Star student suspended for dyeing her hair pink to honor cancer victims

[The Pontificator]

http://www.wltx.com/news/story.aspx?storyid=65447&catid=35

:upeyes:

[Ballistic40]

Those dadgum darn fool liberals!!!!!!!!!

[Glock 19 God]

What a joke...

Do people really lack common sense to make good decisions?

[Deradius]

This is a common tactic used by students. Sometimes it pays off big.

The district has a rule for some legitimate reason.

For example, in this case, the rule about distraction is there because if you don't regulate what students wear to a degree, they will construct elaborate costumes. They'll wear skimpy, and if they can't wear skimpy, they'll wear bright and flashy, with things like brilliantly dyed hair. Foot-tall green mohawks and such. Then they'll start competing over, fighting over, and focusing on who is wearing or doing what instead of their schoolwork.

The concern is grounded in some degree of reality. The most important point is that it is a rule.

The student, instead of going through the appropriate channels to try to change a rule she disagrees with, finds an excuse to violate the rule, and appropriates a cause to make her violation seem just.

In this case, cancer, her father's cancer in particular, is supposed to somehow justify her wearing pink hair.

The media then gets their hands on it, and tells the public to be outraged. The public fails to think critically, and is outraged.

The school either stands its ground and gets sued, or more often, buckles.

If this girl really cared about cancer, she'd get a job after school and donate money to cancer research funding. Or, she would be excelling in her science classes and starting a student advocacy group to inform others about cancer. She would be doing something productive.

Instead she's exploiting her dead father's memory to justify freaky hair.

She was warned and still chose to violate the rules.

[Thebes]

Sounds like a good example of the BS Socialism in the schools that is the topic of another thread.

This has nothing to do with common-sense rules. This is totalitarian social-control designed to get students to sacrifice their individuality to the "greater good", unquestioningly and obediently - or suffer the consequences.

[Deradius]

Sounds like a good example of the BS Socialism in the schools that is the topic of another thread.

This has nothing to do with common-sense rules. This is totalitarian social-control designed to get students to sacrifice their individuality to the "greater good", unquestioningly and obediently - or suffer the consequences.

Many students in modern schools are getting the idea into their heads that they only need follow rules that they agree with because of cases precisely like this.

Remember, these are not fully developed adults. These are kids still learning about rules and boundaries.

What they're learning these days is that boundaries flex, rules are made to be broken, and if a rule doesn't seem to apply to you, then it should be violated.

[tat2guy]

As a man who went through adolescence once upon a time, I can tell you that you can shave middle school girls heads bald, make them wear burlap sacks, and have school in extrememly low lighting, and they will STILL distract middle school boys.

Pink hair is low on the list of distracting things about girls when kids are that age.

[HekiDanjo]

Meh.
She broke the rules. She was given a warning. She broke it again. There were consequences. Sounds like life as it should be.

Attaching your actions onto a cause that you hope is beyond argument is a BS tactic to avoid consequences for your actions. This is exactly the logic that spawns things like well meaning people trying to make hunters' lives misery "because they are MURDERING INNOCENTS!"

[HarlDane]

Sounds like a good example of the BS Socialism in the schools that is the topic of another thread.

This has nothing to do with common-sense rules. This is totalitarian social-control designed to get students to sacrifice their individuality to the "greater good", unquestioningly and obediently - or suffer the consequences.Funny, in this area the Schools known for their conservative stances are the ones that ban colored hair and long hair on males.

[Thebes]

Meh.
She broke the rules. She was given a warning. She broke it again. There were consequences. Sounds like life as it should be.

Of course there are rules. There always are. And then there are more. And then the people in charge make rules about every petty principle and pet cause they have on their Master Plan agenda in order to enshrine their ideals and problematize yours.

So you get rules like the ones the parents on the other thread I mentioned are complaining about where kids are graded "as a class". No individual grades because no one should get an 'A' when their neighbour is getting a 'C'.

Or rules that state kids can't even pretend that their chicken nugget is a gun or draw a picture of a gun without running afoul of some over-the-top "zero-tolerance" anti-gun policy which gets them suspended for such "violent behavior".

Kids get this day in, day out, so that after a little lifetime of this, by the time they're adults, they're so used to following stupid, senseless rules (and suffering the consequences for "violating" them) that the only thing some gun-grabbing politician or totalitarian elitist has to do is tell us that "assault weapons" are "against the rules" and people just roll over and take it.

If you do (or don't) want your kid to have some colour or style of hair, that's between you and your kid. School rules should be about safety, grades, and how a student demonstrates their mastery of the knowledge that is the subject of their lessons. If my students can show me they know the material, I don't care what colour hair they have. And if hair colour bothers you such that you can't focus on your own work, you better grow the heck up because, kiddo, out in the real world, hair colour will be the least of your distractions. You at least need to learn to mind your own bloody business.

Keep the parenting to the parents and let the schools focus on "the three Rs".

[theleafybug]

this is just dumb. this should not even be an issue for the media to hear about! pink hair is a statement. not a support of cancer awareness. this girl broke school rules by putting pink STREAKS in her hair. she was allowed to get away with it under the circumstances, and told NOT TO DO IT AGAIN. she then proceeds to dye her ENTIRE hair. :steamed: Not only is that complete lack of respect for the school rules, that is complete lack of respect towards her principal who told her not to do it again. these arrogant little punks nowadays need to be put in their place and learn to follow rules. i completely agree with Deradius - if she REALLY wanted to support cancer awareness, she could start babysitting after school for some extra money to donate it. or wear a t-shirt. or have her mom help her organize a club or event to raise money.
PINK HAIR??? GIVE ME A BREAK!!!

I also feel that this girl should be punished even further for attempting to manipulate something like cancer awareness so irreverently simply in order to pursue her own agenda of being allowed colored hair.

oh, and by the way:
PINK IS NOT THE "CANCER COLOR"
PINK RIBBONS ARE IN SUPPORT OF BREAST CANCER VICTIMS/SURVIVORS
Men are 100 time LESS likely to experience breast cancer than women so unless her father is one of the rare few (and the article left it out completely) he did not die of breast cancer.

i still can't get over this thing. i just read the post about the "grungy-looking kid" removing his hat and saluting the flag. just when i thought there was hope for the world, this post comes along.

When you are at school, you follow school rules. You are 12, you are not an adult. You don't get to decide what rules you follow until you know how to follow rules. and you DO NOT try and use CANCER VICTIMS as your excuse to break rules you don't like. :steamed:

[rmc85]

This is a common tactic used by students. Sometimes it pays off big.

The district has a rule for some legitimate reason.

For example, in this case, the rule about distraction is there because if you don't regulate what students wear to a degree, they will construct elaborate costumes. They'll wear skimpy, and if they can't wear skimpy, they'll wear bright and flashy, with things like brilliantly dyed hair. Foot-tall green mohawks and such. Then they'll start competing over, fighting over, and focusing on who is wearing or doing what instead of their schoolwork.

I can agree with you on the skimpy thing because that will take a 16 year old boy attention away from anything but everything else I'm not so sure about.

I dont know where you went to high school but no one I know every fought, competed, or really focused on what someone was wearing in class.

[Deradius]

Of course there are rules. There always are. And then there are more. And then the people in charge make rules about every petty principle and pet cause they have on their Master Plan agenda in order to enshrine their ideals and problematize yours.

So you get rules like the ones the parents on the other thread I mentioned are complaining about where kids are graded "as a class". No individual grades because no one should get an 'A' when their neighbour is getting a 'C'.

Or rules that state kids can't even pretend that their chicken nugget is a gun or draw a picture of a gun without running afoul of some over-the-top "zero-tolerance" anti-gun policy which gets them suspended for such "violent behavior".

Kids get this day in, day out, so that after a little lifetime of this, by the time they're adults, they're so used to following stupid, senseless rules (and suffering the consequences for "violating" them) that the only thing some gun-grabbing politician or totalitarian elitist has to do is tell us that "assault weapons" are "against the rules" and people just roll over and take it.

