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When I was in high school, it was mandatory to take a shower after gym, unless it was your time of the month. The gym teacher stood there and checked off all us nekkid girls passing in front of her hungry eyes. Disgusting!!!
I agree, but parents didn't object. My parents went to school in Riverdale NY, and their schools didn't have showers. I wonder when it became the norm to add them to schools.
I would be very much against forcing a student to shower. My generation seems to be the only generation affected by the requirement though. It seems a huge waste of money to build these big locker rooms with multiple showers when so few students want to use them today.
I never worried about my gym teacher. It was a well-known fact that she was lesbian, and her girlfriend was in attendance at some school events, but it didn't creep me out. In today's world I would be more concerned about bullying via cell phone pictures.
When I was in high school, it was mandatory to take a shower after gym, unless it was your time of the month. The gym teacher stood there and checked off all us nekkid girls passing in front of her hungry eyes. Disgusting!!!
It was mandatory for us to take showers as well...teacher would come through and check. I didn't care and never got less than an A in PE. I absolutely refused to strip naked in front of others. I did, however, wet part of the towel in order to "sponge bath" parts of my body, by reaching under my loose PE shirt, as well as washing my face, neck and arms. I let my teachers know that they could feel free to fail me for not showering in front of others, but they should know I'd contest the grade. My performance and participation in gym class was what they should be paying attention to....NOT my ability to get naked in front of others!
I remember some of the girls in PE class, especially in Jr. high. Some of those girls were downright cruel, the things they'd say. How some of my classmates (the less popular kids), ever survived their cruelty amazes me, to this day! Not only would that stand and point,snickering....but when they'd get out of gym class, they'd go and talk about unappealing physical characteristics, or the HUGE monstrous boobs someone had...the hairiness....you name it. Honestly, I didn't have any abnormalities, other than maturing at a very young age. I simply refused to expose my body for their examination and/or approval. When I started having children, and they expressed their unwillingness to disrobe in front of classmates, I completely supported them and made it clear that if it was an issue with an instructor or coach, I would defend their choice! Once my kids started sharing tales of some of their classmates' behavior...it simply reinforced my decision.
It was mandatory for us to take showers as well...teacher would come through and check. I didn't care and never got less than an A in PE. I absolutely refused to strip naked in front of others. I did, however, wet part of the towel in order to "sponge bath" parts of my body, by reaching under my loose PE shirt, as well as washing my face, neck and arms. I let my teachers know that they could feel free to fail me for not showering in front of others, but they should know I'd contest the grade. My performance and participation in gym class was what they should be paying attention to....NOT my ability to get naked in front of others!
I remember some of the girls in PE class, especially in Jr. high. Some of those girls were downright cruel, the things they'd say. How some of my classmates (the less popular kids), ever survived their cruelty amazes me, to this day! Not only would that stand and point,snickering....but when they'd get out of gym class, they'd go and talk about unappealing physical characteristics, or the HUGE monstrous boobs someone had...the hairiness....you name it. Honestly, I didn't have any abnormalities, other than maturing at a very young age. I simply refused to expose my body for their examination and/or approval. When I started having children, and they expressed their unwillingness to disrobe in front of classmates, I completely supported them and made it clear that if it was an issue with an instructor or coach, I would defend their choice! Once my kids started sharing tales of some of their classmates' behavior...it simply reinforced my decision.
Good Lord, how awful! It's funny, something came up on TV the other night with showering HS students in it, and I asked MrFR if that was the norm here - when/where I grew up we didn't have showers at school at all. I was wondering about all of those things you mentioned beachmel. I can see it being a gruesome opportunity for bullies.
Really, puberty's bad enough without other people seeing it up close and personal.
I never did either- thank god! I was one of those kids who cringed at the thought of being in a SWIMSUIT (luckily, none of the schools I ever went to had pools), so I can't imagine having to be naked in front of lots of girls. Sounds like the perfect opportunity for bullies!
Good Lord, how awful! It's funny, something came up on TV the other night with showering HS students in it, and I asked MrFR if that was the norm here - when/where I grew up we didn't have showers at school at all. I was wondering about all of those things you mentioned beachmel. I can see it being a gruesome opportunity for bullies.
Really, puberty's bad enough without other people seeing it up close and personal.
