In 3rd grade, much to my teacher's dismay, this meant that because one student asked to leave to use the bathroom, everyone jumped on board and a sort of train ensued, one student leaving class after the other. How could anything get accomplished with this train of students in and out of the room?
In middle school, this train still exists. It's a phenomenon really. Since I teach in 90 minute blocks, there are days when I do not have a single interruption for an hour, yet as soon as one student asks to leave, it's as if everyone was suddenly reminded that they too have a bladder. Oy vey.
Now I am certainly not suggesting that teachers deny students access to the bathroom. I mean, let's face it, we especially know the agony of needing to use the bathroom but being unable to because, well, we have to watch our class. Go figure! Instead, I set out to find a way to limit the bathroom train- this idea that students don't actually need to leave class but just simply want to "escape" the room for a bit.
Thus, I created Ticket Passes! Woah. Life. Changing.
Students receive a set amount of tickets per month, adding their name in the space I provide. Whenever students need to leave for a drink, their locker, or the bathroom, they tear off a ticket and turn it in the class bin. If they lose or run out of tickets before the end of the month, they are not allowed to leave the room. Of course, I exclude any medical conditions and emergencies. At the start of the next month, I pass out new tickets and they collect any old remaining tickets. I've found that using color-paper works best so that each month I can see that students are using the new set, thus keeping this fair for all.
I usually find a great deal at Michaels over the summer and pick up a pack of neon paper, pastel paper, or whatever I can find that looks FUN! Each month, I pick a new color on which to print the passes, cut up the strips, and distribute! Viola! Instant student-accountability!
Find this resource pack HERE!
The key to this being effective is ensuring that both students and parents are aware that this is about student choice. If students are using all of their tickets in the first two weeks, they are most likely wasting their passes when they do not actually need to leave class. I always offer the example, "There are only five minutes of class left; do you really want to waste a ticket on going to the water fountain now?" Students almost always want to preserve their tickets and will quickly learn to choose wisely.
I also provide examples about how students can avoid running out of tickets and finding themselves in a jam:
- Come prepared to class to avoid an extra locker trip
- Get a drink during passing, before or after class
- Use the bathroom during homeroom or lunch
Much like any routine you set in class, it takes some time to truly catch on but the results are worth the effort! After implementing this strategy, my students are less likely to leave just to get out of class. This year, I tried a ticket raffle at the end of each month with any unused tickets. This served two purposes really:
1. Reward positive behavior for staying in class
2. Ensure that students weren't inclined to "hoard" old tickets in an attempt to reuse them the next month... because let's be honest #middleschoolbrains
Students suggested that we try a "trade-in value" for unused tickets, something like- for every ticket they had leftover, students get a point towards the next test. Depending on what September brings, I just might give it a go!
