Dd 14, back to school and new rule females pupils are not to pull up tights in front of male teachers

[catnoir]

Dd 14 had her first assembly of the year this morning, and head mistress / principle has a list of new rules, one including female students are banned from pulling up/ adjusting their 60 denier tights in front of male teachers as she feels this is inappropriate and it must be done in private in bathrooms. Surely this is crazy?

Why not change tampons at the break
Yep the rule applies to female teachers too, they wouldn't usually shout out oi you lot im off to change my tampon would they and conversely wouldn't show their crotch to the class.

Also checkout operators cannot just get up and dive in the loo leaving customers stranded

They probably aren't competing with hundreds of other students to get their food though or wait for a free cubicle though.

I think a lot of people are forgetting that these are children we're talking about. Of course an adult teacher wouldn't announce they were changing their tampon. But a child might. For all sorts of reasons but probably the main one being because they haven't grown up yet!

Gileswithachainsaw

We are lucky where I work in that there are 6 toilets for 60 staff (3 male. 3 female)

I have worked in schools where there is one toilet for the entire faculty.

So yes sometimes workers are competing for toilets against other people in a limited time frame.

Hmmmmx100

The main reason for announcing is disruption.

And there are all sorts of reasons why CHILDREN disrupt lessons. On that basis you can't issue blanket punishments.

I agree Hmmm that they do it because as children they haven't yet learned impulse control. Part of our job as secondary teachers is to help them develop the impulse control that they will need to get on in the world as adults.

This just isn't something you can regulate effectively. A knee scratch could turn into a tight hitch - do you punish that? Where's the line? It's ridiculous bureaucracy that detracts from teaching and learning.

If you need a rule at all (and I'm not convinced that tight hoiking would be enough of a problem to need a specific rule) then it should be more along the lines of "No adjusting underwear and tights in public". Not specifically aimed at those pesky girls flaunting their 60 denier tights at those poor vulnerable male teachers.

Hmmmmx100

And yet we do issue blanket "punishments" for disruption.

'My interpretation of this rule is that she's insinuating this is a provocative act, and imo it's totally inappropriate for a male teacher to be distracted by underage girls, adjusting their uniform if needed.'

Couldn't agree more - disturbing!

Why not change tampons at the break? Revolutionary thought

A period isn't something that can be planned on arbitrary timings.

Those of us who work in schools and have periods seem to manage it.

hmm and adults are the same as children in their ability to cope with bleeding and the stability of their cycles?

Speaking as a former 14 year old girl, I often had heavy and painful periods as a teenager, and would sometimes need to change my pad/tampon during a lesson - either because I couldn't get to a loo at break or because of concerns about leaking. I obviously wouldn't announce this to the whole class but a child with behaviour issues just might.

I will always always let a girl out for the loo. Every time. I remember the sheer awfulness of period appearing from nowhere and how embarrassing it was, & I was in a girls school. Ugh.

The difference is between her having a discreet word and shouting across the room she needs to change her tampon to deliberately cause an unnecessary disturbance.

Same result can easily be reached with a quiet word in my ear or often just a knowing 'look' with a toilet request.

Oh and I bet staff have their own, far less crowded, toilets too.

Those of us who work in schools and have periods seem to manage it Oh ok. Didn't realise if you work in a school it means you can control when you get your period and how light it is! Must send an application off as it sounds fab!

I obviously wouldn't announce this to the whole class but a child with behaviour issues just might.

I did wonder when this would appear on the thread.

Morphene
Oh and I bet staff have their own, far less crowded, toilets too

Depends on the school.

If you're really lucky as a teacher, the few toilets there are (we have maybe 5 for about 50+ female staff) are right at the opposite end of school, necessitating at least a 5 minute round trip

Nope. I mean we have our own toilet but there are far fewer cubicles and only one staff toilet where as there are multiple sets of student toilets.
I let kids out to the toilet, in fact I've been in trouble with SLT for refusing to stick to no toilet rules but in the example given it was someone asking right after break. As I said, I'd let them go, but they'd make back the time at the end of class. If a girl came and quietly said to me "miss, I think I've just come on" she'd be allowed to leave straight away. Asking to change a tampon right after break isn't the same. Most of the time tampons can just be changed at break.

She is a child at the end of the day - if she wants to pull up her tights she should be able to. It would be weird for a male teacher to even notice! It's unlikely she'll need to lift her skirt up so what's the problem? I pull up tights and adjust my bra straps if they are uncomfortable.

My Dsis had heavy periods and needed the loo during lessons. My DM wrote a note to her form teacher and that excused her to go as necessary.

It's not rocket science to think of an easy solution. Nothing prevents the pupil from speaking to the teacher as they enter the class. I recall (at 13/14) letting a teacher know I wasn't feeling great and might need to go to the loo.

I didn't feel I needed to sayI was on my period. It's none of her business.

It's the shouting out that is basically disruptive. It's no wonder that if some parents find it acceptable the child will never learn.

Reminds me of the parent called my SIL called in because her DS was constantly swearing and generally poorly behaved. ..in front of the year head his DM says. ."What I have I told you about fucking swearing".

The apple doesn't fall far from the cart in many cases. ...but I see we've gone from tights to periods.

If we're expecting these children to turn into fully functioning adults, they have to be taught and guided appropriately at school.

I don't think parents realise how difficult it can be maintaining discipline in a school with hundreds or thousands of children. Of course you need blanket rules , otherwise you'll be accused of favouring some over others.