Female Colleague Calls Out Male Teacher For Supplying Basket Full Of Tampons And Pads For His Students

Sep 23, 2021 by apost team

Over the years, period products have been seen as taboo products. Seeing tampons and pads and simply just mentioning them and the concept of periods can make people uncomfortable, especially those who didn’t grow up feeling like they could talk about the topic. While it seems a bit old-school to some, it’s common for people to be stuck in their ways and have a hard time adjusting to the open-mindedness today’s generation can bring.

Period products aren’t always cheap, and the expenses can quickly add up over the months. On top of that, many people are raised to view periods as something to be ashamed of, resulting in a huge issue with the topic in general. Unfortunately, many people still view the topic of periods as taboo and have continued to express their discomfort with just the mention of it. Thankfully, many people have begun to embrace having conversations around the topic and spreading awareness on how to help people who need period products. 

A teacher in California noticed that some of his students were having trouble accessing pads and tampons, so he decided to bring in a basket full of products into his classroom and routinely restocks it. His students seem to really love it, but one of his female colleagues was not thrilled. She found it weird that a male teacher was providing period products to his students and seemed very uncomfortable with the idea. The male teacher went to Reddit on Sept. 14, 2021, to talk about his altercation with his colleague and asked Reddit users for advice on how to handle the situation.

Trying To Help His Students

While some people have expressed being uncomfortable talking about periods and period products, many people nowadays are working toward removing that shame that people who menstruate feel when having to ask for these products. Starting off his Reddit post, the original poster (OP) explained that he is 38 years old and is a father of two daughters. He is also a teacher at a high school in California. “Since we started off the school year recently I’ve been noticing our female students have been having some ‘issues’ and it’s hard for them to have/find tampons/pads etc when they need it,” OP said.

While raising his daughters, OP has made sure to always have period products readily available for them, and decided to do the same for his students. He bought plenty of pads and tampons to put in a basket that would be stationed in the classroom for students to grab at their convenience whenever they needed them. “The whole class loves it,” OP said. “Nobody says anything and overall it’s helpful for our students.” However, not everyone was as ecstatic about the teacher’s actions.

Nextdoor to OP’s classroom is his colleague Susan who is about 60 years old. She wasn’t a fan of his basket full of period products. “She thinks it’s inappropriate that I have that for my female students and she told me it’s weird because I’m a male,” he said. “I don’t find it weird or anything.” OP continued, “It’s natural and it happens. To make it convenient for my students I made the basket and they love it and I also refill the basket on a constant basis.”

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Reducing Stigma Surrounding Periods

No one seemed to have any issues with the basket besides Susan, and OP was confused on what he should do next. He didn’t see anything wrong with having pads and tampons readily available to the students who needed them, but he didn’t want to be disrespectful to his colleague or make her feel uncomfortable. However, Reddit users were quick to respond and applauded OP for thinking about his students’ needs and providing them with the products they needed.

One user commented, “I’m sure this is why the older lady finds it so upsetting - it normalizes periods and they’re not hidden and shameful, which is almost certainly how she would have grown up being taught about them. She’s just uncomfortable with the openness about periods, but that doesn’t make it wrong for others to be.”

Another user commented, “It’s thoughtful and if you wanna blow Susan’s mind - point out that it’s not just girls and women who menstruate.” The Reddit user also pointed out just how useful the basket probably is for students especially during times of emergency and for those who are unable to buy their own products. 

A third user chimed in and explained just how great it was to know that OP was spreading such a positive and accepting message to all of his students. “I think it’s really sweet,” the user said. “And it gives them the message that it is totally normal and nothing to be hidden and ashamed of. I wish you would have been one of my teachers.”

What do you think about this teacher having a basket full of period products in his classroom? Would you do this if you were in his position? Let us know, and be sure to pass this along to your family members and friends, too.