Welcome to my
free e-book, entitled “Why Do We Have To Go To School?” This e-book is designed to empower teachers
as they try to educate our young people.
I am going to release a gigantic e-book that answers many of the
questions that students ask, entitled “Answering The 20 Most Popular Student
Questions” on August 10, 2010. It will
be available for download on my website, www.newteacherhelp.com.
I have
discovered during my 19 years in the field of education that students want to
know “why” they have to follow certain rules.
My gift to educators (and parents) is to answer these questions in a
straightforward, insightful, thorough way so that adults don’t have to take their
time explaining these things to students.
My vision is that teachers will have copies of my e-book, photocopied and organized into chapters in
their file cabinet, and that they will be able to just pull out the answers to
student “why” questions and hand them out when needed.
This e-book
is merely a sample of my work, and I hope that you enjoy it enough to download
the “20 Questions” e-book when it
becomes available on August 10th. In
this free sample, I answer the three biggest questions that students ask….”Why
do we have to go to school?”, “Why can’t we bring cell phones to school?”, and
“Why does my teacher flip out when I show up late for class?” I also answer a question that you, the
teacher or parent, might be asking…which is “Why do I have to explain why each
rule exists?” You will notice that I
don’t use charts, graphs, pictures, or fancy fonts to explain my points. This is because I want this information in a
simple format that is easy to download, print, and copy for students to use. If you have any student “why” questions that
you think should be included in my “20 Questions” e-book, drop me a line at newteacherhelp@yahoo.com.
Thanks!
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Why do teachers have to explain why each rule exists? |
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Why do we have to go to school? |
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Why can’t we bring cell phones to school? |
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Why can’t I be tardy to class? |
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Why do teachers have to explain why
each rule exists?
Everyone
remembers their time in school. For
most, it was a time of innocence, learning, and fun. Some remember it as a painful time…filled
with bullies, mean teachers, and not being part of the “cool” group. People’s attitudes towards school remain
unchanged with the passage of time, and their painful memories cloud their
perception of what goes on in schools today.
This has led to the erosion of power wielded by educators, as parents
have increasingly resisted the school’s attempts to make their student
“conform” to the standards of behavior considered acceptable by our society in
previous years. In this article, I list
the reasons why we now have to explain to students why they have to follow
specific rules.
* “Top-Down” Leadership Is A Thing
Of The Past – In the “Good Ol’ Days” of business, employees complied with the
rules of the office or factory, no questions asked. If a worker had the audacity to ask why a
certain rule had to be followed, the boss would reply “Because I said so!” As time passed, workers formed unions,
studies were done that showed workers were happier and more productive if they
were allowed to provide input to their bosses as to how the company should be
run. Pretty soon, “collaboration” became
the order of the day. Nowadays, you
would be hard pressed to find a company that uses a top-down leadership style.
* “Because I Said So” Isn’t Good
Enough Anymore – The paradigm shift in the workplace trickled its way down into
the educational sector. Remember the
“Good Ol’ Days” of education? Students
complied with the rules with no questions asked. If a student had the audacity to ask why a
certain rule had to be followed, the teacher would reply “Because I said
so!” Students had no backing from their
parents in this situation, the parents had the attitude that the school was always
right. One day, a movement was born that
encouraged students to “Question Authority”, and fight for their rights. The originators of the movement were
convinced that many in positions of authority are corrupt. Students were encouraged to not blindly
follow their leaders…they were encouraged to question why decisions were being
made a certain way. Parents (many of
whom felt that they were treated unfairly during their school career) didn’t
automatically support the school when the school tried to discipline their
children. As a result, students became
more and more emboldened to question why their school operated in a certain
fashion….and they gradually demanded more and more of a say in their own
education and disciplinary consequences.
*The default setting on kids’
“respect” meter is “no” – In the past, students automatically respected their
teachers (and other adults in their lives).
It would take a traumatic event for a student to ever lose respect for
their teacher. The default setting for
student respect was in the “on” position.
