07/08/2026
🌼 This one is for the teachers 💕
I’m sure it has happened in your class.
I know it happened to me as a pupil.
So, I was sitting in choir practice when I suddenly felt that unmistakable warm, wet feeling in my underwear.
*Oh no. Not now.*
I tentatively put my hand up to ask to go to the bathroom.
Wearing a light blue school dress and, in my head, the absolute worst was happening.
Blood running down my legs.
A huge stain on the back of my dress.
Everyone noticing.
Meanwhile, the teacher was busy helping a soloist and completely ignoring my increasingly desperate hand in the air.
Thankfully, a friend noticed something was wrong.
I whispered:
“I’ve started my period. I need the bathroom. I think it’s gone through my underwear.”
She immediately handed me her jersey to tie around my waist.
Then came:
“Girls, quiet. Ash, put your hand down.”
“But Sir…”
“Down. You can ask when we’re finished.”
“But Sir, I need the bathroom.”
“Surely you can wait? There are only 15 minutes left.”
Now, I have always been slightly outspoken and bold… and at 17 I was probably braver than I was sensible. 😅
So eventually I said:
“Sorry Sir, but I’ve started my period. I’m going to the toilet.”
My red-faced choir master, suddenly gasping for air, had absolutely no words. 😅
And with that, my friend’s jersey wrapped firmly around my waist, off I marched to assess the damage.
Thankfully, when I got there, the situation was nowhere near as dramatic as it had felt.
My period had only just started. There was a little blood in my underwear, my dress was completely fine, and I managed with some toilet paper until I could get a pad.
But I have never forgotten that feeling.
The panic.
And having to explain something incredibly private in front of an entire room just so I could go to the bathroom.
So, teachers…
Are you ready when this happens in your classroom?
Do girls have to explain themselves before they’re allowed to leave?
Do you sometimes tell them to hold it or wait until the lesson is finished?
And listen — I understand.
When the fifth child suddenly needs the bathroom during one lesson, I’d probably be questioning everyone too. 🤨
So perhaps the answer is not simply “let everyone go whenever they want.”
Perhaps the answer is having a plan.
🌼 Could your girls have a discreet signal?
🌼 Could they ask for a “personal break”?
🌼 Could there be a quiet way of letting you know: this cannot wait?
🌼 Does your classroom have emergency period products available?
🌼 Most importantly — do your girls know they can come to you?
These conversations matter.
And Daisy Talks aren’t only about teaching girls what a period is.
They also help schools create an environment where girls know what to do, who to ask and that they do not need to feel ashamed when their period arrives.
Because sometimes the difference between panic and confidence is simply having a plan. 🌼
Daisy offers gentle, age-appropriate menstrual education for girls aged 9–13.
🌼 School Daisy Talks: 90 minutes
📍 Available across South Africa
If you’re a teacher, principal, counsellor or school looking at this and thinking, “Actually… we could handle this better,” I’d love to chat.
📱 Ashleigh: 076 575 7834