If you do (or don't) want your kid to have some colour or style of hair, that's between you and your kid. School rules should be about safety, grades, and how a student demonstrates their mastery of the knowledge that is the subject of their lessons. If my students can show me they know the material, I don't care what colour hair they have. And if hair colour bothers you such that you can't focus on your own work, you better grow the heck up because, kiddo, out in the real world, hair colour will be the least of your distractions. You at least need to learn to mind your own bloody business.

Keep the parenting to the parents and let the schools focus on "the three Rs".


The rule about hair dye is a little extreme, I'll concede.

The issue we face here is two competing interests:

1.) The desire to instill in our children a commitment to being decent, lawful citizens.

2.) The desire to instill in our children the ability to think critically and question authority when applied in a tyrranical fashion.

The most appropriate way to handle the problem in the situation presented would be for the parent to get together with the daughter, and go to the school board to explain their position and complain.

Perhaps even file a grievance or get the media involved if it's important.

This shows the child that rules and authorities are subject to being questioned by critical thinkers, but that appropriate channels should be followed in all but the most extreme circumstances.

If modifying the system from within did not work, the civil disobedience might be a next step, and outright rebellion the most extreme response.

However, I think any rational person would say that the cost-benefit - education versus hair color - suggests that a formal complaint is the most extreme reasonable measure that should be taken.

Those who would invoke the founding fathers here should understand that their situation was so extreme that they were willing to endure the high cost of rebellion. "Liberty or death" was not a catchy slogan to them, but a way of life.

[Deradius]

I can agree with you on the skimpy thing because that will take a 16 year old boy attention away from anything but everything else I'm not so sure about.

I dont know where you went to high school but no one I know every fought, competed, or really focused on what someone was wearing in class.

I taught high school for a while.

I had kids come to school and barge into my classroom, disrupting a lesson in order to announce how awesome their clothes were, then get sent to the office when responding inappropriately to admonishment.

I had to take time out from teaching and take a kid outside because she was hyperventilating. Apparently, someone had made fun of her because she wears excessive eye shadow and dyes her hair. She was nearly inconsolable, and I sent her to the clinic so that I could resume my lesson. Everyone suffered because the flow of information was disrupted and the students were without instruction for several minutes.

I had kids come to school in pajamas and bunny slippers.

I had a kid come to school in a bright red jumpsuit, with bright red hair extensions, and dance her way to her seat.

I had to defuse a number of situations precipitated by confederate flags on articles of clothing, and more than once redirected the day's activities to discuss symbols, perceptions, and maturely dealing with disagreement.

[rmc85]

I taught high school for a while.

I had kids come to school and barge into my classroom, disrupting a lesson in order to announce how awesome their clothes were, then get sent to the office when responding inappropriately to admonishment.

I had to take time out from teaching and take a kid outside because she was hyperventilating. Apparently, someone had made fun of her because she wears excessive eye shadow and dyes her hair. She was nearly inconsolable, and I sent her to the clinic so that I could resume my lesson. Everyone suffered because the flow of information was disrupted and the students were without instruction for several minutes.

I had kids come to school in pajamas and bunny slippers.

I had a kid come to school in a bright red jumpsuit, with bright red hair extensions, and dance her way to her seat.

I had to defuse a number of situations precipitated by confederate flags on articles of clothing, and more than once redirected the day's activities to discuss symbols, perceptions, and maturely dealing with disagreement.

Man has high school changed!:shocked:

you win!

[Deradius]

Man has high school changed!:shocked:

you win!

Not to hijack, but red jumpsuit girl was funny. Sometimes, the right strategy can really defuse a situation.

Red jumpsuit girl came in, and her hair was extremely red too. She danced all the way to hear seat, interspersing "Uh-oh, oh yeah, uh-huh, that's right."

....I had the following options:

A) Send her to the office for disruption. This would take fifteen out of fifty available class minutes, and create a scene.
B) I could make her go outside and re-enter "properly".
C) I could ignore the situation. Benefit: No further disruption. Cost: People see they can get away with this.

....I chose option D.

I said, "My, [student_name], you're very red today."

Her:

"Thank you, Mr. J!"

Me:

"Would you like to do a thirty second dance to show off your outfit?"

Her: (Big wide eyes)

"You'd let me do that?"

Me: "Keep it appropriate." (waves to the front of the room)

...The entire class got silent.

She got up in front of the class, and busted a move while I timed thirty seconds. She kept it appropriate.

There was a round of applause, and I flowed right into the lesson as she sat down. No further problems that day.

If I had come off heavy handed, we would have gone to war, and if I had ignored it, she would have danced in to class every day. Instead, I gave her her "fifteen minutes of fame" and she was happy.

[GlocksForGoons]

This is a common tactic used by students. Sometimes it pays off big.

The district has a rule for some legitimate reason.

For example, in this case, the rule about distraction is there because if you don't regulate what students wear to a degree, they will construct elaborate costumes. They'll wear skimpy, and if they can't wear skimpy, they'll wear bright and flashy, with things like brilliantly dyed hair. Foot-tall green mohawks and such. Then they'll start competing over, fighting over, and focusing on who is wearing or doing what instead of their schoolwork.

The concern is grounded in some degree of reality. The most important point is that it is a rule.

The student, instead of going through the appropriate channels to try to change a rule she disagrees with, finds an excuse to violate the rule, and appropriates a cause to make her violation seem just.

In this case, cancer, her father's cancer in particular, is supposed to somehow justify her wearing pink hair.

The media then gets their hands on it, and tells the public to be outraged. The public fails to think critically, and is outraged.

The school either stands its ground and gets sued, or more often, buckles.

If this girl really cared about cancer, she'd get a job after school and donate money to cancer research funding. Or, she would be excelling in her science classes and starting a student advocacy group to inform others about cancer. She would be doing something productive.

Instead she's exploiting her dead father's memory to justify freaky hair.

She was warned and still chose to violate the rules.

This is a slippery slop fallacy. I have never seen or heard of anyone fighting anyone because of their hair.


The problem with schools is that they are run like a communist country. The girl in no way has any power to change the rules. By the time she gets done presenting her case to the superintendent and the board she will not be in school anymore. Instead she will have to assimilate into what the school thinks is proper behavior in order to continue to succeed.

Maybe she really did it for her father's cancer. Maybe she just wanted pink hair. Either way it's still her hair and was done at her home and the school should have nothing to do with that decision. Why is it that schools need to strip their students of their rights to keep order? That's a failure of the system.

[Deradius]

This is a slippery slope fallacy. I have never seen or heard of anyone fighting anyone because of their hair.


It would be worth your time to spend a while substitute teaching in a high school, if you haven't yet.

It's an eye opening experience.

In high school, the slippery slope fallacy is not a fallacy.

Any gray area that you permit becomes their territory.

[havensal]

Man alive! Can we find anything more petty to worry about?

I hope someday soon I see a thread titled "Entire school board fired for complete incompetence"!:steamed:

Or better yet "Zero tolerance policy declared ignorant by teacher's unions across the country". :upeyes:

[HekiDanjo]

Of course there are rules. There always are. And then there are more. And then the people in charge make rules about every petty principle and pet cause they have on their Master Plan agenda in order to enshrine their ideals and problematize yours.

and you work to change them and be willing to accept the consequences when you break them. This is how a society works. You could easily extend your logic to speed limit laws and I'd agree that they are another bit of government mandated interference in our lives, that doesn't mean we don't have to pay the ticket when the trooper pulls us over.

Bottom line: We know zero about the motivation for the kid or the school. There are a variety of reasons they enforce a dress code to be able to teach kids those three r's they should be concentrating on. It's also entirely possible that the kid's idea of making hair color into some kind of political statement was just an excuse to mess with people.

She was warned. She ignored it. Her lesson in school today is: consequences.

[FLIPPER 348]

Meh.
She broke the rules. She was given a warning. She broke it again. There were consequences. Sounds like life as it should be.

"


exactly

[HekiDanjo]

In high school, the slippery slope fallacy is not a fallacy.

I think you can extend that to child rearing. Kids naturally try to find the corners and edges of their world, it's part of the growing process.

