Every semester, I receive accommodation notices from students regarding their educational needs. It seems like each year, I receive a more extensive list of students who require extra time for assignments and extra exam time, among other things. I understand that not everybody learns the same way. I do my best learning by listening to somebody explain it. I don’t need to see them demonstrating (usually); I listen to what they say. I probably do this because if I look at them, I might focus on that thing hanging out of their nose (it’s gross). This article is not about me grousing about accommodations or nasal hygiene. Both are important if we want to see more people succeed in educational environments while keeping their noses clean.

During the first week of class, several students asked if they could use the restroom. I found it a little odd that they asked, but I usually chalk that up to high school habits. If they ask me to leave the room, I typically respond, “You’re grown” since they are adults. They don’t need my permission to leave the class for personal issues. I don’t care to know what you are doing. There is no need to advertise your bowel issues to us.

After one class, another student asked me if it would be all right if they could leave mid-class when they needed to address their medical condition. I looked at them in amazement as nobody ever approached me to ask such a thing seriously. I thought the student was pranking me but forgot to bring a camera. It wasn’t until after our conversation that something disheartening dawned on me: faculty members were holding students hostage during class.

Don’t get me wrong, there are times when students should not be allowed to leave the room, especially during an exam. I remember when students left notes in the bathroom as a backup plan. I don’t know if it ever worked for them, but I remember my classmates using it when I was an undergrad. Regardless, most classes don’t require lockdown protocols to get through. Yet, there are faculty who act more like wardens than professors. What could they possibly be teaching that forbids students from leaving the room? I highly doubt any college campus offers a course that requires students to strap themselves into a chair harness to learn osmosis. That doesn’t sound like a bad idea, though. Imagine how many head trauma victims we could save from passing out during boring lectures.

Seriously though, what is the impetus behind forbidding students to leave the classroom for medical/bathroom emergencies? I asked students in a senior-level class if they had courses where they were not allowed to leave the room under any circumstances. Looking beyond what might be student exaggeration, I was alarmed that over half of the class had at least one course where they could not leave to take care of personal matters. One individual stated that he would be marked absent if he left during the lecture to use the restroom at any point in the class.

I don’t want to tell anybody how they should run their classroom, but using the bathroom is a human right. I also don’t like the smell of human filth either, so I have no problem letting my students handle their business. Besides, I didn’t earn my Ph.D. in the custodial arts.