Teaching Thursday

One of the things that is a stumbling block to meal time is the ferocious screaming and talking and playing in the bathroom that children will do if not stopped. At the Garden School we are making every effort to Stop, Think, and Be careful in everything we do.

One of those things is attending our natural business in the bathroom quietly. We have talked and talked to the children about "sharing" in the bathroom because this lengthens the time that it takes to manage thirty five children taking care of their needs, sitting down, taking meal attendance, saying a quick prayer and finally eating.

When boys talk in the bathroom, their natural tendency is to push, to quarrel, and somebody gets hurt. When boys chatter in the bathroom, they will share stalls and somebody's feelings get hurt - not to mention the mess. When dealing with very young children, recess and hand washing effectively is a very hard thing to do well when a teacher is constantly trying to supervise the horseplay.

So since Thanksgiving, we have silenced the bathroom. Every child is reminded when he goes into the bathroom that there is no talking in the bathrooms. He is warned once, and then he will lose his medal. It is amazing how many children think the rules don't apply to them and have lost their medals this week for visiting, directing other children, fighting, and just not "thinking" when they go into the bathroom. This, of course, pulls a present off the Santa Prize string.

On the good side, when silence is maintained, the bathroom trip for all thirty five children is a little over five minutes. When the children are not quiet, the trip is closer to fifteen minutes. The best behaved children wait and wait, and it's simply not fair.

The question for teachers to ask is: Is it too difficult for children to do? Is the bathroom a place that teachers should allow for play? Is this a social zone that teachers are not aware of?

Collectively, Garden School teachers think that every child has the ability to do this. Perhaps the motivation is not there, but the ability certainly is. We teachers think the table is a better social zone than the bathroom. And collectively we think that hot food is better than a hot lunch that has cooled off.

The discipline of the guided child makes for a happier environment. Children come to the table quietly, thoughtfully and ready to eat when the free for all has been squashed.

In big school, children will need to know how to stand in line quietly, how to use the bathroom with other children with a fight free mentality. These are all good things to learn to do. We are proud of most of our children. Please encourage your child not to play in the bathroom at home and to remember to flush, wash his hands, face if necessary, and be quickly and quietly mindful of what he is doing in there !