[PeterJasonMN]

The problem with schools is that they are run like a communist country.


The girl in no way has any power to change the rules. By the time she gets done presenting her case to the superintendent and the board she will not be in school anymore. Instead she will have to assimilate into what the school thinks is proper behavior in order to continue to succeed.



1-If they were, kids might actually have some fear or respect. My roommate and I deal with freshmen every year at school. Even in the last four years, it's been getting ridiculous in terms of the sense of entitlement, false sense of worth, and outright BS coming out of these kid's heads.


2-Depends on her school district. If it was a large one, maybe. But if it wasn't that large, she very easily could have done a presentation on why she felt the rule should be changed, or she should have been granted an exemption.

[GlocksForGoons]

It would be worth your time to spend a while substitute teaching in a high school, if you haven't yet.

It's an eye opening experience.

In high school, the slippery slope fallacy is not a fallacy.

Any gray area that you permit becomes their territory.

Their territory?

You make the schools sound like a prison yard. When you treat the young adults that way then that's how they will respond. If anything you are teaching them to go against all authority figures in an attempt to salvage some sort of freedom.

[passive101]

Who cares what color someone's hair is? Seriously if people can't deal with it in school, how are they going to deal with real life?!

At least she did it for a cause. They can't dye their hair colors, but in Florida it's ok for young kids to be in dangerous intersections and ask for handouts and sell candy bars!

http://i292.photobucket.com/albums/mm33/passive101/DSC00805.jpg

[wolfman97]

This is a common tactic used by students. Sometimes it pays off big.

The district has a rule for some legitimate reason.

For example, in this case, the rule about distraction is there because if you don't regulate what students wear to a degree, they will construct elaborate costumes. They'll wear skimpy, and if they can't wear skimpy, they'll wear bright and flashy, with things like brilliantly dyed hair. Foot-tall green mohawks and such. Then they'll start competing over, fighting over, and focusing on who is wearing or doing what instead of their schoolwork.

The concern is grounded in some degree of reality. The most important point is that it is a rule.

The student, instead of going through the appropriate channels to try to change a rule she disagrees with, finds an excuse to violate the rule, and appropriates a cause to make her violation seem just.

In this case, cancer, her father's cancer in particular, is supposed to somehow justify her wearing pink hair.

The media then gets their hands on it, and tells the public to be outraged. The public fails to think critically, and is outraged.

The school either stands its ground and gets sued, or more often, buckles.

If this girl really cared about cancer, she'd get a job after school and donate money to cancer research funding. Or, she would be excelling in her science classes and starting a student advocacy group to inform others about cancer. She would be doing something productive.

Instead she's exploiting her dead father's memory to justify freaky hair.

She was warned and still chose to violate the rules.


Yeah, they said they same thing about long hair on boys at one point. That was back when a Beatles haircut was considered really long. (Look up images of the Beatles on their first trip to America just to see how scandalous their hair cuts really were.)

As you surely know from history, the custom of boys wearing their hair so long that it touched the top of their ears has led to the complete dissolution of society. The schools became uncontrollable and their have been daily riots by teenagers ever since.

Allowing someone to wear pink hair will do the same, I assure you.

[wolfman97]

exactly

I can see you have been well-trained. Never once stop to question whether the rule makes any sense.

[mike7465]

She broke the rule knowing full well she would be punished.
If she wanted to show support for cancer, she should have shaved her head.

[wolfman97]

She broke the rule knowing full well she would be punished.
If she wanted to show support for cancer, she should have shaved her head.

Yes, as I said. Failing to punish people for such well-founded and sensible rules will be the downfall of society. We should make more silly rules to prevent this.

[Aran]

I just graduated high school four years ago. I think I can safely say I never heard a single problem over someone's clothes or hair, and I knew a LOT of the "out there" kids (Was one of them.)

[Deradius]

Yeah, they said they same thing about long hair on boys at one point. That was back when a Beatles haircut was considered really long. (Look up images of the Beatles on their first trip to America just to see how scandalous their hair cuts really were.)

As you surely know from history, the custom of boys wearing their hair so long that it touched the top of their ears has led to the complete dissolution of society. The schools became uncontrollable and their have been daily riots by teenagers ever since.

Allowing someone to wear pink hair will do the same, I assure you.

I understand that you're going for Swiftian satire here, but you are sadly not as far off of the mark as you might think. Particularly with reference to the modern state of public schools.

I doubt it was caused by hair-styles, but I think it's a self feeding process.

"Snowflake" mentality leads to unrestrained kids leads to conflict between parents and schools, which lead to new societal norms.

The hair is a symptom - the teens and their parents are running the schools, and education is taking and has taken a back seat to self expression and entertainment.

It's all well and good to learn to question authority - but only once you have learned the utility of rules in society.

[Deradius]

I think you can extend that to child rearing. Kids naturally try to find the corners and edges of their world, it's part of the growing process.

Absolutely.

The obligation that society is falling down on is the obligation to show children that there are rules, and that there are appropriate times and places for certain behavior.

Many modern adolescents have the mentality that everything should be entertainment, that anything over three paragraphs and not about wizards or vampires is too lengthy to read, and that "No" means "Not until you complain loudly enough and for long enough".

[NYC Drew]

and you work to change them and be willing to accept the consequences when you break them. This is how a society works. You could easily extend your logic to speed limit laws and I'd agree that they are another bit of government mandated interference in our lives, that doesn't mean we don't have to pay the ticket when the trooper pulls us over.

Bottom line: We know zero about the motivation for the kid or the school. There are a variety of reasons they enforce a dress code to be able to teach kids those three r's they should be concentrating on. It's also entirely possible that the kid's idea of making hair color into some kind of political statement was just an excuse to mess with people.

She was warned. She ignored it. Her lesson in school today is: consequences.


Sounds fair to me!

'Drew

[ATL Peach Girl]

we just had this story on the air and there was a sound bite of the little girl and you can tell she is NOT some rebelious child trying to break rules, she is well spoken, gets stright A's and is an honor student. She isn't doing this as a way to rebel against the admins of the school.

It's sad that people have to worry about stuff like this.

[wolfman97]

I understand that you're going for Swiftian satire here, but you are sadly not as far off of the mark as you might think. Particularly with reference to the modern state of public schools.

I doubt it was caused by hair-styles, but I think it's a self feeding process.

"Snowflake" mentality leads to unrestrained kids leads to conflict between parents and schools, which lead to new societal norms.

The hair is a symptom - the teens and their parents are running the schools, and education is taking and has taken a back seat to self expression and entertainment.

It's all well and good to learn to question authority - but only once you have learned the utility of rules in society.

I am sure that everyone will be pleased when you point out the comprehensive research that solidly proves that hair styles are a major factor in the long-term degradation of society.

Personally, I heard someone claim that, because of the expanding worldwide knowledge and awareness of other cultures and people, and their examination of silly-versus-non-silly worldwide, that a lot of people just came to the conclusion that some rules just didn't make a whole lot of sense and it wasn't worth making a big deal about. You know, they claimed that for any student who was really motivated, it didn't matter what color their hair was, or how they combed it. They said that other factors were far more important, so better to address those than to waste time with what some chick wanted to do with her hair. They claimed there was no benefit to standardizing female hair styles.

But that is bull****, as you know. Society will dissolve into madness if people are allowed to be individuals.

[wolfman97]

Absolutely.

The obligation that society is falling down on is the obligation to show children that there are rules, and that there are appropriate times and places for certain behavior.

Many modern adolescents have the mentality that everything should be entertainment, that anything over three paragraphs and not about wizards or vampires is too lengthy to read, and that "No" means "Not until you complain loudly enough and for long enough".


I am sorry. I must have an attention span problem myself. I missed the part where the attention span is really related to hair color. Could you cover that again?

Also, could you cover the rules for when it is an appropriate time and place to try to tell some woman how she should wear her hair?

And, if you would, give me a rundown of exactly what rules women should follow in their hair styles in order to avoid causing the complete breakdown of society?

