Back when my Darling Democrat and I both worked, we would put the Apolitical Pooch in her crate at 6:30 and release her when we got home at 3:300 -- an 9-hour crate time with no bathroom break. We would immediately get her to the field across teh street when we came home.

Why can't a teen be expected to wait 90 minutes to use the restroom -- especially with many schools having 10-minute passing periods between classes?

Even though Daniel Thornton occasionally needed to go to the bathroom during his AP history course last year, he also needed a B on the midterm to maintain his grade. So he did what lots of students at Forest Park Senior High School in Woodbridge do in their Darwinian pursuit of academic success: Thornton endured a full bladder and instead hoarded his two restroom passes, which, unused, were worth six points of extra credit.

It was enough to bump the 18-year-old's midterm grade from a C-plus to a B.

"Occasionally it made days unpleasant, but I was just very careful. I would try to go in the five minutes beforehand or afterwards, between classes," said Thornton, who will graduate this month. "Some of my classmates definitely had a lot of trouble. People around me would fidget, especially girls."

Bladder control, especially in an era of 90-minute classes, is a vital skill in many Washington area high schools, where administrators often limit access to restrooms during class to reduce interruptions and quash potential mischief in areas without adult supervision.

Restrooms, of course, have been a choice milieu for school scofflaws since the advent of indoor plumbing. With school security a top priority, administrators have become vigilant enforcers as they try to block loitering, bullying or drug use in student restrooms.

What I've noticed is that many kids are using the restroom as the new phone booth. I've heard whispered comments about same-sex encounters as well -- especially in the girls restroom. And of course, there are the other illicit transactions mentioned in the article.

And the interesting thing is that it is usually the same kids wanting to go at the same time.

And I won't get into the question of the girls whose period apparently begins on the first day of school and runs through the end of May -- shouldn't they seek medical assistance?

What I am saying is that 90% of these bathrooom breaks are about getting out of class for illicit purposes -- not taking care of necessary bodily functions.

As a result, I will be very happy to see my school return to a more traditional schedule, with 45 minute periods. After all, there will be no excuses for not being able to wait in most instances -- and since our school declares teh first 20 minutes and last 20 minutes of each period to be a "dead time" when no student is permitted in the hall, we won't have any time to send them anyway!

Posted by: Greg at 11:20 PM | Comments (3) | Add Comment
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