Potty issues suck.

Whether it is potty training or determining whether or not a kid REALLY has to go to the bathrooom or just wants to walk around the campus, potty issues suck.

Last week when I subbed for a fourth grade class, a student wanted to use the restroom. I should have known if the trip is longer than five minutes that there is foul play involved.

Bubbles. Paper towels. Throw in a friend from class who thought the previous student was heading for the office and hey, we’ve got a party.

Fast forward to today, a high school student has been gone for fifteen minutes. Another allegedly untrustworthy student has a migraine and needs to go to the office. I called security to retrieve the first student and also to let them know migraine boy was on his way to to the nurse. First boy gets back and I yell at him for taking too long and told him security has documented his behavior. I’ve subbed for this kid before and told him that I cannot trust him anymore.

Second boy gets sent back from the office; he said they called his mom. He said he needed to go to the bathroom and he said he’d go and come right back.

I’m a softie. I’m a mom. I don’t want anyone to get a urinary tract infection. I let him go.

I step out after a few moments and send a student to get him. Untrustworthy student is walking back from a direction other than the closest restroom. I told him that I sub here a lot and know now not to trust him.

Lesson learned. Those three students will now be escorted to the bathroom from now on. They just don’t know it yet.