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I am sooo annoyed!!
Alecia's school does not allow body piercing (I think the parents should be the ones who decide!) fair enough! Alecia has a nose stud which she wears a clear retainer and you can bearly notice it's there.
She just sms'ed me to tell me that she is waiting to see the v. pricipal about it!! Urgh!! This really grates me!
Sorry had to get that out!
Tanya
Can she take it out just for school hours or not? I don't know how fast nose piercings close over. Is it in the school dress code?? It should be if it isn't otherwise how are you supposed to know anyway??
Does she attend a public school? If so... Grrrrr!!!
I get soooo annoyed at public schools that try to enforce this bullsh*t. My son attended a public primary school, and his uncle bought him a wooden beaded necklace, and bought himself one... and they had this thing that they would both wear them always... anyway, my son wasn't allowed to wear his to school unless there was a religious or otherwise, reason for it... I wrote a note explaining that I wished for James to wear it and they still said no... yet, there were girls in his year, wearing dangly earrings, who I KNOW had no reason to be wearing them... I was pi**ed off at the double standards.
I hope your daughter wins her right to express her individuality... the local public high school here lets kids express their individuality... and I think it is a great thing to see :)
Well turns out that Alecia isn't allowed back at school until she takes it out. She knows that I agree with her on this one, but she HAS to go to school! I told her that she needs to step up on this and write a petition for a rule change allowing clear retainer jewellery.
It is stated in their uniform policy, but she has been wearing it for months, and it is hardly noticeable. I am very strict on Alecia, but this is one thing I am a tad more lenient about.
Tanya
Lisa, actually the same thing happened to Joshua with a beaded necklace thing he used to wear. He was told to take it off if it wasn't religious.
She shouldn't have to deal with that, they have enough to deal with as it is. It's like this kid we saw the other day with a big mohawk and a very interesting dress sense. I said to Andy if that's the worst we have to deal with then I would allow either of the boys to do this if it meant they weren't doing drugs!! Lay off the things which allow them to express themselves without hurting anyone else or offending anyone else and keeps them off drugs which they use to "express" themselves!!
Our Christian and Catholic school have the same uniform rules but they had them altered so that clear retainers were acceptable because they couldn't easily be seen, so I think she should definitely start a petition and you should probably bring it up at the next Parent meeting.
The same thing happened to me when i was at school. I got a clear flat nosestud and then put a little bit of foundation over it. It worked for me.
Tanya, I am with you 100%. When I was at school there was a girl whose oldest bro looked after her & her younger sister as the parents were (not very responsible or normal) they expressed themselves with teased & coloured hair. The girl in my class was told to brush her hair down or she couldnt do sport, so her bro wrote a letter saying she would not comb down her hair as it was her right to express herself & if that meant NO sport then she simply would not attend sports class.
It lasted about 8mths & then all of a sudden the school gave in & she was no longer judged or made to look like the rest of us!!!
Maddy has pink streaks thru her hair & the Principal asked if it would wash out? Maddy said No, it's dye, the Principal told her it looked... Nice!
Having had a converstaion wheN maddy was starting prep regarding Religious Instruction (although not being all religions but just Catholic) I disagreed & so the Principal knows I will have an opinion. Also she's seen Dh pull up in his singlet & shorts on his Harley to pick Maddy up after school, so I think she's not gonna say anything!!! LOL
I heard another Mum has apparently said "Great, now all our kids are gonna want coloured hair!" When this moron approaches me I will tell her my child is an individual & I applaud that & we discuss her choices to be different, if she chooses for her kid to not ahve coloured hair, I certainly wont be sticking my 2 bobs worth in, so she should learn the same!
I think you should get as many parents etc to write a petition & say... Students are there to be taught & learn, not be forced to fit a common mould, their individuality is a MAJOR part in confidence & learning so stupid ass rules about hair colour, jewellery & piercings is just that Stupid!
Maddy wears a cheap silver chain around her neck with some hideously tacky diamante's that have MD (her initials) one of her friends bought her & noones ever said she cant! It's wrong to make boys not wear necklaces & girls to be allowed! That is sexist & your boys should be able to petition that too!
You would think that they would be more interested in children learning then what the children are wearing!!! Some schools need a serious reality check!
Tanya, write to the school and explain that DD's facial piercing is a part of her faith (make one up if need be) and that she is required to wear it. Point out that she wears a clear retainer and that you are happy for her to take it out if all other outward signs of faith, belief and culture are removed from all students....
It's what i'd do. I have a friend on another forum who made up her own faith - the Following of Intact Purity, so another girl she knew could tell her dragonish MIL she was in it and thus couldn't circ her DS when he was born. LOL.
Bx
I am so with you 100% too. I have a nose stud and I have to take it out for one job but not at the other, what is with that. I am able to wear it when I am at the Pharmacy but not when I work at the supermarket.
I feel that it is an expression of personality and who are they to saw you can't be who you are.