In recent years, many students and their parents have come to the
conclusion that students are not required to respect adults just because they
are adults. Many students believe that
an adult has to “earn” their respect before they give it. Not only do students not automatically
respect the position of teacher, they do not respect police officers or other
authority figures. The reasons for this
troubling development are a mystery to me, but could have something to do with
TV shows and movies that belittle people in authority. When have you seen a TV show or movie where
the policeman, teacher, or principal is seen as the hero? Most shows portray these authority figures as
evil, “uncool”, dishonest, or stupid.
Another reason why adults are not respected could be because of the high
divorce rate in this country. Kids see
their parents fighting, splitting up, having a new “boyfriend” or “girlfriend”,
or using childish tactics to hurt the other parent. Kids’ lives are littered with adults that
make empty promises or empty threats, which makes it hard for students to view
their parents as a positive role model, worthy of respect. This lack of respect for parents has led
students to disrespect their teachers as well.
*There’s a Higher Percentage Of
Compliance When You Explain “Why” – For some reason, explaining why the rule
exists (and why it needs to be followed) has a magical effect on students. Maybe it is because the student has an
“A-Ha!” moment when he sees the school’s point of view…maybe it is because the
student respects the person enforcing the rule because the person has taken the
time to explain why the rule exists. In
any event, explaining rules to students results in a higher percentage of
student compliance. Not only are more
students compliant, they seem happier while complying because they know why the
rule exists.
So why don’t we as educators explain
“why” to students whenever they want to know the reason for a specific
rule?
*Time – It takes too much time! You will find that the answers to students’
“Why?” questions are long and complicated.
Let me make one thing perfectly clear:
I wrote these answers for teachers not because I think that teachers do
not know the answers…I know that you know!
I wrote these answers to save you time.
For you to answer every student’s question during the day, you would
spend a huge chunk of time answering questions!
Because you didn’t have access to this e-book until now, your answers
were hurried….like “Look, I don’t make the rules…I just have to enforce them”
or “You will have to follow stupid rules when you get a job, so school is just
training you for that” or the always popular “Because I said so!”
*Focus – Answering every “why”
question gets you (the Teacher) off task.
You are not going to believe this, but some students ask “why” questions
just to get the class off task! Using
the answers in my e-books will keep students from hijacking your class and
taking it to places you don’t want it to go!
*Aggravation – Trying to explain to
a student who doesn’t “get it” is extremely frustrating. Save yourself the aggravation by giving the
student a copy of the answer they are looking for, and ask them to bring
clarification questions to you before school or after school the next day
(after they have had a chance to read your answer).
*The student already knows the
answer – Some students will ask questions they already know the answer to just
to try to “get your goat”. Since
answering the question is a painless procedure for you, the student doesn’t get
the satisfaction of making you work. You
simply pull the answer out of the folder, and slap it on his desk. Word will get around that you have all the
answers, which will result in two outcomes:
Students who really are curious to get answers will come to you for
them…and students who want to be smart-alecky will NOT ask you questions. That’s what I call a “win-win” for you and
your students.
How do you use the “Why” e-book?
*To save time – When a student asks
you a “Why?” question, you simply tell the student “See me after class and I
will explain why.” After class, you give
the student a copy of the answer to their question (you could have folders in
your file cabinet with answers to many of the questions students ask in a day,
and you would just pull out a copy). How
much time will this save you each day?
Lots!
*To keep your class focused – When
the student asks you a “Why?” question to get you off task, simply tell the
student to meet you after class, and give him a copy of the answer. Or…you could just walk over to your file
cabinet, pull out the folder with the answer, and give it to the student
without missing a beat.
*To keep parents on your side –
Sometimes, parents want to know why a rule exists. Sometimes it is because they want to challenge
your authority and defend their child…sometimes it is because they want to be
able to give their child the correct answer (and support YOU). Send the answers home with the student so
that the parent can support you at home.
The answers are in PDF or Microsoft Word format, so you could attach the
answers to an email you send home. If
you don’t know how to attach things to your email, just highlight the answer
you want to send home, hit “copy”, then “paste” it in the email and hit “send”.
