Managing Frequent Flyers

All teachers encounter at least one student who requests to go to the bathroom or elsewhere every day during the school year—I refer to this type of student as a frequent flyer.

Some students attempt to skip parts of class for various reasons; some genuinely have bathroom needs, while most aim to skip class to meet friends. For instance, some schedule meet-ups: "Meet me in the bathroom after your test" or "See me at 11:30 in the library hallway." How can we ensure these frequent flyers spend more time in the classroom?

I propose implementing a reward system alongside a clear policy on leaving the classroom. In the syllabus provided to my students each year, I outline the rewards they can earn for conserving their "pesos" (hallway passes).

Another benefit of using pesos for allowing students to leave the classroom is that each time they need to use one, they must speak in Spanish. For example, they would say, "¿Puedo ir a mi armario, por favor?" and I would respond, "Explícame, por favor." Then, they must explain in Spanish: "Necesito ir a mi armario porque necesito mi cuaderno."

Creating pesos is straightforward: select a currency from a target country, copy images of bills of different denominations onto a PowerPoint document, and print an original. I recommend making copies of the pesos on colored paper and using a stamp and signature to prevent students from counterfeiting them. In my case, I use an embossing stamp that I customized from Amazon, costing about $22 USD. I've included a picture of my pesos for illustration.

Here's my policy:

You will receive 6 pesos each semester in this class. Additionally, you can earn or win more throughout the year through participation.

You can use your pesos to:

• Go to the bathroom.

• Go to your locker.

• Go to the water fountain.

• Cancel a tardy.

If you save your pesos, you can:

• Use one to add 10 points to a daily grade. Note: You can only do this grade enhancement once per nine weeks.

• Unused pesos can be used at the end of the semester to add one point to your semester exam.

If you lose your pesos, replacements will not be provided. It is your responsibility to keep track of them.

Do you have a different strategy for managing frequent flyers?

To proficiency and beyond!