Really embarrassed!

[Serena1977]

For context, I suffer from bowel issues since having my gall bladder removed many years ago. And now I'm 45 I also have monster periods which the doc says is the pperimenopause.

I am a trainee teacher on my 2nd placement. The female head has asked my male mentor to ask me whether I have an issue and could I keep to break and lunch times unless I'm caught short! But i never go unless i cant make it to the next break.

I didnt know what to say so I mumbled that there is no problem and I'll try.

Never commented on in my last placement, in fact I remember in the early days, I remember asking to go to the toilet and them saying as long as there is another adult in the room, you dont ask just go. I wondered if there was a problem here anyway because i ask and i always get a raised eyebrow and told erm ok, yes!

I never would go if there weren't another adult, it is only in an emergency, the overall frequency hasnt increased recently, it has never come up before so don't know what to do.
Speak to the head? Forget about it and try my best? Speak to the training agency?

Any ideas?

Don't be embarrassed, you don't have anything to be ashamed of; and the head is only asking you because she doesn't know you have medical issues. Her request would be fair if there were no underlying problems.

Don't feel you have to go into detail, just say that for medical reasons you do have to visit the loo more frequently, and that it can't wait til break time. That should be all she needs to know.

This would, I think, count as a disability that gets you reasonable adjustments. I’d probably talk to your training agency and your union in the first place, and get advice on getting an OH assessment.

Have you got a learning contract? Sounds like you could do with a reasonable adjustment which would be to use the toilet when you need to.

I used to manage placements for a particular profession and had loads of students over the years with similar issues.

I agree with PP. Saying you need to go because of medical reason should suffice.
I used to have a job that was really difficult to find a loo break. I told them that I needed to go, it was male boss, and it was embarrassing, but my health was more important than awkwardness.

Teachers generally stick to toilet breaks during official break times as it's so busy and full on when the children are in class.

It may be that with you being a mature student who could have been in jobs where you had more freedom with comfort breaks they are trying to raise that unwritten expectation with you as a bit of a prompt as to what it's like as a fully trained teacher. I still think it's very nosy and intrusive to be monitoring somebody's toilet trips though.

Of course though you have every right to use the toilet when you need to and simply telling your mentor that you have a medical need to use the toilet should stop anymore intrusion into your toilet habits :)