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Boys in Skirts


Joe

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Why is it that somewhere, someone allegedly an educator, can be relied upon to do something profoundly stupid.  In response for what passes for a heat wave in the UK, students wished to wear shorts.  A perfectly reasonable request under any circumstances.  But the alleged educator-in-charge ruled that this was not to be and trousers were to be worn.  Then she made a mistake and said they could always wear skirts if they desired.  And so they did.  Good for them.

Of course, perhaps this is a good thing, another one of life's little lessons learned.  Those in authority are perfectly capable of sublime stupidity.

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It was on CNN and I saw it on the internet.  I'm not sure I know how to obtain a link and all that sort of thing.  I suppose I could ask Alex.  He's twelve and understands these things.

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I came across this story and intended to come here and post a link to it too. But Joe beat me to it.

 

As I read the news article I couldn't help but muse to myself, "This really sounds like a Cole Parker story." Now I just have to await Cole's version of this!

Here's the story I came across on the same event:

https://www.theguardian.com/education/2017/jun/22/teenage-boys-wear-skirts-to-school-protest-no-shorts-uniform-policy

 

Now, Cole, get to it!

 

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Boys wearing skirts.  Hmmm.

These dress codes are silly.  And most of them are sexist and stem from antiquated thoughts of sexuality that are no longer valid, if they ever were.  Sex ed and the internet have made old fashioned ideas, well, old fashioned.

But the topic does allow for an excursion into farce.  Stick-in-the-mud oldsters trying to enforce ludicrous sanctions and witty youngsters taking them on.  Certainly someone should write this!

C

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My first question would be... where did all those boys suddenly find skirts to wear?! From their sisters in some cases, sure, but were the rest of them just holding back their secrets?

The second question would, of course, take us back to 1975 and author John R. Powers!

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One of the advantages of attending a public school in the USA is freedom of dress (within bounds of decency, of course). Even De La Salle, the local Catholic high school for boys, which has a dress code, lets boys wear long pants or shorts, from the Student - Parent Handbook:

Guidelines for pants and shorts
1. The pants are to be solid black or solid khaki/tan pants and are to be full-length cotton twill (not denim or corduroy) with inset pockets.
Cargo pants, skinny khaki styles, or pants designed without any inset pockets are not permitted.
2. Pants cannot have flared legs and must be worn at the waist. No low-rise pants will be allowed.
3. Solid khaki or solid black shorts, which can only be purchased in the school store.

Colin  :icon_geek:

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12 hours ago, colinian said:
Guidelines for pants and shorts
1. ...(not denim or corduroy)

 

Colin  :icon_geek:

Oddly enough, my high school (same diocese as DLS and then all-boys) didn't need the "no cords" ruling. Black&white cords ("Salt & Pepper pants") were required for boys at all the elementary schools in the diocese. We wouldn't be caught dead in them after eighth grade! The only "weird" rule we dealt with in HS was no levis/jeans... because the metal studs would damage the gym bleachers! And no shorts. Except for gym class.

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1 hour ago, Cole Parker said:

I'm sure all these rules made you all better men.  That had to be the reason, didn't it?

C

Better? I can't say. But definitely hotter than all the skirt-wearin' atheist boys in public schools, right? ;)

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As a bit of a postscript to the story, and an additional school, BBC included this note:

" The mother of 14-year-old Michael Parker, who was one of the group, said three of the boys were initially told to remove the skirts, but all four of them kept them on."  http://www.bbc.com/news/uk-england-sussex-36868781

Somehow that just seems wrong!!!!!

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I am glad to see this pushback catching on.  It is high time that headmasters and head teachers stopped thinking that they are almighty god and started thinking about the welfare of students in their charge.

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It is exasperating to see the paralysis of educational administrators, whose environment seems to detach them from common sense.

Here is a hot weather streak that causes at a minimum great discomfort to the boys in long pants, undoubtedly ruining any hope for proper learning, and in the worst case poses a threat to their health and welfare.  It's a transitory situation with an easy solution -- tell the boys that the rules against shorts are suspended while the heat wave continues.  But the administrators can't see past the fact that "rules are rules," and start wandering into bizarre issues of fairness and equity because, they worry, not all boys can afford shorts and therefore it is unfair to allow anyone to wear shorts.

I have confidence that boys who want to wear shorts can beg or borrow some if they don't already own them.  The world will not end if the schools offer a practical solution to a rare and temporary problem.  So why is it impossible for them to do so?

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6 hours ago, Rutabaga said:

It is exasperating to see the paralysis of educational administrators, whose environment seems to detach them from common sense.

... they worry, not all boys can afford shorts and therefore it is unfair to allow anyone to wear shorts.

Every single boy in those schools can clearly afford shorts. The bitch is sewing the legs back on after the heat wave! :lol:

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