One day, when I entered the classroom of Upper Primary School Narangpur in Meerut where I was appointed in 2015, I saw some students in the class pointing at a girl and making fun of her. I realised the girl’s uniform was stained as she had got her periods. That day I sat down with the boys of my class and explained to them about the menstrual cycle based on a chapter on the reproductive system in their Science book.

I told them that if they cannot help girls during their monthly periods, then the least they can do is not make fun of them.

After teaching menstruation to the boys of the class, I forgot about the incident. A couple of weeks later, during the winter season, I saw two boys roaming around in the school without wearing any sweaters. I questioned them about not wearing any sweaters despite it being so cold.

The two students responded that a girl in their class had got her periods and had stained her uniform. They had lended their sweater to her to wrap around her waist because they thought she needed it more than them.

It made me happy to see the boys understanding this so well and for being so compassionate. I was content seeing the change in even two boys amongst the whole class. As a teacher, it was a big deal for me.

As told to Ambika Tripathi, an intern with Gaon Connection. If you are a teacher and want to share your experience with us, write to us at connect@gaonconnection.com or WhatsApp on +91- 95656-11118