May I Use the...?
Photo by Cora Kuhlenbeck
Everyone has had some form of this experience: You’re sitting in class when all of a sudden you really have to use the bathroom, and your teacher is in the middle of teaching the lesson, or the class is taking a test. There’s no opportunity to ask to use the restroom, and even if you did, there is the potential for your teacher to say no. The reality is that asking to use the restroom during class is programmed into students’ minds as a “must do.” But, why is it even necessary to ask to use the restroom during class?
Using the bathroom is a basic necessity of the human body. Humans are physically incapable of “holding it in,” and even if they do, at some point the body will take over the mind and make the body use the bathroom regardless. High school students are more than capable of using the restroom without having to ask permission to perform a basic necessity. In my own experience, I have been told I can’t use the restroom during class or even during advisement more times than I have been allowed to in my 12 years of schooling. Why is this? Many teachers view asking to use the bathroom as a disruption to the class; they may worry that the student will abuse this so called “privilege” and roam the hallways or just skip school all together. However, this isn't the case for the majority of students. Most students actually have to use the bathroom, but the teacher saying no jumped to conclusions due to past students.
It would be more beneficial for students, teachers, and the whole class for students not to have to ask to use the bathroom. By not having to ask to use the restroom, the teacher is able to continue teaching, the class’s attention is not taken off the teacher, and the student is able to use the bathroom and return to class ready to focus. When a student is forced to “hold it in,” their ability to focus is limited. A student’s focus shifts from the class lesson to, “I really have to go to the bathroom,” “When can I use the bathroom?” “Why won’t they let me use the restroom?”
Unfortunately, health issues can occur from “holding it in,”' including urinary tract infections, intestinal problems, and brain to bladder signal issues. Urinary tract infections occur when bacteria collects in urine that has been in the bladder for a while, and since the teacher is forcing the student to hold it in, the possibility of the student contracting a urinary tract infection is high. Intestinal issues can put the student at risk for constipation that can make going to the bathroom regularly and easily a lot more difficult. Constipation disrupts the natural cycle of using the restroom. “Holding it in” also causes the brain to start ignoring the signals in the bladder that the body has to use the restroom. This can cause the bladder and intestines to fill up even more than normal before the body realizes that it needs to get to the restroom.
These health issues are not worth developing just because a teacher doesn’t want class to be interrupted. They are, at most times, more important than the class lesson.
Now, if we look into the real world, what all high school teachers say they are preparing their students for, adults don’t have to ask permission to use the bathroom. If adults are allowed to use the bathroom when they please and without asking, then why should high school students have to ask permission? Obviously adults wouldn’t just get up during a meeting and leave the room without excusing themselves, but they are still allowed to leave and go if they need to.
However, if a high school student did that, they would be punished for “leaving class.” If students didn’t have to ask, they would be able to get up, not disturb the class or teacher, mouth to the teacher, “bathroom,” and use the restroom in peace. This way the teacher is aware of where the student is going without having to stop class in order to answer the question. This is a solution that allows the teacher to know where students are and how long they have been gone. With this method, it kills two birds with one stone; the student can use the restroom when they need to, and the teacher is aware of their whereabouts. Using the bathroom is a right, not a privilege. Teachers should understand this, as they are humans too, and start enforcing a “not having to ask to go” policy in their classrooms.