[Dragoon44]

we just had this story on the air and there was a sound bite of the little girl and you can tell she is NOT some rebelious child trying to break rules, she is well spoken, gets stright A's and is an honor student. She isn't doing this as a way to rebel against the admins of the school.

It's sad that people have to worry about stuff like this.

You can tell all that from a sound bite??????


:rofl::rofl:


Bottom line, she claims to be honoring her father by doing something that gets her suspended from school? wonder how dad would have felt about that.

[wolfman97]

You can tell all that from a sound bite??????


:rofl::rofl:


Bottom line, she claims to be honoring her father by doing something that gets her suspended from school? wonder how dad would have felt about that.

If he was like most fathers, he probably would have felt that he didn't particularly like pink hair, but that his daughter was being punished over a rule that really didn't make a whole lot of sense.

[Dragoon44]

If he was like most fathers, he probably would have felt that he didn't particularly like pink hair, but that his daughter was being punished over a rule that really didn't make a whole lot of sense.

If he was a good father then he would have realized that what he thought about pink hair really didn't matter, and the problem that needed to be dealt with was his daughters refusall to obey the rules.

I might not think there needs to be a rule about hair color but that does not mean I would tolerate by child deliberately violating the rules and getting themselves suspended.

[Jason D]

Sigh.


I think the schools should focus more on kids educations, then they should their looks.

[Dragoon44]

Double tap

[GlocksForGoons]

She was warned. She ignored it. Her lesson in school today is: consequences.

She was warned the year before. For all she knew the rules could have changed while she was on summer break. She wasn't even attending school when she changed her hair color in her home.

When I was in highschool they had a dress code but every year they would have a group of students dress up as dead people with full face paint before prom to ward off drinking and driving. The students would attend class as normal all day long and it was distracting on purpose. I guess there ARE exceptions to the rules as long as the school says so. Heil!

[MOHAA Player]

I'm 38 years old and when I went to high school it was so different.I had hair past my shoulders and sported a Ozzy shirt daily,those where the days:cool:

[Deradius]

I am sure that everyone will be pleased when you point out the comprehensive research that solidly proves that hair styles are a major factor in the long-term degradation of society.

I have been misunderstood. Allow me to clarify.

I doubt it was caused by hair-styles..
The hair is a symptom - the teens and their parents are running the schools, and education is taking and has taken a back seat to self expression and entertainment.


Personally, I heard someone claim that, because of the expanding worldwide knowledge and awareness of other cultures and people, and their examination of silly-versus-non-silly worldwide, that a lot of people just came to the conclusion that some rules just didn't make a whole lot of sense and it wasn't worth making a big deal about. You know, they claimed that for any student who was really motivated, it didn't matter what color their hair was, or how they combed it.

I can agree that the rule is silly. College students all over the U.S. have bizarre hair styles and still manage to learn.

There is some basis in encouraging reasonable hair styles in high school for reasons I've already discussed, but the primary issue is the students' ability to follow directions.

The student is being prepared for life as a productive citizen. As a productive citizen, the majority of students will be employees. The majority of employees must, at some time or another, represent their employers.

Employers demand that employees comport themselves appropriately.

Therefore, a student who does not understand the necessity of conforming to certain rules of hygiene and appearance is less marketable than his or her peers, for the following reasons:

1.) He or she demonstrates that he or she cannot follow simple instructions.
2.) He or she demonstrates that his or her desire for self expression takes higher priority than his or her desire to succeed.
3.) He or she demonstrates that he or she does not understand how to deal with disagreement through the appropriate channels.

Students need to learn that rules must be obeyed - whether or not you agree with them. There is an appropriate way to express opposition.


I am sorry. I must have an attention span problem myself. I missed the part where the attention span is really related to hair color. Could you cover that again?

I outlined several problems, a couple of which are, admittedly, different issues entirely.

Many modern adolescents have the mentality that everything should be entertainment, that anything over three paragraphs and not about wizards or vampires is too lengthy to read, and that "No" means "Not until you complain loudly enough and for long enough".[/quote]


[QUOTE=wolfman97]Also, could you cover the rules for when it is an appropriate time and place to try to tell some woman how she should wear her hair?

Sure. The same time it is the appropriate time and place to tell some man how he should wear his.

1.) Any time you are his or her employer or supervisor, as a term of that employment.
2.) Any time your institution may be represented by the individual in question, as a term of participation in that institution.
3.) Any time you are a parent or acting in loco parentis.
4.) Any time a given hair style presents a danger to the general populace of your institution due to hygiene or potential violence. In some schools and prisons, for instance, students and inmates are not allowed to wear picks in their hair, because they may be sharpened and used as stabbing weapons. Yes, I appreciate the irony in the commonality between schools and prisons.

By the way, making a sexist straw man argument is not productive.

And, if you would, give me a rundown of exactly what rules women should follow in their hair styles in order to avoid causing the complete breakdown of society?

Sure. Within the context of a school environment, any hair style must be:

1.) Hygenic, so as not to unnecessarily expose other students to illness.
2.) Appropriate to a professional working environment, so that the students can learn appropriate values as they relate to work. (If you don't want your child learning values from the government, don't send them to a government school for forty hours each week!)
3.) Such that it does not endanger fellow students. (See hair picks, above.)
4.) Not disruptive to the learning environment. (Brightly color hair styles, hair with ten foot long ribbots tied in, hair with lit sparklers in it, hair with flashing lights or diodes, and diamond studded hair accessories may all potentially be termed disurptive to the campus learning environment.)

[nursetim]

She got her can in a crack and is trying to weasel her way out. Suck it up and deal chicky, you pushed the boundry and got pushed back. That's what boundries are for, to let you know there are consequences for your actions.
Besides her father died 6 years ago of an unspecified cancer. If she had kept her hair pink from the time of her fathers death to now, then yes, an argument may have merit. Even if she colored it every year to mark her dad's passing or his Bday, again, maybe. No she got a wild hair (sorry) and tried to push a boundry and it didn't work. Stupid hurts, but sometimes that is the only way we learn.
Besides, pink represents breast cancer, not cancer in general.

[Deradius]

She was warned the year before. For all she knew the rules could have changed while she was on summer break.

As in the real world, ignorance is no excuse.

It was her obligation to determine whether the rule was changed in the interim. Barring any alternative notification, she should have assumed all rules were still in effect.

Your argument could also be used to defend a student who came to school naked and stabbed someone after summer break.

She wasn't even attending school when she changed her hair color in her home.

But we can presume that she was aware of her hair color, and of the rule, hen she chose to return to school.

If you do this at a job, you get fired.

If you don't like the policy, you find a new job.

When I was in highschool they had a dress code but every year they would have a group of students dress up as dead people with full face paint before prom to ward off drinking and driving. The students would attend class as normal all day long and it was distracting on purpose. I guess there ARE exceptions to the rules as long as the school says so. Heil!

One of the biggest problems in schools today is that schools relax and enforce rules at their administrators' whims.

Students need a consistent environment, but adults, trying to be "cool", don't seem to comprehend this.

It creates problems of the sort we're discussing now.

[Trigger_Rush]

I graduated in '03. Frankly many of the rules written in my school were asinine. Asinine because the administration only chose to enforce certain rules on certain people.

For instance, my father bought me an oil canvas duster many years ago, before the whole Columbine incident. After, I was prohibited from wearing it, understandably. Yet a few days after being told I couldn't wear it, I watched some kid walk right past the office in his floor length black coat. When I questioned him about it, he informed me that his coat was an Armani and the principals allowed him to wear it. Sooooooo if you have money you can break the rules?

No midriffs exposed. The principals would crack down on any girl who didn't give them a hard-on. But if you're willing to shmooze up to the principals in your Skankawear® you're good to go.

Backpacks were banned from carry during school hours. The girls found a solution around this problem by carrying extra large purses to carry all but the largest books. Despite many complaints from the male population, nothing was done to rectify this. So I began to carry a messenger bag. When I was told I couldn't carry it I told them it was a purse (I wear a kilt, so I'm not against crossing that line when it benefits me). After short debate it was determined they can't bar me from carrying it.