*As
a disciplinary consequence – A student is sent to the In-School Suspension room
for violating a specific rule (talking without permission during class, for
example). While in ISS, the student
could be required to copy the “Why?” answer for why it is inappropriate for
students to talk without permission in class.
The ISS teacher could also require the student to answer questions about
the e-book answer, find vocabulary words to investigate, or perform other tasks
related to the e-book. Here are some
sample questions you could ask at the end of each “Why?” answer:
Which of the
arguments for (insert school rule here) is the strongest?
Which of the
arguments for (insert school rule here) is the weakest?
If you were
trying to convince your friend to obey this rule, what would you tell him/her?
Does having
the reasons for this rule explained to you make you more likely to obey the
rule? Why or why not?
Did your parents have this rule when they were in school? If they didn’t, why do you think they didn’t?
Why do we have to go to school?
There are
many reasons why we have to go to school.
Unfortunately, most people do not take the time to explain the reasons
to our nation’s young people. Even a
search of the Internet for “Why do kids have to go to school” turns up the
same, tired answers:
* “You have to go to school to
learn, so that when you grow up you will be smart.”
* “You have to go to school to have
a bright future.”
* “People who have more education
make more money in their lifetime.”
Such weak
answers for such an important question!
Why hasn’t someone taken the time to REALLY explain why kids have to go
to school? That’s the subject of this
ebook. Today, I am going to give you
plenty of reasons why you have to go to school.
You may agree with some of the reasons, you may disagree with others…but
the bottom line is that you will finally know why you are there!
*In the old days, education was only
for the “rich” – One hundred years ago, most kids didn’t go to school. Only the children of rich people were allowed
to go. Here’s the cycle that
occurred: Rich people have children,
children go to school and become smart, smart kids get to go to college,
college graduate gets high-paying job, rich person has children and the cycle
repeats itself. Poor people have
children, children do not get to go to school…they instead are put to work at
menial jobs like farmer, coal miner, street sweeper, etc. and make little
money. Poor child grows up, gets
married, has children who are not allowed to go to school, and the cycle
repeats itself. Horace Mann (the “Father
of American Education”) knew that the cycle of poverty could only be broken
through the education of ALL students.
Mann called education “The Great Equalizer” in the early 1800’s. His dream of education for all students did
not become a reality until a hundred years after his death.
*School teaches you more than just
how to read and write – The things you learn in school are too numerous to list
in this little ebook. Here are a few
skills you learn: sharing, getting along
with others, time management skills, listening, focusing on a particular task,
memorizing facts, working in a team to produce a product, problem solving,
conflict resolution, accepting constructive criticism, accepting praise, setting
and accomplishing goals, learning things that you don’t necessarily think are
important at the time…but learning them anyway, and patience.
*You form friendships that will last
for the rest of your life – Many of the friendships you make in school would
not have happened unless you were forced to be there. At school, you encounter students from every
socio-economic level, every race, every religion, and every political
affiliation. You learn to get along with
people who are different from you, and make friends with many of them. This skill is one that you will use for the
rest of your life.
*Our economic and political system
depends on you being educated – The founding fathers of our country believed
that democracy would die if the citizens living in the
*Where would kids go when their
parents are at work? – Let’s face facts here…most families have both parents
working, and other families have only one parent (who is also at work). If there were no schools, where would the
kids go during the day? Would we build
giant amusement parks to entertain kids for eight hours a day until their
parents came home from work? Would we
build huge daycare centers that charge parents a dollar an hour to take care of
their children? While we are “babysitting”
everyone’s kids, don’t you think it is a good idea to educate them as well?
*You learn a little about everything
so you can make a choice about what you want to do with your life – You are
taught a little math, a little science, a little social studies, a little
English, and so on. School does not make
you an expert at any one thing, it gives you a shallow understanding about many
different things. Taking classes in
school is like test-driving a car…you try a lot of them until you find the one
that is right for you. Sally takes
biology class, and becomes really interested in animals. She decides that she wants to be a
veterinarian. Joe enjoys his literature
class, and decides to become a writer.
