Classes with pads. ‘When a student giggles, it means they are interested in the subject’
Agnieszka Urazinska: Let’s talk about menstruation.
Justyna Kamisinska: It’s rare to start conversations this way, isn’t it? I’m a teacher in a small town. It’s an elementary school with inclusive units. Once upon a time, when there were secondary schools, the problem of puberty affected us less. Students had finished their education there after sixth grade. Now we have fourteen- and fifteen-year-olds in the oldest grades. Themes related to adolescence are very topical. I think our school is open-minded and we always try to reach out to students. However, I have to admit that the topic of menstruation was not particularly close to us. Yes, adolescence, from this biological point of view, had been discussed by students in classes, and we also have family life education classes.
Has anything changed?
We never treated menstruation-related topics as taboo. We strive to be responsive to the needs of students, and many of them have already reached adolescence. But I don’t recall these topics being covered outside of biology class. Now we are participating in the ‘Sanitary Pads for Every Schoolgirl’ programme. One of its components are dispensers, or boxes with menstrual hygiene products, or simply sanitary pads, that have appeared in our school space. The second component are the materials we were given to be used in the class.
Do you run them?
Yes, and I’m happy to use the materials I’ve been given, which are flyers and presentations. This is a co-educational class for seventh and eighth grade students. I invite them to talk about women and women’s perspectives on important issues. In addition to giving talks about biology, which is where I start my meetings with students, I also address the emotional issues surrounding menstruation. We talk about menstruation historically, how our great-grandmothers who didn’t have sanitary pads or tampons once coped. We talk about the cultural aspects of menstruation, how women’s periods and menstruation itself are treated and viewed in other countries. We talk about hormones and how they affect women’s well-being. We do experiments and see, for example, how sanitary pads absorb water.
Well, I can’t believe no one giggled.
I let the kids fool around a bit. Some of them have tried to stick a pad to a chair to check out how cool it is that the glue doesn’t leave marks. These discoveries were made by boys. Well, and there was giggling. Very good. When a student giggles, it means they are interested in the subject, it triggers their emotions. The worst thing is if there is no response and no interest. In contrast, there were no inadequate responses. I can see that the students really enjoy being treated like adults. Adults don’t need to be told: ‘just don’t throw the pads all around the hallway’. Again, I learned that students have only advantages and almost no disadvantages. They proved once again that they are open-minded, wise, and mature.
For girls, this topic is familiar because they menstruate themselves. And for boys?
I could see that they were very curious and it was great to talk to them about topics such as the treatment of menstruation and menstruating women in other countries, menstrual poverty. They weren’t negative, they weren’t trying to shame their female colleagues. They were simply curious. One boy captivated me with a question: ‘What can I do to make a girl feel comfortable with me?’. This was a question asked in the context of menstruation and expressed the empathy of this young man. I think that when these boys someday have girlfriends, wives, daughters, it will be easier for them to understand the women close to them through such activities and such conversations. I’m sure most of these kids have open-minded parents, but perhaps no one has talked to them about such topics before because there was no opportunity, for example. Besides, it’s always easier to talk to a stranger, then you feel more at ease.
How did parents react when they learned about the programme?
I don’t have any negative signals. Well, and I have reason to believe that right now the school meets parents’ expectations. Because much earlier we were getting signals from parents that we could use menstrual materials at school, that it would be a convenience for girls. And now that access is limited. And on top of that, there are classes and some issues related to biology, puberty and its social aspects we can explain in a controlled setting. Knowledge is a good thing – for the parent, for the child, and for us teachers. I have seen from my own example how good education can help.
Have you had conversations about menstruation in school?
Indeed I have. There was also talk at home about the changes that occur in the adolescent body, about menstruation. But the starting point was what I learned in school. And my school, although small and in a small town, had a fairly well-developed programme related to family life preparation. We also talked about menstruation and the teacher also explained how to put on a pad. As a student, I was really well prepared for adolescence. And that was, after all, over twenty years ago. I really appreciate this aspect of my education, all the more so because I know that neither then nor now is it the norm in Polish schools. I’m glad that the one where I teach is also opening up to the needs of growing children. I admit that this programme has opened us adults up as well. We were never ashamed to talk about it, but there was a certain embarrassment that is no longer there.
Do you use dispensers with sanitary pads?
Of course, because after all, there are also times when we don’t have a sanitary pad with us, but we need one. I remember those questions to my female colleagues: ‘do you happen to have a sanitary pad?’. It was a hassle for us adults, yet usually adults have money and a card with them, they can quickly go to the pharmacy, act. It is even harder for female students. It was. Those at our school need not worry any more. And you know, I’m very impressed with our girls.
Why?
I would expect that they might, for example, take additional pads as a backup. And it turned out they were doing it sensitively, as intended. They treat these materials as school resources. They are comfortable approaching the boxes because they are located in the women’s toilets, and it is a safe, intimate space where they feel comfortable.
Was there no fooling around? Somehow, it’s easy for me to imagine someone sticking a pad to a friend’s back for a joke.
I admit that I too have come to expect such behaviour. And actually I was surprised, because there were no such situations. There was no surprise either, but rather satisfaction that they would learn something different, that we had an interesting topic.
How do you assess children’s knowledge of menstrual topics?
They know a lot, especially about issues related to biology. You can see that both the biology lessons and the families that – for the most part – are open and communicative, simply work. But the topic is certainly not exhausted. Students can still learn a lot, and most of all – they want to. There are quite a few questions, from the biological ones, especially related to the monthly cycle, which not everyone understands, through cultural issues, to nomenclature. One of the boys, almost unbelievably, did not know the term ‘menstruation’. He had heard of ‘period’ and ‘time of the month’, but had not encountered ‘menstruation’.
Do female students have problems with access to menstrual products at home?
People are quite well off in our town and most families certainly don’t have a problem with spending on hygiene products. But there are definitely homes where it is more difficult to get a pad, sometimes for economic reasons, sometimes because of the shame that blocks a growing girl. With this programme, we can remind people that it’s no shame, just physiology. It affects both menstruating women and the men who accompany them in life. It is very good that no longer will any girl or woman in our school have to worry about not having a sanitary pad, borrowing or using toilet paper instead. I hope that the dispensers will stay with us forever and that they will be in all Polish schools.
What was particularly important to you while teaching?
The most important thing was to make the kids feel comfortable enough to start asking questions and discussing. And that’s what happened. Of course, everyone has a different level of openness. Some girls were willing and open up about how they felt during their periods. Others preferred to listen or talk in a narrower circle. I didn’t want to call anyone out or force them to attend the meeting. No one dropped out of the class. And when the bell rang, they kept talking. I managed to encourage them to talk about their carnality, often considered shameful, about problems, about emotions. I believe that this willingness and openness will stay in them and that as adults they will talk freely and openly with their own children.
Justyna Kamisińska teaches in an elementary school in a small town. Her school participates in the ‘Sanitary Pads for Every Schoolgirl’ programme, which is organised by the Kulczyk Foundation and the Rossmann brand. As part of the programme, in addition to a year’s supply of sanitary pads, female students also received access to menstrual health and hygiene materials. They can be used as a basis for puberty or menstruation classes.
Author: Agnieszka Urazińska
Illustrated by Marta Frej
The text was published on wysokie obcasy.pl on 23 April 2022