All I'm trying to say is some rules aren't meant to be bent or broken. They just shouldn't exist. So what if she dyed her hair pink? Who's she hurting? She's a top student, so one can assume she doesn't start crap with anyone. Why not let her get this out of her system while she's young instead of having these notions when she's an adult (like some people coughcough-passive101-coughcough)


You all can sit around and rabblerabblerabble about how the schools are instilling an understanding and respect for rules in our society. BAH!

If a kid's a rulebreaker, it started at home. The school isn't gonna fix anything. All they're gonna do is piss the kid off further and potentially push him farther down that road. The school is there to educate the child and to an extent reinforce things he should have learned at home.

[Deradius]

I graduated in '03. Frankly many of the rules written in my school were asinine. Asinine because the administration only chose to enforce certain rules on certain people.

This can often be true.

Many people do not, however, recognize one dynamic at work that contributes to the issue.

The violations are so numerous that it is impossible to have uniform enforcement.

I had a parent ask my why an administrator at our school got onto his child, but when he was on campus, he saw three other students walking around with the same violation.

I pointed out that thousands of people speed every day, but only a small fraction of those are ever pulled over. I apologized that it seemed unfair, agreed that in a perfect world every violation would be dealt with, and pointed out that due to privacy issues, he would not be notified when anyone other than his child was dealt with.

This could make it look like she was being "picked on" when she might not be.

It's an issue of resources available versus volume of offenses.

For instance, my father bought me an oil canvas duster many years ago, before the whole Columbine incident. After, I was prohibited from wearing it, understandably. Yet a few days after being told I couldn't wear it, I watched some kid walk right past the office in his floor length black coat. When I questioned him about it, he informed me that his coat was an Armani and the principals allowed him to wear it. Sooooooo if you have money you can break the rules?

I've seen schools have a day where if students came in, brought money, and donated to a cause (cancer), they could wear hats for a day when they were otherwise banned.

I pointed out that the lesson being taught was literally "Those with money are permitted to violate rules."

The reponse I got was, "Hm, that's a good point, but it's for a good cause and we've already scheduled it so we're going to do it."

No midriffs exposed. The principals would crack down on any girl who didn't give them a hard-on. But if you're willing to shmooze up to the principals in your Skankawear® you're good to go.

The most aggregious example of this is cheerleading squads.

I went to an administrator and said the following:

"Ma'am, I have a hypothetical suggestion to make. If I really suggested it, tell me what I could expect.

I suggest that we hand-pick a subset of the female student body. We should choose primarily attractive young women with bubbly personalities, many of whom are under the age of eighteen.

Then, we should mandate a uniform that is composed of a short skirt and a low neckline.

After that, we should teach them routines that involve a lot of movement, some potentially suggestive, and all of which involves jumping up and down in a very short skirt.

Then we should have them perform in front of everyone.

If I suggested such a thing, would you look at me with suspicion?"

She agreed that I might be fired for such a suggestion, and said that cheerleading squads exist because of tradition.

I've seen time and time again cheerleaders permitted to violate dress codes while everyone else is forced to conform. That, I do not understand.

I would not last as principal very long because I would dismantle such institutions.


All I'm trying to say is some rules aren't meant to be bent or broken. They just shouldn't exist.

True. But there are appropriate ways of dealing with such things.


If a kid's a rulebreaker, it started at home. The school isn't gonna fix anything. All they're gonna do is piss the kid off further and potentially push him farther down that road. The school is there to educate the child and to an extent reinforce things he should have learned at home.

A good point, but the school has to deal with the student 35 - 40 hours per week, as do the student's peers and instructors.

It is necessary to teach appropriate standards of behavior and enforce them just to maintain the most basic semblance of order.

[wolfman97]

I'm 38 years old and when I went to high school it was so different.I had hair past my shoulders and sported a Ozzy shirt daily,those where the days:cool:

When I went to high school you would have been considered out-of-bounds if your hair was long enough to touch the top of your ears. You know the ducktail haircuts in the movie Grease? Scandalously out-of-bounds.

You know, they were all upset about real society-destroying haircuts like these.

http://www.babble.com/CS/blogs/famecrawler/2008/02/08-15/beatles-grammy-tribute-2008-hanks-across-universe.jpg

But then, somewhere along the line, people got a lot less stupid about such things. Some people, anyway.

[Trigger_Rush]

I had a parent ask my why an administrator at our school got onto his child, but when he was on campus, he saw three other students walking around with the same violation.

I pointed out that thousands of people speed every day, but only a small fraction of those are ever pulled over. I apologized that it seemed unfair, agreed that in a perfect world every violation would be dealt with, and pointed out that due to privacy issues, he would not be notified when anyone other than his child was dealt with.

This could make it look like she was being "picked on" when she might not be.

It's an issue of resources available versus volume of offenses.


Let me begin by saying, great post. I agree with all but this. When you talk about cops vs citizens, the ratio is so horribly disproportioned. There are many more people than police and in a much larger area.

When there are three principals and a slew of teaching staff in "control" of a body of maybe 8 to 10 thousand students, the student teacher ratio is much closer. Also consider the "controlled" area is much, much smaller than a city.

So unless a problem is so widespread that it would be detrimental to the education process to crack down on all offenders, there's no excuse for the take one, pass one attitude of the administration.

[wolfman97]

As in the real world, ignorance is no excuse.


And, of course, never question the stupidity of adults.


It was her obligation to determine whether the rule was changed in the interim. Barring any alternative notification, she should have assumed all rules were still in effect.

Your argument could also be used to defend a student who came to school naked and stabbed someone after summer break.

Uuuuh, yeah. Dying your hair pink is like running around naked and stabbing people. No wonder they have that rule.


But we can presume that she was aware of her hair color, and of the rule, hen she chose to return to school.

Which therefore makes punishment under a stupid rule perfectly sensible.

If you do this at a job, you get fired.

If you don't like the policy, you find a new job.


It isn't a job. As near as I can tell she is not paid by anyone to interface with anyone who might be offended. Therefore, there is no need to deprive her of a nonexistent paycheck.


One of the biggest problems in schools today is that schools relax and enforce rules at their administrators' whims.


You mean, like arbitrarily determining that one hair color is OK, but another isn't?

Students need a consistent environment, but adults, trying to be "cool", don't seem to comprehend this.



I would wager that I am older than you and, therefore, I am no longer trying to be "cool". However, in all those years, I just got tired of stupid, asinine rules that are enforced solely at administrators' whims (to use your own description.)

It creates problems of the sort we're discussing now.

I am sorry. I must have missed it. What exactly was the major problem this created -- besides a discussion on the Internet about how stupid the rule is?

[wolfman97]

This can often be true.

Many people do not, however, recognize one dynamic at work that contributes to the issue.

The violations are so numerous that it is impossible to have uniform enforcement.

I had a parent ask my why an administrator at our school got onto his child, but when he was on campus, he saw three other students walking around with the same violation.

I pointed out that thousands of people speed every day, but only a small fraction of those are ever pulled over. I apologized that it seemed unfair, agreed that in a perfect world every violation would be dealt with, and pointed out that due to privacy issues, he would not be notified when anyone other than his child was dealt with.

This could make it look like she was being "picked on" when she might not be.

It's an issue of resources available versus volume of offenses.

If that is the case, then why waste time with pink hair?



It is necessary to teach appropriate standards of behavior and enforce them just to maintain the most basic semblance of order.

I take it you weren't around when they said the same exact thing about the Beatles' haircuts. Of course, now no one thinks that hair style is particularly long. A clear sign that society has gone to hell completely.

[FLIPPER 348]

I can see you have been well-trained. Never once stop to question whether the rule makes any sense.


very well trained, thanks. I was raised well by my parents to respect.

Always stop to question rules you don't think make any sense .........but attempt to change them. If you knowingly break them to make your little statement, expect to suffer the consequences, even if you 'feel' they are bogus.

[Deradius]

Let me begin by saying, great post. I agree with all but this. When you talk about cops vs citizens, the ratio is so horribly disproportioned. There are many more people than police and in a much larger area.

