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Strollerderby
Should Schools Stop Wigging Out About Hair?
The jury’s still out on whether a Staten Island kid got kicked out of school for showing up with half his head shaved or whether his mom yanked him out school. But does half a head of hair really make any difference?
Over at ParentDish, they’re reporting that the school says they called Dennis Reynolds’ mom to make sure she knew her son was missing half his ‘do. She says she knew and figured it was better that then wearing his pants hanging down below his underwear. Somehow, Dennis ended up leaving the school that day – despite a big state test. Mom says the school went off half-cocked and sent him home. School says she wanted him home.
But I’ve got to get back to my big question here: who the heck cares about a kid’s hair that much? Newsflash – it grows back.
Schools tend to get up in arms about unusual hair styles because they say they’re distracting to other students. As a girl who shaved her head senior year of high school, I can tell you firsthand, they’re right. For about five minutes.
In a tiny high school, there wasn’t one person (teachers included) who didn’t have something smart to say about my hair – or lack thereof – the day I arrived on campus bald as a cueball. But as soon as the teachers pulled out their chalk, the classes settled down and we go to work. Really. One kid, one bad hairdo, do not have nearly the affect that administrators credit them with. Frankly, neither does one pierced nose or ratty pair of jeans, but that’s another story.
If Reynolds’ mom is truly looking at this from the “it’s better than . . . ” standpoint, kudos to her. My parents’ forbade me from getting my head shaved, but once it was done, they shrugged and moved on. Because it would grow back. Because they knew where I was – and it wasn’t shooting crack in an alleyway. So I was bald. So what?
And so I say to school administrators: it’s just hair, so what? What would you rather kids experiment with?
Image: silive
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8 Comments
TolaniLucia commented on Jun 03 09 at 5:54 pmI like his hair. Very new wave.
Marj commented on Jun 03 09 at 9:41 pmSeriously, it’s hair. I think the most appropriate time to experiment with wild hairstyles is High School. It’s fun, it’s cool, you’re going to embarrassed about the photos later anyway, and you don’t have to hold down a day job. My kids can do anything to their hair that they want as long as it doesn’t constitute hate speech.
Shana commented on Jun 04 09 at 9:03 amMy high school in south Texas had a lot of crazy dress code rules that resulted in many suspensions depending on how well you got along with the specific teachers you saw that day. A friend of mine was suspended for dying his hair pink and they would not let him return until it was back to blonde (he ended up having t shave his head). I almost got suspended for wearing a sleeveless shirt under a sheer short sleeve shirt. To say the least the shirt would have been considered perfectly appropriate in a work place even back then. No one was allowed to wear shorts despite the fact that temperature could easily get to the lower 100s in May! You could not wear black make-up that included mascara and eyeliner. I could go on and on. No capri pants either.
To say the least a lot of schools seem to think that kids are little too easily distracted and need to be coddled.
Amanda B. commented on Jun 04 09 at 11:03 amIf you want to do crazy things with your hair, just wait until summer. One of the purposes of school to is prepare you for a job in the real world. Most workplaces wouldn’t put up with an empolyee looking ridiculous, so why should a school?
Kate commented on Jun 04 09 at 12:35 pmThe reason a school should put up with students looking ridiculous and an employer shouldn’t is because students are children, not adults. Highschoolers don’t have a choice about school. Employees can change jobs; creative people can work in creative fields where their personal style is accepted. Adults can choose to sacrifice their creativity in order to support their families financially. Teenagers don’t have any of those freedoms. Also, I don’t think it’s very healthy to put teens in a situation where they are expected to behave like adults some of the time (treating school like the workplace), but they don’t have any of the benefits of being an adult (choosing where to live and work, being able to unwind after a hard day with a glass of wine or an intimate evening with your mate). No wonder they rebel…
Manjari commented on Jun 04 09 at 1:30 pmGood point, Kate.
ChiLaura commented on Jun 04 09 at 3:37 pmI figure that hair is one of those battles that I won’t fight (though I may have a hard time living by this rule!). I’d much rather say no to tatoos, piercing, inappropriate clothing, etc., and tell them, “But your hair, honey, it’s yours.” My hair was horrible in high school (I say, looking back at pictures), but it just wasn’t a big deal and it gave me some sense of identity and control.
brokemom commented on Oct 21 09 at 4:52 pmI dyed my hair green in seventh grade, and whooo boy, what a fuss! They called my parents, I went to the Vice Principal’s office, the whole works. This was only 16 years ago! I told them they were messing with “my rights”, which made my parents laugh. My mom never told me to not dye my hair BECAUSE IT’S HAIR! I let my almost-thirteen y/o daughter dye her hair this last year, because I remember. I remember what it was like to have the confidence to sport green hair when no one, certainly a girl, was doing it. I am proud that my daughter can be an individual.
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