again. Finally the teacher said yes, but by then, when I stood up the urine just started leaking out.  I ran to the bathroom and I guess more made it into the toilet than on my pants... but I still had a wet spot.

Why was it necessary for me WET MYSELF in 5th grade!?!?  I was old enough to know when I had to go!  The teacher forced me to hold it to the point where my body just couldn't hold it anymore.  Then the teacher acted irritated with me for not being physically able to hold it anymore.

The kids laughed and teased me daily for the next few weeks.

All because of some stupid policy this one teacher had.

I think its insane and dehumanizing.

Answer 7

I will admit sheepishly that I was that child. I used any excuse possible to get out of my chair and do something in school. All I can remember about elementary school was being bored. I couldn't wait for recess, lunch or that final bell.