When there are three principals and a slew of teaching staff in "control" of a body of maybe 8 to 10 thousand students, the student teacher ratio is much closer. Also consider the "controlled" area is much, much smaller than a city.

So unless a problem is so widespread that it would be detrimental to the education process to crack down on all offenders, there's no excuse for the take one, pass one attitude of the administration.

For one thing, cops are full time law enforcement officers, and while they have a lot of responsibilities, the entire system is directed at enforcing law.

The educational system is not directed entirely at rule or law enforcement. Teachers and administrators are already stretched thin with other responsibilities.

An administrator walking across campus has a phone call waiting when he gets to his office, a stack of letters to file in teachers' boxes on his way through the teachers' lounge, a district meeting at 2:00, and a bunch of curriculum related paperwork on his desk.

A teacher is responsible for watching his classroom and the hallway at the same time, and is not supposed to leave that area to escort students to the office. He's getting materials ready for class, he's lecturing, he's grading, he's composing assignments, communicating with parents, designing lessons, and collaborating with other teachers. All of this must be documented.

Students are exploring their boundaries, and schools are more controlled environments than society.

It's not the volume of students that is the issue - it's the volume of violations, in relation to the number of faculty and the other responsibilities the faculty are dealing with.

If I take a student to the office at the beginning of class, my classroom is unsupervised and someone could be stabbed. (It has happened. A kid got stabbed with a pencil in this very situation.)

A student body of two or three thousand students can easily commit ten thousand violations during a class change.

Imagine the following:

The bell between second and third period rings.

A female student gets up and walks out into the hallway.

She removes her jacket, revealing a spaghetti strap top, or a T-shirt that says something inappropriate or displays an alcohol company logo. (Violation # 1).

She then pops a piece of gum in her mouth, or stops by the bathroom for a smoke. (Violation # 2).

She pops open her cell phone and texts her friend across campus. (Violation # 3).

As she's walking to class, she sees a girl who was making eyes at her boyfriend in first period, so she decides to confront her, and in the course of doing so utters some profanity. (Violation # 4)

Because the argument takes a while, she's tardy. (Violation # 5)

When she gets to class, the teacher isn't paying attention, so she slips in unnoticed, and is still talking thirty seconds after class has been called to order. (Violation # 6)

--

I've personally witnessed such strings of activity. I didn't stop it because I was on my way to deal with more important issues, and had to get back to my classroom - couldn't delegate the resources or the time to find out the student's name (she probably wouldn't tell me - which would be another violation) and write out all the associated paperwork.


--

As I said.. the volume is such that a lot gets by.

[wolfman97]

very well trained, thanks. I was raised well by my parents to respect.

Always stop to question rules you don't think make any sense .........but attempt to change them. If you knowingly break them to make your little statement, expect to suffer the consequences, even if you 'feel' they are bogus.

Well, the way I look at it is like this.

The girl dyed her hair pink. That is pretty stupid, IMO. Just my personal taste.

Then the school was given an opportunity to do something (or not) and they chose to be stupid. For stupidity, the school wins the gold medal -- no question about it.

Now, as for changing stupid rules, I have seen it before and I am pretty sure where that goes. If you ask for pink hair, the answer is going to be "No." Bet on it. Stupid rules rarely get changed until somebody actually challenges them and provokes a stupid reaction from the authorities -- thereby demonstrating for all the world to see just how stupid the rule really was. Fools like in the school administration almost invariably need to be publicly embarrassed before they change their ways. But, if someone does goad them into doing something stupid, usually the change happens fairly quickly.

If you want some references on this point -- in particular about hair styles, just ask anyone who was in school when the Beatles came out. You do remember all the commotion those haircuts raised don't you? This is nothing by comparison.

[wolfman97]

As I said.. the volume is such that a lot gets by.

So, with all of that to worry about, pink hair should be a major issue?

[PennGlock]

This is a common tactic used by students. Sometimes it pays off big.

The district has a rule for some legitimate reason.

For example, in this case, the rule about distraction is there because if you don't regulate what students wear to a degree, they will construct elaborate costumes. They'll wear skimpy, and if they can't wear skimpy, they'll wear bright and flashy, with things like brilliantly dyed hair. Foot-tall green mohawks and such. Then they'll start competing over, fighting over, and focusing on who is wearing or doing what instead of their schoolwork.

The concern is grounded in some degree of reality. The most important point is that it is a rule.

The student, instead of going through the appropriate channels to try to change a rule she disagrees with, finds an excuse to violate the rule, and appropriates a cause to make her violation seem just.

In this case, cancer, her father's cancer in particular, is supposed to somehow justify her wearing pink hair.

The media then gets their hands on it, and tells the public to be outraged. The public fails to think critically, and is outraged.

The school either stands its ground and gets sued, or more often, buckles.

If this girl really cared about cancer, she'd get a job after school and donate money to cancer research funding. Or, she would be excelling in her science classes and starting a student advocacy group to inform others about cancer. She would be doing something productive.

Instead she's exploiting her dead father's memory to justify freaky hair.

She was warned and still chose to violate the rules.

Well said. Why is this thread even continuing after the 3rd post? This is where I am checking out, at least...

[Deradius]

And, of course, never question the stupidity of adults.

I made no such assertion. I only stated that it should be done through appropriate channels.


Uuuuh, yeah. Dying your hair pink is like running around naked and stabbing people. No wonder they have that rule.

I did not mean to imply that they were the same. Let me rephrase:

"Ignorance is no excuse, and stating that the rule may have been changed would be justification for just about any possible violation.

The onus for knowing the rules lies with the student."

Which therefore makes punishment under a stupid rule perfectly sensible.

Correct. She did not find an appropriate way to express her disagreement.

It isn't a job. As near as I can tell she is not paid by anyone to interface with anyone who might be offended. Therefore, there is no need to deprive her of a nonexistent paycheck.

It is training to be an employee and a member of society.

Every time a member of the community enters that school, she represents that school as a member of the student body.

Every time she goes on a school sponsored trip or attends a school function, she represents the school and the community.

She needs to understand that there are consequences for failing to follow the rules.

It is in the interest of employers and of schools to enforce standards of appearance and behavior that are acceptable to the general public and result in favorable impressions upon clients.

You mean, like arbitrarily determining that one hair color is OK, but another isn't?

I have no problem with rules about hair color, but truth be told I would not have such a rule if I ran a school.

In principle I agree that kids can stop dying their hair later - better to look goofy now than later.

The big problem I have is with schools deciding to relax this rule or that rule for a day or for a certain student or group of students, which happens a lot.

I call these situations "snowflake exceptions". I think that a rule should be universally enforced, or discarded.


I would wager that I am older than you and, therefore, I am no longer trying to be "cool".

Yes. In fact, I am ten years old. My fingers are thick with a coating of twinkie remnants, and if I don't stop posting past my bed time, my mother is going to restrict me from playing with action figures.

Your superior status due to age is established. I defer to you. Let us move on if we can, or fight over it by the sandbox if we must.

I warn you, I will not fight fair. I will bring my plastic pail and shovel with me as weapons. I may also throw a rock.



I am sorry. I must have missed it. What exactly was the major problem this created -- besides a discussion on the Internet about how stupid the rule is?

A lack of consistent enforcement led this student to believe that if she violated the rules, then complained loudly enough and had a reasonable excuse, the media would tell the public to be outraged, and the community would come rushing to her defense.

Therefore, she broke the rules. The media published and article.

People were outraged.

She has succeeded in her intent, which was to make the school look absurd to people who have not worked in such an environment.

[Deradius]

If that is the case, then why waste time with pink hair?

Not every school or administrator does. Sometimes kids with flagrant violatons are allowed to slide because more flagrant violations exist.

In this case, she got called on it because someone had the time to deal with her.

The rule is in the book, it's in black and white, and she chose to broke it. This is cut and dry.

I take it you weren't around when they said the same exact thing about the Beatles' haircuts. Of course, now no one thinks that hair style is particularly long. A clear sign that society has gone to hell completely.

