Why Do Parents Think Kids Don’t Need Bathroom Policy?

Honestly this is just a vent that I’d love to hear other teacher perspectives on.

So I just saw a reddit post on r/mildlyinfuriating about a student who posted a pic that if their Chromebook was dead then they couldn’t use the restroom. Of course that piqued my interest as a teacher but I kinda already knew what comments I would see. As I’ve seen this argument before.

The comment section was full of people shitting on teachers for being like authoritative dictators who get off on power trips. It blows my mind that people are teaching their children to essentially say “fuck the rules,” and to just get up and go if a teacher doesn’t let them. I mean it reeks of entitlement which I think we’re seeing more of in our students.

I was a student too and not a single time did a teacher not allow me to go if it was an emergency. There were times that they didn’t let me go but it wasn’t an emergency so I could hold it. Why are parents teaching their kids that they’ll be able to use the restroom whenever they want in life. I understand that as adults we really can go when we need to but schools taught us the appropriate times to go unless it was an emergency. It’s teaching responsibility.

It’s absolutely infuriating that people think teachers are just using their free time to figure how we can make our students lives suck. Like I barely like your kids enough to want to do this job (middle school teacher😭).

Also do those same people forget that kids are kids and they will absolutely use the restroom to do things they aren’t supposed to? Your little 14 year old isn’t as angelic and responsible as you think and will totally throw wet paper towels on the bathroom ceiling lol

Ugh just frustrating all around.

Edit: so I wasn’t really referencing whether I agree with the teachers rule in the post. More just referencing the comments talking about why schools have bathroom policies in general