At my senior school we had to cover all our text books, when we were issued them, with brown paper because we were told this made the covers last longer.
Sounds like a plan to me, I would also confiscate any cell phone that appeared out of pocket, purse or school bag during class. Chewing gum in class also.
My daughter goes to a charter school that has the craziest dress code I've ever heard of: Tops need to be plain, or any designs need to be "an inherent part of the fabric", which means no embroidery, overlays or decals. Bottoms need to be at least 1 inch below the fingertips, but can have embroidery. Girls are "highly encouraged" to wear shorts under skirts. Okay, that last one might make some sense given the jungle gym, but my mother claims it "unnecessarily sexualizes" young girls. (Mom's an unreconstructed 60s feminist.)
Why the totally nonsensical dress code? A major argument between a large contingent of parents who wanted uniforms, and another large contingent of parents who wanted their kids to wear whatever they damn well pleased! The plain tops/decorated bottoms was the compromise.
We have a uniform policy at our school that the principal REALLY wants and that the parents voted for, but of course it falls by the wayside like so many things do.
I think it is so much foolishness, especially when my students wear the same uniform for days on end because that's all they can afford. By Thursday...real filth pileup.
IMHO...I think school uniforms make a great deal of sense - levels the playing field. Gumbiecat...how much does it take for a parent to wash a uniform? Seems that is just neglect, not the fault of a uniform policy. Wash the dang thing out in the sink if you have to.
We didn't have any kind of dress code at any school I went to.
Our rules were things like - no gum chewing in class - no passing notes - no going off campus for lunch without a parental permission slip - no weapons (this was in those days when kids first started taking guns to school, but even before that, some kids had items like throwing stars, nunchaku, etc) - the usual.
It does level the playing field. but when you have parents working two jobs or just don't give a rip you'll have a kid who doesn't dress by middle class standards. And sometimes it's culture.
MP: I suppose the dress code would be changed in short order!
I understand the idea of leveling the playing field with uniforms, but like the idea of self-expression. On the other hand, it's not as if teens particularly self express! Everyone in my high school just *had* to have Izod polo shirts, and if you got the Target knockoffs, you were nowhere socially. So looking forward to Natalie's teenage years!
Did anyone mention the allowed shade of hair dye? One day, I'll publish our school's accumulated set of newsletters. It'll be a prize winner in the "humour" section of all competitions!
After enduring anti-gay bullying at summer camp, and combined w/ my (un-ID'd) gender-dysphoria, I was DEATHLY afraid of entering middle school (we called it "junior high" then) for two reasons:
1) Compulsory gym (w/ compulsory changing into gym-clothes in a girls locker room). My summer camp (and earlier school) bullying had occurred when compelled to change clothes w/o privacy.
2) Compulsory dress-wearing (Can you believe it?! This was in the 1974-75 schoolyear. It changed my second/last year there, though. I went back into pants, permanently!)
I sometimes think "School Rules" are DESIGNED to facilitate bullying of the sexuality/gender-different. :-(
Our book covers were given out by the school and had (oh! the subtlety) Army ads on them. We covered the books, ignored the ad.
We had a rule that no student was allowed in the library without a note, and, since I went to the library rather than lunch, I got a permission slip from a slightly senile teacher, and, since the librarian was never at the desk except at class change or the sound of students in her library, I retrieved the permission slip on the way out. One time, I forgot the slip and Dwayne, my best friend, was with me. The old librarian came out with her usual pleasantry - "What are y'all doin' in here?! Where's your permission slip?!!!!" and Dwayne simply said "We already gave you the permission slip." With a slight frown, she said, "Oh, yeah, you gave me the permission slip," and scuttled back into her hidey-hole. That was how I found out Dwayne was a Jedi.
Skirts or dresses for girls right up through the first year of college. In high school my bff and I would phone each other in the morning so we could dress alike.
In college women students could wear whatever they wanted on women's dorm campus, but for classes we had to always, always were skirts or dresses. So, for those 8 a.m. classes, we all of us threw our London Fog beige raincoats over our babydoll pjs and went to class with our loafers on bare feet.
This was 1963. We were just beginning to rebel. The next year the rules changed. Unfortunately, women's curfew did not, until after I graduated.
Of course, men only had curfew their first semester. After that they could stay out all night if they wanted. The best part was we women were required to rat each other out if one of us snuck in after hours. If we didn't, we had to go before the Honor Court ( I kid you not! ) along with the miscreant.
and yes, i'm that old, and soon to be older next week.
Ah, yes ... the brown paper book covers. I'll never forget those. We also had a "no chewing gum" rule.
ReplyDeleteSounds like a plan to me, I would also confiscate any cell phone that appeared out of pocket, purse or school bag during class. Chewing gum in class also.
ReplyDeletenij
I have always been a firm believer that rules are simply guidelines...this, of course, we set me at odds with Prof. Snape...
ReplyDeleteSchool administrators are a special kind of idiot.
ReplyDeleteMy daughter goes to a charter school that has the craziest dress code I've ever heard of: Tops need to be plain, or any designs need to be "an inherent part of the fabric", which means no embroidery, overlays or decals. Bottoms need to be at least 1 inch below the fingertips, but can have embroidery. Girls are "highly encouraged" to wear shorts under skirts. Okay, that last one might make some sense given the jungle gym, but my mother claims it "unnecessarily sexualizes" young girls. (Mom's an unreconstructed 60s feminist.)
