Although it may appear witty or hilarious to require a student to haul, say, a stuffed animal or a toilet seat to the bathroom or water fountain as a pass, there are other ways to fill one’s day with amusement.
Insisting that a multitude of students carry a single pass every day, every month, for the entire year, increases bacteria, encourages damage to property, and distracts students.As ignorant as it seems, not all students wash their hands after going to the bathroom, even knowing that germs spread through contact.
When a teacher necessitates that a student must take an unsanitary physical object as a hall pass, the action raises the chance of other students receiving germs. The decision to get a drink of water during class should not amplify your chances of getting sick. There may be speculation about exactly how much harm one pass could actually cause.
According to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, the flu virus can live on hard surfaces anywhere from two to eight hours. So that wonderful, little, random toy that acts as a pass may be breeding grounds for serious bacteria and viruses.
Another thought that comes to mind when contemplating this issue is the potential for inflicted damage. The New York Post reported that such a problem arose this year at the High School for Graphic Communication Arts in New York. The principal instated a hall pass system in which each classroom was given a labeled, wooden-handled toilet plunger.
Kids, seemingly upset by the poor choice of pass, utilized the two-foot-long plungers to strike other students, pop ceiling tiles, and well as dip them in the toilet and throw them around classrooms.
Even though this type of treatment of school property is discouraged, providing such tools would only make it easier for students to misuse them.
Each time a student leaves the classroom with one of the many creative and slightly absurd hall passes multiple teachers employ, heads turn. These items draw attention from classes just by existing.
Classes are best focused on content, not wasted time commenting on a pass. A simple handwritten note from a teacher would be sufficient for students to carry to the bathroom or water fountain during class.
After all, that is the method utilized when a student is called to the office or counselor. Using ridiculous hall passes wastes time, provokes disease, and contains the capacity for damage. It would be much more trouble-free to employ a more traditional hall pass system.