Billy loves math, and makes plans to become an engineer or accountant
when he grows up.
*You ARE aware of the kinds of jobs
available to you if you don’t get an education….right? – Your career options
are going to be SEVERELY limited if you do not get a quality education. Do you like lifting heavy objects? Do you like working with your hands…a
lot? The less educated members of our
society are given the least-desirable jobs available. Why does this occur? Because the students who worked hard will be
able to find jobs that pay more money, involve less manual labor, and are less
dangerous.
*Your education gives you the power
to find another job when you want to – Most of the people who don’t want to go
to school hate the fact that their teacher tells them what to do all the
time. Guess what? When you get a job, your boss spends his
entire day telling you what to do! If
you do not get a good education, you will be lucky to find a good job….and you
will be “stuck” there because the chances of finding another good job will be
slim. How would you like to be in a
situation where you are powerless to leave your job because you can’t find
another one that pays as well…and you are stuck listening to your unreasonable
boss for the rest of your life? Educated
people can just look for another job, find one, then tell their boss to take a
long walk off a short pier.
*A few years of hard work NOW saves
you from a lifetime of hard work – Most people who hate school don’t want to
work hard. How ironic is it that lazy
students end up in jobs that require the most work? The students who work hard at school end up
in jobs that don’t require heavy lifting, being in dangerous situations, or
working long hours. Students who try to
take “short cuts” during school end up spending their 30-year working career in
back-breaking jobs that pay little money.
*Your parents want you to do well in
school – Whether your parents are rich, poor, or middle class, they want you to
do well in school. Why? Every parent wants their child to have a life
that is better than their own, and every parent is old enough (and experienced
enough) to know that a good education is the gateway to a better life.
*If you don’t get a good education,
you will live to regret it – You may not regret your choice today, you may not
regret your choice tomorrow or five years from now….but you WILL regret your
decision to slack off during your school years.
I have spoken with hundreds of former students who visit me from time to
time. My successful former students
never say “Gosh, I wish I hadn’t tried so hard in school…I really missed out on
a lot.” They say, “Thanks for helping me
do well in school, all the stuff I learned really prepared me to be
successful.” Now, let’s look at what my
unsuccessful students say when they come back to visit…they never say “I am so
glad I had so much fun in school! I
didn’t try hard, and didn’t learn much…but who cares!” What they ALWAYS say is “I wish I would have
tried harder in school…my life is pretty messed up right now. I am trying to go back to school/get my GED
so that I can get a job that pays better than minimum wage.” Let me repeat this so that you can understand
its importance: You WILL regret your
decision to not get a good education.
*Money is not the answer…education
is – How many people do you know that play the lottery instead of concentrating
on getting a good education? The lottery
has been called “A tax on people who are bad at math”, and it’s true! The chances of winning a significant amount
of money in the lottery is about the same as getting hit by lightning twice in
one day. Just for the sake of argument,
let’s say that you won the lottery tomorrow, say $10 Million. A few years from now, you will be broke
again. “No way!” you scream. Yes, way.
Most people who win the lottery blow all of their money in a short
period of time, or have their winnings stolen from them by scam artists,
relatives, or other people who know more about how to handle money than they
do. Professional athletes make millions
of dollars in their careers as well, but what happens to many of them? They end up broke. People may be able to take your money, but
they can never take away your high school diploma or college degree…it’s yours
to use for the rest of your life.
*The “What About Albert Einstein?”
Argument – People who decide to quit school have a list of people who did not
graduate high school who ended up leading successful lives. They say “See! You don’t have to have an education to be
successful!” The list includes Albert
Einstein, Walt Disney, George Washington, Abraham Lincoln, Jim Carrey, Tom
Cruise, John Travolta, Ray Charles, Cher, Peter Jennings, Whoopi Goldberg, Dave
Thomas (Founder of Wendy’s) and Rosa Parks.
Most of the people who quit school and were still successful in life
were people in the entertainment industry, people who had a special talent, or
inventors. Out of the millions of people
who have dropped out of school, you would be hard-pressed to find 500
successful people among them. Your odds
of winning the lottery are better!
