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Why is so much of your child's self esteem and happiness related to how long his hair is or what it looks like?
Instead he should recognize that at certain times in his life he doesn't get to have everything he wants. Life occasionally sucks. Abiding a longstanding policy in a school district that is evenly applied is reasonable.
This is my point but to the school. Why would a child's hair length distract other students unless the other students are hard to control and he needs to keep the peace by having a boy cut his hair instead of punishing any bullies for name calling and respecting peoples differences.
What kind of lesson is that?
Instead the school should recognize that at certain times in life they don't get to have everything they want. Life occasionally sucks, loosing a rule that is outdated and prejudice in 2010 is totally reasonable.
For one I can't believe that long hair on a boy is enough to distract students from learning, really? It's 2010,
For two, since when does a dress code mean you have to dress like they did in the 50's? Why is that era seen as the model for dress codes?
The US is engaged in a culture war where one side is progressive, secular, and inclusive - the other side would like to return to the poodle skirts and crew cuts of the 1950's, a time when such as women, minorities, gays, knew their place and stayed in it. The Texas cultural mentality, as a broad generalization, excluding a small minority of individuals, is pretty hostile to the progressive, secular and inclusive.
It would add confusion to assume that public schools are mainly about education. The main functions of public education are: 1) to perpetuate the public education system, 2) to reward conformity, 3) to punish independent thinking, 4) to perpetuate the status quo and the established social pecking order, 5) to produce a placcid population that does what government and business wants them to do, without critical thinking or protest.
Just sit in your seats like good little sheep, puke it back up for the tests, live in fear of anything negative going into your "permanent" record, observe who is above you and below you in the pecking order, and shut up. It's not about learning or education; it's all about the social order. They don't like it when someone comes along acting like it's okay to be different, it sort of defeats the whole purpose.
Last edited by teachertype; 09-03-2010 at 01:35 AM..
Interesting theory, but let's stay on topic. If anyone would like to start another thread about what they think the purpose of today's school's, please start a new thread.
This is my point but to the school. Why would a child's hair length distract other students unless the other students are hard to control and he needs to keep the peace by having a boy cut his hair instead of punishing any bullies for name calling and respecting peoples differences.
What kind of lesson is that?
Instead the school should recognize that at certain times in life they don't get to have everything they want. Life occasionally sucks, loosing a rule that is outdated and prejudice in 2010 is totally reasonable.
Absolutely, rules should change. How do you change them? By saying, "That's not fair!!"? Or by getting a group of people that also think the rule should change and presenting the logical argument? Oftentimes there are silly rules on the books that are overlooked and not changed because no one has asked for them to be changed.
The Texas cultural mentality, as a broad generalization, excluding a small minority of individuals, is pretty hostile to the progressive, secular and inclusive.
You OBVIOUSLY know very little about Texas and the people that reside here.
Go throw these opinions out the window of yours as they are so far from the truth that it isn't even funny.
Quote:
Originally Posted by toobusytoday
Absolutely, rules should change. How do you change them? By saying, "That's not fair!!"? Or by getting a group of people that also think the rule should change and presenting the logical argument? Oftentimes there are silly rules on the books that are overlooked and not changed because no one has asked for them to be changed.
BINGO!!!!
I told my 15 year old daughter about this story and the kids long hair. She looked at me like I was on drugs and said, "SO WHAT! It's hair. Cut it and go to school". Then again, this is a kid that is in the IB program and is all about getting a top notch quality education and understands there are rules out there she must adhere to in order to get that education. This is also the kids that has several male classmates w/ longer hair than hers. LOL!!
It kills me how so many people think individuality is how long your hair is. There are millions of people with long hair. Does that make them unique? No, it doesn't. Is this boy special and 'different' because his hair is long? No, he isn't.
A lot of you seem to think that his hair is who he is. That's the same as saying the kind of pants he wears is what makes him who he is, or the type of shirt he wears, or his shoes.
All that his hair is, is his outward appearance. The school happens to think boys should have an outward appearance of neatness in their grooming. That doesn't give me any indication that the school is a control freak, nor does it indicate to me that they do not allow individuality in their students.
What makes people 'different' is who they are as people; the way they think and behave, how they react to the system, how they make change without making a spectacle of themselves, how they bring a crowd to believe in a purpose.
Cutting his hair would not change who he is one bit. It would show that he is respectful of the expectations of the new school and in return, be respected by his peers.
The grace he could have shown in cutting his hair to attend classes would have been a much greater indication of his character and individualism than having his mother call the media and put him at odds with the school on the first day.
No hats in school, and no swearing. This is not the same school, but higher expectations are finally making a comeback.
There used to be dresscodes in schools. Girls weren't allowed to wear pants in the classroom when I was young. Boys had to have their hair cut above the collar and off the top of the ear. No blue jeans.
Glad to see schools going back to dresscodes and actually enforcing them.
You OBVIOUSLY know very little about Texas and the people that reside here.
Go throw these opinions out the window of yours as they are so far from the truth that it isn't even funny.
Oh yeah? Just a couple days ago, I got a call from Qunnipiac public opinion polls, and agreed to answer their questions, which were mostly about current political issues. At the end of the poll, the pollster said "I need to go back to the first question, to clarify something. You do live in Texas, right?" After polling thousands of people over some years, the pollster thought a person with my views couldn't possibly live in Texas, and thought there must be some error in his demographic data.
The fact that you, in your social peregrinations, have succeeded in ferreting out a few broad-minded people in The Big D doesn't make Texas another Boulder or Berkeley. And your insulting style of disagreeing with other posters does not make your own broad-mindedness very conspicuous, either.
Oh yeah? Just a couple days ago, I got a call from Qunnipiac public opinion polls, and agreed to answer their questions, which were mostly about current political issues. At the end of the poll, the pollster said "I need to go back to the first question, to clarify something. You do live in Texas, right?" After polling thousands of people over some years, the pollster thought a person with my views couldn't possibly live in Texas, and thought there must be some error in his demographic data.
That IS the point. There are so many people out there that have NO CLUE about people in Texas and our REAL views. They believe we are all some backward place that still rides horses, has shootouts in the streets, public hangings on the courthouse steps every Saturday, and keeps women hushed up home pregnant and barefoot.
That IS the point. There are so many people out there that have NO CLUE about people in Texas and our REAL views. They believe we are all some backward place that still rides horses, has shootouts in the streets, public hangings on the courthouse steps every Saturday, and keeps women hushed up home pregnant and barefoot.
No they don't. They believe (as they clearly stated) that "The Texas cultural mentality, as a broad generalization, excluding a small minority of individuals, is pretty hostile to the progressive, secular and inclusive."
And that is exactly a correct characterization, from my vantage point, and I live Deeper in the Heart of Texas than you do.
The pollster who expressed doubts that I was actually in Texas, talks to many Texans every day and asks them their detailed views on public issues, and he does have a clue. In fact, he has probably heard the opinions of more Texans than you have. And it surprises him to find one that is not hostile to progressive issues. And the school superintendent in Joshua is behaving exactly according to the norm, and isn't surprising anybody.
In fact, just 60 miles from Joshua, there is a pre-school where another 4-year old boy has also been banned from attendance because his hair is too long. Such attitudes ARE the norm. And you live right between those two schools, and you don't even know it.
Last edited by jtur88; 09-03-2010 at 09:11 AM..
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