The teenager reported the teacher. However, her father, brother and some friends did not support her action.
Despite the awareness we have today, menstruation is still stigmatized and considered taboo. This stigma has forced women to undergo uncomfortable situations whether it is at home, school, or work. One teenager, who faced a distressing experience, took to Reddit. The girl revealed she was asked to "control" her periods during an online class. Consequently, she reported her teacher's insensitive and ignorant behavior.
Before describing the details of the incident, the 16-year-old told Redditors that it was mandatory for her to keep the video on during online classes. She also mentioned that they had to privately text their teacher in order to use the restroom.
She wrote, "My school requires us to keep our cameras on during the entire class. If we need to use the restroom we are supposed to privately message our teacher and ask to leave. I have absolutely no issue with these rules as I understand that online teaching is hard and you have to make sure everyone is attentive during classes." Further, she told users that all students were required to fill a google document and state their concerns pertaining to their classes.
"We also have this system where at the end of the week every student is emailed a google document in which we are supposed to type out any problems we had with the classes during the week (eg—[if]a teacher is favoring a student etc..)," wrote the student.
Further, the young teenager went on to describe the shocking events of her online class.
"On Thursday, I had a math class which was taught by 'Mr. T.' He's never really been very strict and had always seemed quite reserved and quiet," she wrote. She continued, "Of course, I've never been in a lesson with him outside of online school so I can't really judge. During the class, I realized I had started my period."
Having realized she was getting her periods, the girl texted her teacher. Though she messaged him twice, she did not get any response. Soon, the girl grew restless and texted him again. This time, she mentioned she had to use the restroom because of her periods.
Fortunately, the teacher replied to her message. But his response stunned her. She wrote, "He replies with this, 'You should have planned better. Learn to control yourself.' Uhhh... What? I CAN'T control my period. I tried explaining that I couldn't but he didn't respond. I got annoyed and switched off my camera anyways and left to the bathroom. Once I came back, I saw that he had kicked me out of the meeting."
Additionally, he also reported she turned off her video during class. This in turn resulted in her getting a warning from the school authorities.
The girl was furious and decided to let the school know of her teacher's doing. So, the teenager mentioned the incident in the google document. Soon, she learned that her teacher was being investigated based on the multiple complaints against him. Her complaint was apparently the "last straw."
However, the girl's action did not sit well with her father, brother, and even some of her friends. "My dad, brother, and a few of my friends are calling me an asshole as I could've just waited for a while instead of complaining and potentially making a man lose his job, especially during this time. [I don't know, I'm] feeling really guilty now. I don't want him to lose his job. Am I the a**hole?" wrote the teenager.
Reddit users responded to the incident and supported the girl. They called out her father and brother for blaming her when she was the victim of a teacher's ignorance. "Your dad, brother, and friends (who I am assuming are also male) are the a**holes. I'm so fu**ing tired of men thinking we can just hold in our period blood the way you can with your bladder. This is a grown-a** man teaching a class of kids that are probably half female. He should know the bare basics about menstruation and how to address if a female student is having an issue," wrote one angry user.
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Cover Image Source (Representational): Getty Images | Photo by AntonioGuillem