*The “Recidivism Cycle” – People who
do not get a good education frequently end up with less money than everyone
else. The uneducated person looks around
at all of their friends, friends who have cool cars, houses, cell phones,
televisions, and other cool stuff and says “I deserve to have those things,
too!” Since the uneducated person cannot
earn the money to buy the cool stuff, he decides to obtain the finer things in
life by engaging in illegal activity.
Sooner or later, the person is caught, and is sent to prison. When the person gets out of prison, the
person may have learned his lesson. He
may want to be “straight”, and lead a normal, crime-free life. What happens next? The uneducated person now has a criminal record,
so what chance does he have of getting a high-paying job? Zero.
Sooner or later, the person returns to a life of crime to make ends
meet, and gets caught again. While in
jail, he decides that being in jail is just “easier” than trying to survive on
the outside. The end. We do not want you to end up like that…that
is why we keep encouraging you to give school your best shot!
*Your life will go on whether you
get an education or not – You will fall in love, get married, maybe even have
children. I say, congratulations! One problem:
How are you going to complete your education when you have a child or
two at home? You can’t afford to pay for
a babysitter. How are you going to get a
better education when you are working two jobs to pay the bills? Are you going to go at night? Night school costs money…money that you don’t
have. You were given the opportunity to
get an education FOR FREE, and you didn’t take the gift when it was given to
you. What are you going to do now?
*Your high school diploma doesn’t
prove that you know anything…and employers don’t care – Your high school
diploma is a document that proves you will stick with it and accomplish a goal
no matter what obstacles are in your way.
Employers are looking to hire people who are able to do that. Quitting school and saying “I’ll just get my
GED later” tells employers that you can’t be trusted to hang around during the
tough times. Why would a company spend
the money to train you if you have already proven that you can’t finish your
high school career? Most companies won’t
take a risk on you.
*No matter what you THINK you will
do with your life, you will need a good education – Many of you are thinking to
yourselves, “I don’t have to study…I’m going to play in the NBA/NFL/MLB.” Out of the millions of people playing sports
in the world, there are only 1696 players in the NFL, only 750 players in Major
League Baseball, and only 432 players in the NBA. You have less than a 1% chance of making it
as a professional athlete. You need to
make sure you have a “Plan B” in case your dream doesn’t come true. Guess how many failed professional athletes
are broke right now? Answer: Lots.
A good education is the ultimate Plan B.
*Many people believe that “fate” or
“luck” determines who is successful – This is not true! Your hard work will make you successful.
*You don’t know what “perks” are,
but you will like them – People with good educations get “perks” to sign up to
work with certain companies. Perks are
things like sick days (getting paid for working when you actually stayed home),
company-paid medical, dental, and vision care for you and your family, two
weeks or more of PAID vacation time, a retirement plan that pays you money
after you quit working for the company, and much more! Some companies want to hire the best and
smartest workers, so they don’t mind giving you a car, a cool office, a secretary,
or other neat stuff. Let’s put it this
way…you won’t get any of these perks while stocking shelves at the local
grocery store. If you don’t show up for
work, you don’t get paid. If you
complain about your job, they fire you and bring in someone to take your
place…someone who may even work for less money than you were earning.
*Think about your kids – Your kids
deserve to live in a nice house, ride in a nice car that doesn’t break down,
and go to a good school. If you don’t
get a good education, the chances of these things happening for your kids is
small. Do you really want to have to
tell your kids that they can’t have the latest toy or video game because you
can’t afford it? Do you really want your
kids to be made fun of at school because they wear raggedy clothes? What you do NOW affects the rest of your
life…and affects your kids’ lives as well.
Don’t let them down!
Why can’t we have cell phones at
school?
There are
many reasons why we shouldn’t have cell phones/MP3 players at school.
*They
disrupt class – Have you ever been somewhere, trying to concentrate, and
someone’s cell phone makes noise? It is
frustrating! Many students have problems
keeping focused on their work, and outside noise makes it even more
difficult. Students with MP3 players are
also a problem, as they listen to their music at such a high volume it is
possible to hear it from several feet away.