Good luck with it all.:p
Keep us updated...
as i am a teenager myself and had alot of troubles with teachers about my jelwerry and my nose ring ...
i think teachers should concintrate more on the students learning and not worry about wats on there face.... since wen does a nose ring contribute with a childs learning ablity ..... it doesnt so there just wasting time.... sorry wen i saw thing blog i just had to say all that.....
my mum cracked it and had enough of it.... at my school a girl got in trouble for a pink headband... all because it wasnt navy blue or white..... and this isnt even a private school. this is a public school i am talking about.. there has been alot of debate about the teacher and principals at all campuses..
so Tanya if i were u i would be telling ur daughters school that a nose ring does not effect there learning ability so get over it and actually do ur job as a teacher.. sorry thats just wat my mum said and i wanted to say.. hope everything works out
when i played softball i wasnt allowed to have my nose stud in, so i used get shark line from my local fishing store (like normal fishing line, but thicker) and that would stay in for the time i needed, plus keep the hole open. Apparently nose piercings can close over quite quickly...
good luck...
This is just my opinion and I'm going to try to put it out there as respectfully as possible.
I agree that children ought to able to express themselves however to me school is a team sport (analogy only). If school is going to be a true representation of life then it should help students to understand the concept of "when in Rome...". It's reality that sometimes you have to temporarily put aside your desire to express yourself in the acknowledgment of a greater focus. Sports people decide to wear a uniform to enhance team spirit, create a sense of unity and as a practical means of understanding who is who. If every member of your footy team decided to wear whatever he felt like on the day there would be mass confusion. Now you might disagree and say "but school is different" but I think there are a few more similarities. A uniform can foster a sense of pride. I love being a Doggie's supporter and I wear my footy jumper with pride and I'm sure the players do too. If a child is at the right school for them they should be proud of that school. I know my DD is. When she is representing her school at combined sports days she feels proud to wear her uniform. If her school had no uniform...?
I know this thread is not about uniforms but it is about "uniformity" and i think that it has gotten a bit of a bad rap. Y'know it's not so bad being part of a group to the point that you decide to share a dress code. I don't believe it stifles individuality just as long as there is an opportunity for each person to express themselves with hair colour/piercings/tattoos etc when not in the team focused environment. I have a tattoo and I choose when to show it. It is discreet. I don't need an audience to feel validated. These are just MY feelings.
I know there are many people who would like to feel accepted regardless of whatever they chose to wear at all times. However no one can escape the fact that the way we choose to dress is a language. We have to accept that some people might read our appearance "language" in a way that we don't want them to. So we have to be careful what we choose to "say". How would you feel if you were about to undergo surgery and you were on the operating table about to go under aneasthetic. Just before you passed out the operating surgeon leaned over you and you saw that he had a face full of piercings and a tattoos peeping out from under his gown? Maybe this is an extreme example but it is an example of trust and when parents send their children to school they have to trust that the kids at the school are happy to follow rules.... or be a part of the team.
I am a very strong believer in individuality. I have lived an "alternative" life and hope to become an art teacher. However, I think, (once again JMO) there is a certain degree of maturity in being able to set aside your own preferences for a while and to adopt an agreed mode of conduct. Another example: It is a possibility that my DH will get the opportunity to work in the United Arab Emirates. If I have to wear a head scarf then fine, easy done. I personally don't agree with the idea of women having to cover up, BUT I will be more than happy to accommodate the mode of agreed conduct in this country. I think this will be a wonderful lesson to my DD too.
I hope that, being the only person to have a differing point of view, that I won't be set upon :) I do understand and agree with the importance of individualism but I also understand the benefits of team work and I think that children need to experience both situations.
I can see where you are coming from Bath, the way I see it there are certain rules put in place at school so that everyone is on an equal footing, I would expect my childs teacher to present herself/himself in a professional manner to be an example to the children. I would judge them on their appearance, it is a fact that you are judged on your first appearance even though people may change their mind as they get to know you. It is the same with kids they are judged at school on their appearances and not everyone will take the time to get to know them. It could lead to people forming opinions that could last a life time. This is probably more of a problem for people who live in towns rather then in cities. JMO
I've heard of this rule before in public primary schools, its RIDICULOUS. It REALLY gets to me, as well. Why allow girls to wear jewellery and not boys? It's insane.:
The thing with public schools, is that they really can't *do* anything about kids not wearing the uniform, apart from whinge about it. I never wore my uniform, my mum wouldn't buy it (Because she knew i'd never wear it lol) and there was nothing that could be done. What could they do, suspend me? It wasn't my fault! I don't know if this is still how things are but that's how it was back in my day (which wasn't that long ago, i'm only 18).
How well put Bath. I agree with you but didn't quite know how to say it without offending those with different opinions.
My son likes to wear his hair long and pants low. This is not acceptable at his school but we just tell him that when he's out of school he can choose his dress code but when he's at school he needs to follow theirs. Funny he doesn't have a problem when he has to tuck his shirt in to play bball! Just accepts it's part of the rules.
No don't shoot me but as a primary teacher you do not know how much trouble those 'special' pieces of jewellery can cause. I've had many a heartbroken child because someone has accidentally grabbed that special necklace and broken it or the catch has broken and they've lost it.
Oh well without rules what is there to rebel against;)