Or is this PE teacher unreasonable about periods

[BigSandyBalls2015]

DD(15) is doing GCSE PE. Part of this involves 'personal survival' which takes place in local swimming pool.

The school obv need to book this, can't just turn up, but DD queried what would happen if some of the girls had their period at the time. PE teacher (female) replied that they'd obviously have to use a tampon, they can't miss it, can't arrange another day. A few girls told her they didn't use/get on with tampons and she got annoyed saying they'd have to get on with it on the day as no other option.

cat Nice work there You will conquer the internet next

BlankTVscreen: Right, I've got you now. That may well work for the majority of students, but half-term? Middle of May. Exams? Start in May. The pool? May not be available at the desired times. This is well meaning (and probably a good idea) but it won't solve the issue of teaching the course as well as examining the students.

"DONT HAVE SWIMMING AS A CORE PART OF THE GCSE"

Sorry to burst your bubble, but it's not a core part.

It's an option, just like ski-ing or korfball or rugby.

But if you choose this option you need to be assessed, or apply for special consideration if youn annotated the assessment for swimming, you other performance options, or any of the exams.

You havent pointed out why it wouldn't work
You have repeated the point that an exam cannot be rescheduled around every girls' period,
Your lack of grasping the issue is either willful or irreparable, or both.

"No one needs to share their menstrual cycle with anyone. They just get told both dates - with girls being told that if they are on their period in date 1 then they can do the assessment on date 2 - no questions asked.

This assumes that the assessments do not clash with any other GCSE assessments/orals/exams, and that the girls have a regular enough cycle to know which they will prefer before GCSE timetables come out (fort hose who might not know, for this summer, they are already done)

Karlakitten "Yes of course, lets cancel or move the whole thing or provide a variety of sessions for all the girls on their periods. Seriously?!!! Some people don't live in the real world and are pampered, pandered to princesses. Get a grip"

Karlakitten I have plenty of grips thanks. Are you female? If not, your opinion on periods is, of course, irrelevant. However, of you are female you know, I hope, that periods are normal. Biological, necessary for our species.

If our society revolved equally around males and females allowing for something normal, biological and necessary would be perfectly normal! Instead we females are the alien in our own species!

Male bodies are considered normal. Bleeding for days each months is seen as abnormal.

Male AND female bodies are normal.

Bleeding each month is normal for female bodies.

These young women with their pesky periods so dispised by many are actually half the fucking planet. We need to stop apologising and start demanding recognition that what we experience is totally normal, maybe difficult, but a biological reality.

With the introduction of linear GCSEs, having assessments other than in the exam season us a non-starter (at least in the sense it's something that schools certainly nor exam boards can do anything about).

And as you will know if you have a GCSE-aged DZc , exam timetables are sorted by now. Even with two dates, could you really choose one now?

Yes i know med

I have said it loads of times! I can cut and paste my posts but i cant be arsed

You are not bursting any bubbles, you are also not reading any of my posts

(Well i have said it at least twice)

I give up.

italiangreyhound
YY

BlankTVscreen: This isn't about attitudes. You can have a perfectly understanding attitude WRT these issues (I am a woman, I menstruate, I did not always use tampons - I understand); it doesn't excuse you from taking practical considerations into account. You are failing to be realistic and I don't think I can say anything to fix this.

BlankTVscreen: I'm afraid it won't, no. If I believed it would work it would get a big thumbs up from me.

BlankTVscreen: Right, so although I say your solution is unreasonable and a reasonable solution would be fine, I am obviously lying for some strange reason known only to myself? Okay. Yes, we are getting nowhere.

Or how about schools within that borough actually work together for a change rather than working hard against each other?
Each school book x dates for this session and share these dates with the other schools. There would be at
Least one date available to all students.
Like I said earlier, when my dd was at school this is what they did. It worked.

And fucking hell. Get cahms involved. By the time an appointment was made
To see someone chances are the young
Girl would have graduated from university.

BlankTVscreen: I did. You can't guarantee that the exam timetable, school holiday, staff availability and facilities can be made to work to accommodate two dates for assessment with a fortnight in between. You also can't teach the whole course like this; the exam is only part of what is required.

"Each school book x dates for this session and share these dates with the other schools"

Would that fall, within or outwith the rules for consortia? If so, how? If not, how would you change then?

I think the lead for this needs to come from the sport's governing bodies fior swimming.

Isn't it the case that GCSE performance specs are drawn up in consultation with the governing bodies? If they stated that no event could be run on a single date (as this inhibited girls participation) then neither schools nor exam boards would have a leg to stand on.

LiviaDrusillaAugusta I am so very sorry to hear what happened to you and the affect it has had on you.

Trifleorbust "... If there is a sensible workaround then there is no reason. But if their decision not to use tampons is making things unworkable, it is reasonable for there to be a compromise where of course no-one demands they use tampons, but they aren't making additional work for other students or staff."
and
"... I would be pissed off if I had to constantly reschedule those activities."

The only reason things are unworkable or teachers or staff may feel 'pissed off' is because being female and doing what females do naturally is considered a problem. Because schools clearly run for the benefit of the staff and not the girls! IMHO.

I suggested upthread that better working together between schools could allow for no issues, IMHO. Would a child in a wheelchair be denied a subject because the lift does not go to that floor?

Trifleorbust "It isn't the same as a registered disability or SN. Staff can't reschedule swimming lessons for every girl on her period. Be serious."

OF COURSE being female is not a disability, because that is exactly the point! It is fucking normal for half the planet and the fact you are so determined to want to ignore it is gob-smacking!