Raging Hormones

Puberty. Teachers in elementary and middle school try to describe the changes that will occur in their students before they become adolescents. Writers describe the teenage angst that goes with developing or not developing in certain ways. Movies tell funny stories of the awkward romantic encounters that happen because of "raging hormones."     

According to the NIH, puberty is the process by which a child's body undergoes several physical changes as he or she matures into an adult capable of sexual reproduction. While these physical changes like growth spurts and the deepening of voices are noticeable, the rush in hormone levels can produce a lot of emotional changes as well. I remember being 12 years old and experiencing my own share of mood swings. However, I think the flux of changes I was experiencing in my own body and in those of students around me was paralleled by the changes being experienced by my teacher going through menopause.

Menopause. According to the NIH, this is a period when a woman undergoes many physical changes such that she is no longer able to become pregnant. Often such a change is accompanied by a rush of hormone levels as well. The most common symptom is the occurrence of hot flushes. I remember when my teacher in middle school would arrive dressed in a t-shirt and shorts in the middle of winter and have three fans blowing in her classroom all day. Students in class always made sure to have their homework done because she exhibited extreme mood swings. And, despite the turmoil of emotions and angst experienced by students, no one ever mentioned how cold it was in the classroom.