Wednesday. Eighth grade English. Third period.
Bernard asked to use the restroom.
Restroom policies are thorny. Why can't we just let the kiddos go? Because some of them just roam campus, getting into mischief and missing class time. So, there are various policies.
My policy is one at a time, and I keep a list. If the teacher doesn't care about the list, they can ignore it. But for those that keep track, it's there.
Ms. N left me her policy, which was that the students were given a pass with five out-of-class-free times. I was to initial this for any student who went.
So, when Bernard asked to use the restroom, I asked him for his pass. He told me Ms. N had never given him one.
I don't like telling a student no for the restroom, so I let Bernard go. But I made a note on my restroom list that "Bernard said he never got a pass".
The next day I got an email from Ms. N. (She just responded to the email I sent her about how the day went.)
Quick question: did you sign off on the students who used the restroom yesterday? If not, I will do that tomorrow or make them stay after and owe time, especially since they know they need a bathroom pass (Bernard did get a bathroom pass, FYI... sorry you had to deal with that).
Uh oh... Bernard's in trouble...
This is why I write these things down. Students get caught in these lies (and hopefully will be less likely to lie in the future when they get caught).
As for my answer, I replied that everyone else had given me their pass.
Middle schoolers trying to get away with stuff. If I had a dollar for every time they made the attempt...
Once the five are used up, do they get a new pass? I suppose if Bernard's was full he'd have said so, rather than lie.
ReplyDeleteNo. They get five get-out-of-class-frees per semester. They know they only get the five, so it helps them decide if they really should take the time out of class. (Some students would spend more time out of class than in it if we didn't.)
DeleteI was thinking exactly what Lisa said above. 5 in what period of time...a semester? Kids that age do lie...a lot!
ReplyDeleteYes, five a semester. And they do lie a lot at that age. The good news is they're very bad at it.
DeleteThey’ll learn quickly to save at least one of the five for a real bathroom emergency
ReplyDeleteIdeally. But, 8th graders. They haven't learned this yet.
DeleteKids will always try and get away with what they can.
ReplyDeleteThey will. Which is why I keep such detailed notes. It's funny when I see them later after they've found out how well their playing around went over with their teacher.
DeleteLooks like it's quite a challenge. Especially, trying to figure out if a kid is lying or not.
ReplyDeleteThis is why I state things they tell me in the note. If it's the truth, no harm, no foul. If it's not...
DeleteHa ha, Bernard's not as smart as he thinks he is!
ReplyDeleteThey never are at that age.
DeleteTackling restroom policies can be tricky! Kids will always test boundaries. Good to see you kept a log. Always helpful.
ReplyDeleteYes, kids will always try to find those boundaries.
DeleteHi Liz - well they need to appreciate things at some stage in their challenging lives ... Bernard won't be chuffed, will he have learnt - I doubt it ... good to know the teachers keep each other in the loop - cheers Hilary
ReplyDeleteHe'll learn eventually. Probably.
DeleteAh, the classic middle school lie! Your story really captures the essence of that age—where testing boundaries, even with something as simple as a bathroom pass, is a daily challenge. It's so relatable for anyone who's ever taught or been around that age group. I love how you handled the situation—keeping track of everything so that there's no room for the lies to slip by unnoticed. Your attention to detail is key in maintaining order in a classroom where students often try to find loopholes.
ReplyDeleteIt’s both amusing and a bit of a lesson about the power of documentation in teaching. It’s like the little things—those moments that seem insignificant at first—add up to teach students bigger lessons about accountability. And of course, the great irony of Bernard getting caught in his own web of lies—classic!
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Yup.
DeleteI'm here...horrible week. Anyhoo, kids will always try and get out from class. They just don't think it through
ReplyDeleteThey don't.
DeleteTesting testing 1-2-3. And they don't realize the experienced teachers have seen it all and have dealt with previous generations of the same student testing.
ReplyDeleteI never got around, by the way, to answering your question about day lengths where I live in New York State. Our longest day is 15 hours 15 minutes. Our shortest day is 9 hours 6 minutes. It was weird to me when I lived in Florida (for two years) and how their day length varied much less than what I was used to, growing up in New York City.
DeleteThe farther north you are, the greater the variation. Our longest day is 14 hours 25 minutes. Our shortest is 9 hours 55 minutes. It was wild to me to hear that if you live on the equator, your day length never changes.
DeleteWhat innocent sounding liars they are, too.
ReplyDeleteSometimes. Sometimes it's pretty obvious.
DeleteI swear, I haven't ;)) Well, they should know teachers speak to each other!
ReplyDeleteThey don't think that far ahead, sadly.
DeleteHa! I'm glad it was just the one that *tried to pull that one.
ReplyDeleteYeah, that was pretty good, actually. But they know their teacher, and they knew if they tried it, they wouldn't get away with it.
DeleteHopefully it will be a good lesson form him.
ReplyDeleteHopefully.
Delete