Do you feel that were are becoming a more productive, morally enlightened society as time moves on?

Surely you remember bread and circuses?

[okie]

I am not a fan of weird hairdo's but her hair is NOT a distraction:upeyes:

[wolfman97]

Not every school or administrator does. Sometimes kids with flagrant violatons are allowed to slide because more flagrant violations exist.

In this case, she got called on it because someone had the time to deal with her.

The rule is in the book, it's in black and white, and she chose to broke it. This is cut and dry.

Well, that is kinda one of my points. You see, I don't think it is that clear at all.

Like, for instance -- you surely know that women put red tint in their hair all the time. You have seen this more than once, haven't you?

At what particular shade does that red tint become too much red tint?

Or, to go further, at what particular point is ANY color too extreme? Girls dye their hair blonde all the time, and I have never seen a school that had a problem with that. But what about if a black or latino girl dyed her hair blond? Wouldn't that look just as extreme as pink hair on this girl?

So tell me which particular colors on the Pantone color chart are OK, and which aren't. Give a good rational reason for your answer.

Do you feel that were are becoming a more productive, morally enlightened society as time moves on?

That depends on what you mean by "morally enlightened". If it includes "a greater awareness that people may differ greatly throughout the world but they may still be good people nonetheless," then I would say "Yes."

But it all depends on what you mean by the vague and entirely subjective term of "morally enlightened."

In any event, I can't see any rational connection between one's hair color and being "morally enlightened" -- or not.


Surely you remember bread and circuses?

Yep. More to the point, I remember when the Beatles came out. I have seen this same routine before. I know how it worked out before.

[Deradius]

Now, as for changing stupid rules, I have seen it before and I am pretty sure where that goes. If you ask for pink hair, the answer is going to be "No.".

I agree that that is a possibility.

I think that the chain of events should be as follows:

Assess --> Proper channels --> Assessment --> Civil disobedience --> Assessment --> Revolt.

First, asses. Is my desired end worth the time it would take for me to protest, or is it easier to satisfy this basic requirement and get on with my life?

If it's worth it to me to have pink hair, then I should approach the authorities through the proper channels.

In other words, attempt to change the situation from within, in an appropriate fashion.

Start at the principal, get his position in writing, then go to an administrator, and get their position in writing.

Start a dialog with the local newspaper and community leaders, explaining the situation and advocating for your rights.

If nothing comes of it, assess.

Is the tyrrany so bad that I am ready to engage in civil disobedience?

If so, then by all means, go forth and engage in civil disobedience.

Read Thoreau before you do, though. He notes, astutely, that the adherent to disobedience must be prepared to weather the storm:

"Under a government which imprisons unjustly, the true place for a just man is also a prison.…" - Thoreau

Ghandi, similarly, encouraged endurance of suffering without retaliation, including swearing and insults.

I never fail to be amused by students that try to engage in civil disobedience, and then are shocked and outraged by the consequences.

If civil disobedience fails, then another assessment should be made, and if the cost/benefit is there, open revolt should be instigated, a la The Declaration.

--

...The point I make here is that the girl was foolish for trying to appropriate her father's memory to justify pink hair, for twice knowingly disobeying the school rules and being shocked by the consequences, and for engaging in civil disobedience when the cost was her education and the only potential benefit was pink hair.

[wolfman97]

Or . . . . . . . . . . . . . .

You could just cut through all the time-consuming administrative crap that you know is bound to fail, dye your hair pink, go to school, get thrown out, and demonstrate to the whole world that the rule is stupid in a couple of days.

You also get the added satisfaction of having some obnoxious busybodies probably wind up publicly admitting that they had their heads up their butts. Who knows? You may even convince them to reconsider other stupid rules before the same thing happens again.

Sorry. I like her plan better. It just seems like more fun.

Now, if she was running around naked and stabbing people -- rather than just coloring her hair -- I would probably have a different answer. I would recommend the "administrative appeal" route for that.

[Deradius]

Well, that is kinda one of my points. You see, I don't think it is that clear at all.

Like, for instance -- you surely know that women put red tint in their hair all the time. You have seen this more than once, haven't you?

At what particular shade does that red tint become too much red tint?

Or, to go further, at what particular point is ANY color too extreme? Girls dye their hair blonde all the time, and I have never seen a school that had a problem with that. But what about if a black or latino girl dyed her hair blond? Wouldn't that look just as extreme as pink hair on this girl?

So tell me which particular colors on the Pantone color chart are OK, and which aren't. Give a good rational reason for your answer.

You and I are in agreement here.

Students will do everything they can to do exactly what you did - which is to ferret out and exploit every single minor exception or situation possible, to bring up every case which might be unfair no matter how unlikely, and in general make the rule absurd.

Rules need to be unambiguous and uniformly enforced, or need to be abolished.

In this case, an acceptable rule might be,

"Any color which could clearly not be a natural hair color for that student is prohibited."

I have seen such a rule.

As I have said, I would personally not have a hair color rule, given the choice. But if it is there, it should be followed and enforced.


That depends on what you mean by "morally enlightened". If it includes "a greater awareness that people may differ greatly throughout the world but they may still be good people nonetheless," then I would say "Yes."

I agree with you there.

However, literacy rates, social program exploitation, violence and crime trends, a lack of critical thinking, a lack of good samaritanism, and the sexualization of society as a whole are viewed by many as signs of widespread decline.

Some would argue that we have become complacent, and are no longer the hard working, innocent, intelligent people that we once were.

I understand that all of this is predicated upon your nationality and moral outlook, and that there is no way to prove that any of these trends have become more prevalent, rather than more evident.

In any event, I can't see any rational connection between one's hair color and being "morally enlightened" -- or not.

It does represent a relaxation of certain conservative standards and a school that no longer teaches students that inappropriate or radical personal appearance may result in dismissal.

Yep. More to the point, I remember when the Beatles came out. I have seen this same routine before. I know how it worked out before.

Big beatles fan, eh?

As I said, the hair may be symptom, but I don't mean to implicate it as a causative factor in societal decline.

[Deradius]

Or . . . . . . . . . . . . . .

You could just cut through all the time-consuming administrative crap that you know is bound to fail, dye your hair pink, go to school, get thrown out, and demonstrate to the whole world that the rule is stupid in a couple of days.




This approach is fine for anyone who values pink hair over education.

However, if you value pink hair over being educated, be prepared for ridicule.

[Dragoon44]

Or . . . . . . . . . . . . . .

You could just cut through all the time-consuming administrative crap that you know is bound to fail, dye your hair pink, go to school, get thrown out, and demonstrate to the whole world that your even dumber than the stupid rule.


There fixed it for you.

[wolfman97]

There fixed it for you.

No, I think she is going to win this one in the long run. That would make her smarter than them.

[wolfman97]

This approach is fine for anyone who values pink hair over education.

However, if you value pink hair over being educated, be prepared for ridicule.

The main thing students need to learn is to take care of themselves and their own education. It seems to me that this girl is demonstrating some of that. I don't think it will really do her any long-term harm.

At least, that never seemed to do any serious harm to the kids who got in trouble for having Beatle haircuts.

[Dragoon44]

No, I think she is going to win this one in the long run. That would make her smarter than them.

she still got suspended, and over a "stupid rule" no less. to everyone who is not an old hippie who thinks that civil disobedience and breaking the rules is a virtue, she is no winner.

Next I guess you will lionize her as a freedom fighter.

:rofl::rofl:

[Deradius]

The main thing students need to learn is to take care of themselves and their own education. It seems to me that this girl is demonstrating some of that. I don't think it will really do her any long-term harm.



Ah, now here we've distilled the debate down to an essential element, which was posted earlier.

Two conflicting desires:

1.) To instill in our children a law abiding disposition.
2.) To instill in our children a critical approach to the world, and authority in particularly, with a healthy dose of self-reliance thrown in.

I would bet that you and I agree with both of these aims, but as exposed in this thread, have different philosophical approaches to the issue.

Having come full circle, I must excuse myself and offer you sincere thanks for an evening of fascinating discussion.