Exactly FR....look how cruel some kids can be on the playground, in the classroom, and on the school bus. Imagine having to get naked in front of them! Oh my gosh, that brings horror to a whole new level! You know, at least with your clothes on you still retain a modicum of privacy/protection, or at least the illusion of it! Take that away and you're just about as vulnerable as you can get! Some of those bullies are simply dying to jump on an opportunity like that! Look at the way some of these kids gang up on others. Now imagine being naked...where do you run?
I wsa in high school in the 70s. For PE we all sat out in the bleachers and changed clothes, stripping down to nothing and putting on gym clothes. Nobody thought anything about standing there naked and turning around to ask another naked guy something. It was just part of life. The reason we had to totally strip to get dressed for gym was we were required to wear a jock strap.
The girls changed in the locker room and my girlfriend at the time said it took her a couple weeks to get used to undressing in front of all the other girls but after that she thought nothing of it.
We never showered in gym, the class was only 40 minutes long then you had a next class, how would you possibly have time. Plus how sweaty could you possibly get in 40 minutes of doing nothing. UGh !!
I hated gym class. I think then, as I do now gym class is a waste of tax payers money.
Not all children are good in, nor like sports, and they don't have to either.
I have 3 sons, 2 like sports, the other couldn't give a rats ass if he ever held a ball in his hand.
and like some of the other posters said here, i too, if need be would go right up to school and tell whoever needed to be told, that NO, my boys were not taking showers at school, and you can go and give detention to someone else......
yes, that's right, I am one of those bitchy parents......but I make the rules for my children, not the school. sticks tongue out !
When I went to Middle school Mid'70's Gr 7/8 The PE teacher would have us do spot shower once or twice a month, Other then that no one ever showered.
In HS Some guys would shower after afterschool pratices that were in the school, like Basketball Wresling, but mostly outside sports everyone just went home after pratice or games, the fields were down a big hill and the student parking lot was next to the field, so mosty everyone went home from pratice/games. If we had a double header soccer game most of us took cool off showers beween the games. For PE in HS now one showered no time in the 40 min period, they allow'ed 5 min to change for PE, 5 min to Change back (when we got to locker room on time). If we were out side we would get maybe 10 mins of PE when you counted the time to get to the fields and back. In gym time we had 20, after they got everything going. Can't get very sweaty in 10-20 mins of mostly standing around.
My Son(8th) has never showered so far, Inresting his Middle school is 3x (900 students vs 350) larger then my middle school I went to, but the showers in the middle school are about 1/2 the size as the one I had in middle school... So I guess they figure no one is going to use them in the middle school so why use all that space.
When I was in high school, it was mandatory to take a shower after gym, unless it was your time of the month. The gym teacher stood there and checked off all us nekkid girls passing in front of her hungry eyes. Disgusting!!!
Same here- and we had to wear these horrid 1 piece blue gymsuits to boot-this was in the early'70's-I really think it would be against the law to require that today and thank the Lord my kids never had too. But- I must say I do not recall any bullying-at all- by anyone-ever under those circumstances.I wonder why parents didn't complain back in the day-? On the other hand- my highschool mascot was the atom bomb- so maybe the whole freakin town was messed up.........
When I was in high school, it was mandatory to take a shower after gym, unless it was your time of the month. The gym teacher stood there and checked off all us nekkid girls passing in front of her hungry eyes. Disgusting!!!
Same here- and we had to wear these horrid 1 piece blue gymsuits to boot-this was in the early'70's-I really think it would be against the law to require that today and thank the Lord my kids never had too. But- I must say I do not recall any bullying-at all- by anyone-ever under those circumstances.I wonder why parents didn't complain back it the day-? On the other hand- my highschool mascot was the atom bomb- so maybe the whole freakin town was messed up.........
Same story on the showering. Always hated it. I remember in 7th grade it was the common shower area. but by 8th grade you could go into a private shower. I used to try to sneak into the private ones. Also used to just splash a little water on my shoulders and ends of hair to appear wet.
And don't even get me on those horrid blue gymsuits. One of the happiest days of my life was when I threw it away.
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You know, at least with your clothes on you still retain a modicum of privacy/protection, or at least the illusion of it! Take that away and you're just about as vulnerable as you can get! Some of those bullies are simply dying to jump on an opportunity like that! Look at the way some of these kids gang up on others. Now imagine being naked...where do you run? 
One of the happiest days of my life was when I threw it away.
