Kindergarteners coming to school not potty trained
Kindergarten teachers are increasingly expected to handle bathroom accidents and cleanup for students who are not yet potty trained. This shifts basic parenting responsibilities onto educators and creates uncomfortable situations for teachers who feel toileting children outside their role.
What people tried
Every workaround mentioned in the threads below. We haven’t tested any of them — and nobody here is claiming they worked.
- 1Standing outside the door and verbally walking the child through it step by step without handling their clothes
In their words
Unedited, most upvoted first, each linked to the thread it came from.
“We now have no less than six kindergarten students who are not potty trained.”source ↗
“when did it become the school’s responsibility to potty train children?”source ↗
Deftonesmo2 · r/Teachers · 84 upvotes
“as a man I am not in the slightest interested in toileting a child that isn’t mine.”source ↗
Gold_Repair_3557 · r/Teachers · 10 upvotes
Where this came up
People with this problem also raised
- 3How do I start potty training when I don't have a yard?
- 9How to handle an out of control kindergarten class
- 7How to handle too many bathroom breaks during class
- 3How to teach a toddler to share in small spaces
- 10How to handle a toddler fighting diaper changes and teeth brushing
- 2How to handle bedwetting during sleepovers and trips