ReplyDeleteWhy the totally nonsensical dress code? A major argument between a large contingent of parents who wanted uniforms, and another large contingent of parents who wanted their kids to wear whatever they damn well pleased! The plain tops/decorated bottoms was the compromise.
What if a girl has very short arms?
ReplyDeleteI much prefer the brown paper sack book covers to the fancy things sold in stores these days. But I am an unreconstructed old coot.
ReplyDeleteThere were all kinds of fancy book covers even in my days back in the 70's...
ReplyDeleteWe have a uniform policy at our school that the principal REALLY wants and that the parents voted for, but of course it falls by the wayside like so many things do.
ReplyDeleteI think it is so much foolishness, especially when my students wear the same uniform for days on end because that's all they can afford. By Thursday...real filth pileup.
IMHO...I think school uniforms make a great deal of sense - levels the playing field. Gumbiecat...how much does it take for a parent to wash a uniform? Seems that is just neglect, not the fault of a uniform policy. Wash the dang thing out in the sink if you have to.
ReplyDeleteWe didn't have any kind of dress code at any school I went to.
ReplyDeleteOur rules were things like - no gum chewing in class - no passing notes - no going off campus for lunch without a parental permission slip - no weapons (this was in those days when kids first started taking guns to school, but even before that, some kids had items like throwing stars, nunchaku, etc) - the usual.
It does level the playing field. but when you have parents working two jobs or just don't give a rip you'll have a kid who doesn't dress by middle class standards. And sometimes it's culture.
ReplyDeleteAlso, you'd be amazed how many cellphones you can confiscate from 5 year olds.
ReplyDeletewe couldn't wear pants until 8th grade, then were allowed to wear culottes. I hated those. Then they let us wear pantsuits. EWWWYUCK.
ReplyDeleteMP: I suppose the dress code would be changed in short order!
ReplyDeleteI understand the idea of leveling the playing field with uniforms, but like the idea of self-expression. On the other hand, it's not as if teens particularly self express! Everyone in my high school just *had* to have Izod polo shirts, and if you got the Target knockoffs, you were nowhere socially. So looking forward to Natalie's teenage years!
"[B]ack in the 70s"? Ah, renzmqt, you are a youngster. I went to school in the 50s and 60s.
ReplyDeleteDid anyone mention the allowed shade of hair dye?
ReplyDeleteOne day, I'll publish our school's accumulated set of newsletters. It'll be a prize winner in the "humour" section of all competitions!
After enduring anti-gay bullying at summer camp, and combined w/ my (un-ID'd) gender-dysphoria, I was DEATHLY afraid of entering middle school (we called it "junior high" then) for two reasons:
ReplyDelete1) Compulsory gym (w/ compulsory changing into gym-clothes in a girls locker room). My summer camp (and earlier school) bullying had occurred when compelled to change clothes w/o privacy.
2) Compulsory dress-wearing (Can you believe it?! This was in the 1974-75 schoolyear. It changed my second/last year there, though. I went back into pants, permanently!)
I sometimes think "School Rules" are DESIGNED to facilitate bullying of the sexuality/gender-different. :-(
They had schools back then, Paul? I thought you was working in the factory under the machines as soon as you had learnt to walk.
ReplyDeleteAt my school, JCF, we weren't allowed to wear dresses.
ReplyDelete...which broke your glamorous heart, no doubt luv.
ReplyDeleteI remember High School fairly well:
ReplyDeleteWe had no dress code. Only Zuul.
That was in the '80's.
Our book covers were given out by the school and had (oh! the subtlety) Army ads on them. We covered the books, ignored the ad.
We had a rule that no student was allowed in the library without a note, and, since I went to the library rather than lunch, I got a permission slip from a slightly senile teacher, and, since the librarian was never at the desk except at class change or the sound of students in her library, I retrieved the permission slip on the way out. One time, I forgot the slip and Dwayne, my best friend, was with me. The old librarian came out with her usual pleasantry - "What are y'all doin' in here?! Where's your permission slip?!!!!" and Dwayne simply said "We already gave you the permission slip." With a slight frown, she said, "Oh, yeah, you gave me the permission slip," and scuttled back into her hidey-hole. That was how I found out Dwayne was a Jedi.
The management accept no responsibility whatsoever for any learning achieved whilst we pursue a healthy profit.
ReplyDeletePlease do not expect to see a teacher.
Work referencing anything other than Google or Wikipedia will be failed.
SORRY, been a bad day.
My bottom is higher than my fingertips, even though its now sagging a bit.
ReplyDeleteI remember at a birthday party stipulating no sandals with socks.
ReplyDeleteSkirts or dresses for girls right up through the first year of college. In high school my bff and I would phone each other in the morning so we could dress alike.
ReplyDeleteIn college women students could wear whatever they wanted on women's dorm campus, but for classes we had to always, always were skirts or dresses. So, for those 8 a.m. classes, we all of us threw our London Fog beige raincoats over our babydoll pjs and went to class with our loafers on bare feet.
This was 1963. We were just beginning to rebel. The next year the rules changed. Unfortunately, women's curfew did not, until after I graduated.
Of course, men only had curfew their first semester. After that they could stay out all night if they wanted. The best part was we women were required to rat each other out if one of us snuck in after hours. If we didn't, we had to go before the Honor Court ( I kid you not! ) along with the miscreant.
and yes, i'm that old, and soon to be older next week.
Unfortunately, women's curfew did not, until after I graduated.
ReplyDeleteI'm wondering if the two parts of that statement are more closely linked than you are letting on.