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School Bans Kids Wearing Hoodies
Pretty soon, kids will be going to school naked. And no, this isn’t a statement on the skimpiness of half the items in the juniors section. This is about the latest item to be banned by school districts: hoodies.
You know, those hooded sweatshirts favored by the Unabomber, shlubby moms like me and teenagers?
In a move that would make Stacey and Clinton kvell, a Kansas school district has kicked the hoodie to the curb. Turns out kids were using the front pocket to hide their texting fingers during class.
With full keyboards on most kids cell phones these days, the kids say they’ve memorized the keyboard and don’t need to look at the screen to text. So they keep the whole thing inside their front pouch – where they can also feel the phone vibrating when a classmate sends them a message.
A million years ago, we used the front pouch of our hoodies to hide the walkman – and later discman. So heartwarming to know the kids are just picking up where we left off.
I’m probably going to be alone in defending them, but with hoodies a mainstay in my (very mom-like) wardrobe these days, I’ve got to pipe in. Perhaps confiscating a cell phone or two rather than banning a practical piece of the wardrobe (which solves the skimpy problem quite nicely) might fix the problem?
And parents, how about checking the time stamp on your kid’s texting bill? If they’re texting during school hours, it’s time to confiscate the phone.
If the cell phone is the problem, the cell phone needs to go. Because the kids will find another way as long as it’s there. What else did we do with our discmans? Oh, right, the inside the three-ring-binder trick . . .
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16 Comments
[...] School Bans Kids Wearing Hoodies [...]
Best of Strollerderby October 2, 2009 | Famecrawler commented on Oct 03 09 at 11:00 amBec commented on Sep 30 09 at 10:20 amUtterly ridiculous. Let’s also ban pants with pockets, as some of those are baggy enough for kids to get their hands in.
Lisa commented on Sep 30 09 at 11:15 amYou try teaching kids who are texting, listening to music or worse using it to cheat. Ban the hoodie.
Mistress_Scorpio commented on Sep 30 09 at 12:24 pmIdiotic rule by idiotic administrators who prefer stupid rules over having to pay attention to kids’ behavior.
GP commented on Sep 30 09 at 12:34 pmWhen we see a Congressman checking his Blackberry while the President is delivering an important speech, what do you expect. I say, let them do what they want as long as its not disruptive in class. If they don’t learn, that’s their own problem. If they cheat, they cheat themselves. Real world, people. Real world. Or, go to school uniforms then.
Trey commented on Sep 30 09 at 2:32 pmSo, rather than set an example by punishing kids, they ban the hoodie? I don’t get it. Ban the hoodie, there will be other places to hide cells. And, I agree, why aren’t parents accountable for checking their phone bills or disabling the text feature on these phones? Are parents getting stupider or just to the point of nihilism?
ChiLaura commented on Sep 30 09 at 3:33 pmLisa, what’s wrong with the idea of just confiscating the cell phone? I’m sure it’s not easy to teach texting kids, but don’t you think that a hoodie ban is a little nuts? Geez, some kids actually wear hoodies to stay warm.
Milly commented on Sep 30 09 at 9:32 pmI agree, it’s the phone that should be banned , not the hoody. How can kids concentrate in the classroom when they are texting? In our schools, kids wear a uniform which doesn’t include a hoody, so the hoody is banned anyway. But I can’t see how you can ban a piece of clothing that is such an integral part of a teenager’s wardrobe these days if there is no uniform.
Citizen Mom commented on Sep 30 09 at 9:55 pmNone of these comments seem to come from people who’ve had to deal with a student using one of these devices in class. A teacher was beaten unconscious trying to confiscate a phone. I had a student swear at me. I’ve had administrators respond with a slap-on-the-wrist. I had a parent tell me that her kid needed to have his phone in class and on. And finally there’s all the mind-numbing backtalk and arguing I’d get from kids about their stupid phones. You’d think they contained their very essence.
Ban the hoodie, yes, it’s stupid, so please, please, please threaten your kid within an inch his/her life if you get a call that he/she had one of those devices in class. Smash the d@*% things in front of them. (Huh, guess it still makes that vein in my head throb. Don’t worry, I no longer teach.)
Do that and schools won’t won’t feel compelled to create yet another pointless, draconian rule that will be inconsistently enforced, at best.
Lisa commented on Oct 01 09 at 1:24 amChi/Laura
Because having to confiscate something I only suspect is there (I can’t see it) is highly disruptive. The student will attempt to lie and argue whenever they think they might get away with it… it could escalate quickly.
We ban backpacks and coats for the same reason. Ban the hoodie.
Laure68 commented on Oct 01 09 at 2:46 pmPersonally, I have no problem with banning the hoodie. Although I have never taught school, I think it is easy for us to say something is stupid, lazy, etc. if we haven’t been in the teachers’ shoes. If banning hoodies gives teachers a little more time to actually teach, I am all for it.
Bluster commented on Oct 04 09 at 12:11 pmDo you know who is ultimately responsible for the school board’s/administration’s actions?? Oh no, not Mom and Dad. If the parents don’t like this decision, they should let the school board know. When is the next board meeting?
If it’s okay with them, even to the point that it implies the parent wants someone else to make all the childhood decisions, then let this decision stand.
AmyC.C commented on Nov 03 09 at 10:08 pmYou are not alone in defending the hoodie. If schools are going to do this…then they should switch to uniforms. With pocketless sweatshirts. This is ridiculous. Can a child even wear a jacket or sweater if they get cold? I agree with parents checking the cell phone text bills….and maybe even with teachers collecting phones at the beginning of the class and giving them back at the end. But banning hoodies??? C’mon!!
sara harris commented on Jan 22 10 at 2:22 pmits stupid the kids cant wear hoodies at school. they are warm and comfy!!
-sara harris
Cat commented on May 26 10 at 9:24 amI ALWAYS wear a hoodie to school and I only text when instructional time is over. I have friends who don’t wear hoodies to school and they still find ways to text more than I do. It’s like with the laptops we were given at our school. They can block the proxy sites but kids are still going to find a way through the filter. They can take away hoodies but kids are still going to find a way to text in class. It’s ridiculous that they think taking away hoodies are going to end their troubles.
Meghan commented on Jun 13 10 at 1:58 pmTxting is a huge part of teens lives, so ban the hoodie. Fine. Kids will still find a way to text and it is way better than listening to some retard speak infront of everyone about the civil war.
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