*They
are lost or stolen – Do you have any idea how many hours are spent every day by
administrators trying to find lost or stolen cell phones? Adolescent students have a tendency to leave
things lying around, and this includes their phone. Students who cannot afford the latest and
greatest gadget have no problem picking these items up and putting them in
their backpack. What makes matters worse
are the angry parents (who no doubt paid large amounts of money for the gadget)
understandably calling the school every half hour for “updates” on the status
of their student’s phone. Administrators
become frustrated because their purpose is to help teachers present great
lessons, keep a safe environment for students, and allocate district resources
fairly…not solve the “mystery of the missing cell phone” numerous times per
day!
*They
can be used to cheat on tests/assignments – There are a variety of ways that
cell phones are used to cheat on tests and assignments. The student in 1st Period can take
pictures of the test, and send the pictures to their friend who has the same
test in 4th Period. The
“smart” kid can text answers to others during the test, or students can text a
friend who may be home “sick” (who’s at home with the textbook) to ask the
answers to test questions. It is
entirely possible for a student with an internet-capable phone to look up
answers to questions during the test.
There are so many possibilities for the gadget to be used to gain an
unfair advantage!
*They
can be used inappropriately – The internet that flows through students’ cell
phones is “unfiltered”, which means that the school doesn’t have the ability to
block certain inappropriate websites.
Students can visit pornographic websites, take inappropriate pictures of
themselves (and others) and post them on a variety of websites, or video
embarrassing moments suffered by the “dorky” kid or the teacher that everyone
dislikes, and post them on YouTube.
*They
can be used to spread rumors and gossip – In the old days, gossip and rumors
were spread about teachers and other students by word of mouth. Today, gossip and rumors can be transmitted
to hundreds of other people at the push of a button. Who “likes” who, who is going to fight by the
bike rack after school, who said something bad about somebody’s mom….is all
transmitted at the speed of light in the blink of an eye. Students are “cyberbullied”, nasty stuff is
posted on Facebook and MySpace about them, fights are instigated, then
videotaped and posted on YouTube within minutes. None of this is good for your school’s
climate.
*There are too many ways these
devices can be used to disrupt school – There are ways to disrupt school using
these devices that haven’t even been thought of yet! Instead of teachers and administrators trying
to keep up with all of this new technology, it is just easier to ban it.
Why can’t I be tardy?
Jeff (one of my
students) asked me a question the other day:
“Why does my teacher flip out when I show up a couple of minutes late
for class? I mean, really….I was just
using the bathroom!” Here are some
reasons why teachers frown on you for being tardy:
*It is disrespectful – Being late
(not only in school, but in life) is disrespectful to the people who were on
time to the event. Being late tells
people that you do not value their time, because you couldn’t show up when everyone
else did. People lead busy lives, and
they took time out of their day to be at the event when they were supposed to
be there…you could not. In school, your
tardiness tells the teacher that you do not think her/his class is important
enough to show up on time.
*It is disruptive – Studies have
found that a class can take as many as 15 minutes to refocus once it has been
disrupted. This is the reason why
administrators try to limit the number of announcements and other interruptions
during the school day. When you walk in
the room, everyone in the class has to look up and see who is entering the
room…it is just human nature. If you are
walking by several other classrooms with open doors on your way to class after
the bell, every student in every one of those classes looks to see who is walking
by as well, disrupting hundreds of students.
*We are preparing you for the world
of work – I know what you are saying…“School is NOT my job! I do not get paid! When I get a job that pays money, THEN I will
be on time.” Unfortunately, the habits you
establish in school will carry over into your career.
*It is frustrating for the teacher –
The first few times you are tardy for a particular class, the teacher probably
will not say anything to you. However,
every tardy uses up “goodwill” that you have built up with the teacher. If you participate in class, are respectful,
and not disruptive…you will have a lot of goodwill in the bank to work
with. Disruptive/disrespectful students,
students who don’t turn in their homework, or don’t bring their materials…you
don’t have a lot of goodwill to spare.
