At a school near me: The staff thought that the Tamagotchi were a good educational toy and liked the idea of kids developing a sense of responsibility in taking care of them. OTOH, they could not tolerate the kids being interrupted during class in having to feed/play/etc. with their toys. The solution: Kids would surrender their Tamagotchi upon entering school to a teacher's aide who would be responsible for feeding/playing/etc. the Tamagotchis until the kids were dismissed for the day and would be returned their Tamagotchi.