*It is a safety issue – When you are
at school, your parents assume (and expect) that we know where you are every
minute of the school day. Therefore,
when we don’t know where you are, we as educators get upset. Where are you? Are you in the bathroom? Are you at the nurse? Have you been beaten up and are bleeding in a
dumpster behind the school (true story)….did you leave school grounds and walk
somewhere? Have you been kidnapped? We don’t know, and that makes us look like we
don’t know what is going on. When I was
a five years old, I became separated from my mom in the grocery store. I looked all over the place for her, and she
frantically looked all over the store for me.
When she finally found me, she hugged me…then gave me a swat on the
bottom! She was relieved that nothing
bad had happened to me, but she was mad that I wandered away. That’s kind of how your teacher feels when
you are missing, then show up late. They
are happy you are O.K., but disappointed that you were at the vending machine
buying a cinnamon roll instead of taking care of your school business.
*It undermines your credibility – If
you are tardy frequently (with a wide assortment of excuses), chances are your
teachers will start to question your word.
There are only so many times you can use “bathroom emergency” or “female
problems” before your teachers start to think you stretch the truth. This lack of credibility can transfer over to
your excuses about why you didn’t get your assignment done on time (the dog ate
it?), or why you don’t have your materials (someone stole your backpack?) Once you lose your teacher’s trust, you may
never get it back.
Why can’t I wear my hoodie at school?
Some people
have seen on the news that several school districts have prohibited the wearing
of hooded sweatshirts (hoodies) on school grounds. Most people’s reaction to this news is “Are
you kidding me? Why would schools make
up a stupid rule like that?” There are
many reasons why you cannot wear your hoodie at school. Some of them have to do with campus safety,
some are designed to keep students from concealing their activities. This article will list the reasons for
prohibiting hoodies at school:
*Hoodies can be used to conceal the
identity of students when they engage in inappropriate or illegal behavior –
When students behave inappropriately, it is important for teachers or
administrators to identify the offending students, and teach appropriate
behavior through the use of correction.
When students wear hoodies, they sometimes wear their hoodie over their
head so that teachers/administrators cannot tell who is doing the inappropriate
behavior. Even the use of security
cameras falls short when students conceal their identity in this fashion. Students sometimes hide their faces as they
walk past security cameras to “skip” class.
Parents show up to pick up their student, and their student is
missing…and we as administrators do not know where their child is. This makes for a dangerous (and embarrassing)
situation for the school.
*Hoodies can be used to conceal
illegal behavior in the classroom – Many students use their hoodie to text
their friends. For example, a female
student I know can look at the teacher as her hands are in the front pocket of
her hoodie, texting away without even looking at her phone. Other students put their MP3 player in their
pants pocket, thread their headphone wires up through the back of their hoodie,
then put their earbuds in their ears as they wear their hood over their
head.
*Hoodies can be disruptive to the
learning environment – How many times have you seen a student wearing a
hoodie…minding his own business, when his friend sneaks up behind him and
“hoods” him? The friend just can’t help
himself…he just HAS to pull the hood up over his friend’s head!! Of course, the student wearing the hoodie has
to chase his friend and “get him back” for doing that to him. To many people, this is just harmless
play. To educators, it is a recipe for
disaster. “Play” usually leads to
“injury”, and play in the classroom leads to class disruption and a barrier to
learning. Also, the hood seems to be a
magnet for all sorts of things during the school day – crumpled up pieces of
paper, pens/pencils, gum, half-eaten food during lunch, and many other objects
put there by friends who want to “joke” with the student wearing the hoodie.
*Another safety issue with hoodies
is the use of them to conceal students’ arms who are “cutting” themselves. Students who cut themselves usually do not
want their cuts to be seen by adults, so they often wear a hoodie with long
sleeves (or maybe a wristband) to keep their cutting a secret. It is important for adults to be able to see
students’ arms, hopefully discover the cutting problem, and get the student the
help he/she needs.
As you can see, there are several good reasons why hoodies are prohibited at school. We do not make rules just to “kill your fun”, but rules are in place to maintain a safe and orderly school environment.
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