[wolfman97]

You and I are in agreement here.

Students will do everything they can to do exactly what you did - which is to ferret out and exploit every single minor exception or situation possible, to bring up every case which might be unfair no matter how unlikely, and in general make the rule absurd.

Rules need to be unambiguous and uniformly enforced, or need to be abolished.

They need more than that. First, they need to make sense.


In this case, an acceptable rule might be,

"Any color which could clearly not be a natural hair color for that student is prohibited."

I have seen such a rule.

So the school will determine which colors are appropriate for that particular person, considering their ethnic makeup? White girls can choose from blond, redhead, brunette, or black hair. Latinas and blacks get black only.

What if the administrators have never seen her natural hair color because she has been dying it since she was in grade school? (Like one of my sisters-in-law who had gray hair even before she reached her teens.)

As I have said, I would personally not have a hair color rule, given the choice. But if it is there, it should be followed and enforced.

I agree with you there.



And I assume that you could reasonably foresee that trying to enforce such a rule would eventually put you in an untenable position.


However, literacy rates, social program exploitation, violence and crime trends, a lack of critical thinking, a lack of good samaritanism, and the sexualization of society as a whole are viewed by many as signs of widespread decline.

I am wondering how you got some good solid measurements on all of those things over time. I am further wondering what pink hair has to do with any of them.


Some would argue that we have become complacent, and are no longer the hard working, innocent, intelligent people that we once were.

I understand that all of this is predicated upon your nationality and moral outlook, and that there is no way to prove that any of these trends have become more prevalent, rather than more evident.

Yeah. Honestly, it sounds like the topic of a lot of rants I have seen.

It does represent a relaxation of certain conservative standards and a school that no longer teaches students that inappropriate or radical personal appearance may result in dismissal.

Why should it teach that stupid rules lead to dismissal that provide no clear benefit? Who should be learning this lesson, anyway? The girl, or the school administration?



Big beatles fan, eh?

It is fair to say that, if you weren't there at the time, it is hard to comprehend how big an influence they have been on the modern world.


As I said, the hair may be symptom, but I don't mean to implicate it as a causative factor in societal decline.

I think the problem is that busybodies like this school administration get those things confused.

[wolfman97]

she still got suspended, and over a "stupid rule" no less. to everyone who is not an old hippie who thinks that civil disobedience and breaking the rules is a virtue, she is no winner.

Next I guess you will lionize her as a freedom fighter.

:rofl::rofl:

No, I think that some students who come after her may thank her, though.

I have seen it before. Were you there for the Beatles haircut?

[Dragoon44]

No, I think that some students who come after her may thank her, though.

I have seen it before. Were you there for the Beatles haircut?

Yes I am old enough to remember when the Beatles came to America, I also remember how kids that copied their hairstyle were seen as freaks in school.

Thank goodness for those brave pioneering souls, who blazed a path for freaks, the rebellious, and the "hey look at me" folks everywhere.

:rofl::rofl:

[wolfman97]

Yes I am old enough to remember when the Beatles came to America, I also remember how kids that copied their hairstyle were seen as freaks in school.

Thank goodness for those brave pioneering souls, who blazed a path for freaks, the rebellious, and the "hey look at me" folks everywhere.

:rofl::rofl:

As I recall, they changed the world to their liking.

And, as it turns out, it doesn't make a whole lot of difference to anyone else how you want to wear your hair, does it?

[FLIPPER 348]

this thread has nothing to do with hair

[wolfman97]

this thread has nothing to do with hair

Yes, because the color of one's hair is about as inconsequential as you can get. It is about silly rules that come down for the silliest reasons.

[ATL Peach Girl]

If he was like most fathers, he probably would have felt that he didn't particularly like pink hair, but that his daughter was being punished over a rule that really didn't make a whole lot of sense.
+1 here

[ATL Peach Girl]

Yes, because the color of one's hair is about as inconsequential as you can get. It is about silly rules that come down for the silliest reasons.

I agree

[FLIPPER 348]

so if you think a rule is silly you don't have to follow it??

[wolfman97]

so if you think a rule is silly you don't have to follow it??

Can you think of any harm that comes about because someone has pink hair -- even in violation of a rule?

If you can't name any harm that comes from it, I would say that it doesn't much matter one way or the other whether you follow it.

[FLIPPER 348]

a great thing to teach your kids, only follow the rules you want to

[wolfman97]

a great thing to teach your kids, only follow the rules you want to

I taught them a better rule. Be skeptical of the stupid BS people will try to put on you for no good reason. Learn to think and have a mind of your own.

It has all kinds of useful applications.

ETA: The last question to you was to name some harm caused by pink hair. I didn't catch your list of massive social problems caused by pink hair.

[FLIPPER 348]

it's not about the hair, it's about respecting the rules

beware- http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Unintended_consequence

[FLIPPER 348]

I taught them a better rule. Be skeptical of the stupid BS people will try to put on you for no good reason. Learn to think and have a mind of your own.



then you and your kids will not be upset about paying the price for breaking the rules

[wolfman97]

+1 here

Just for the record, I learned a long time ago not to critique women's hair. On no occasion have I seen it end in a productive result. In fact, more often than not, it seems that the guy wound wishing he had just never gone there in the first place.

I think this incident will follow the pattern.

And if you decide to wear your hair in polka dots, you can be sure that I will only compliment you on your style. :supergrin:

[wolfman97]

then you and your kids will not be upset about paying the price for breaking the rules

For something like that -- not a bit. I took my kids out of the public schools because of stupid BS like that (but stupider). Oddly enough, they all did signficantly better when I did. So I didn't view that as a "price" at all. More like dumping a bunch of really stupid people from your life.

[wolfman97]

it's not about the hair, it's about respecting the rules

beware- http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Unintended_consequence

No, it isn't really. It is about stupid people making stupid rules when they should have known better -- and now are looking stupid nationwide.

Like I said, we have been here before.

[wolfman97]

then you and your kids will not be upset about paying the price for breaking the rules

As for the "price" you should also consider this.

The girl got kicked out of school as her "price".

The school administrators became national laughingstocks as their price.

So, yeah, it may be about "unintended consequences", but not in the sense you meant.

[elo]

if she gets to die her hair pink, then i get to shave that swastika in my head like i've been wanting to do

i'm going to wear my gang colored doo rag in my back pocket too

what's good for the goose is good for the gander

unfortunately some bad geese ruin it for the few pink geese

[Lone Wolf8634]

Didnt read the entire thread so please excuse if this has already been mentioned.

Its my understanding that school is supposed to help prepare you for the real world. You know, the world where you have to get up and go to work every day? My question is...What world is it that she would be allowed by an employer to show up to work with pink hair?

Perhaps if she aspires to the lofty goal of serving drinks in a punk bar, or better yet, a career as a stripper would allow her the freedom of expression she so desires.

I cant put my thoughts into words as elequently as some, but IMO it boils down to the fact that she broke a rule that she was fully aware of, having been warned about it in the past. There are avenues you can take to change rules you dont like. Willfull disobedience is usually the least effective.

I would be willing to bet that the school allows a wide variety of dress and hair styles. Its not like they require a uniform as they did in the past.

School is not a place to celibrate you individuality. Its a place to learn. And this is the area I have my biggest complaints with the school system. They take it upon themselves to teach your children social views that they deem "acceptable" without a care for wether you, as the parent, agree with them or not. I can tell you from personal experience that going in and telling a teacher/principle that you dont agree with the agenda being force fed your kid will earn you a lecture on sensitivity and tolerance.

There has to a line drawn somewhere. To let the kids know.. here the tolerance stops, go no further. Otherwise whats the point of having the rules in the first place?

She dyed her hair pink to honor her father and promote awareness of cancer? I dont buy it. She found an avenue that she thought would force the powers that be to let her get her own way.....it didnt work. And that is as it should be.

[Dragoon44]

Perhaps if she aspires to the lofty goal of serving drinks in a punk bar, or better yet, a career as a stripper would allow her the freedom of expression she so desires.


She'll be twirling her pink tassels for cancer victims baby!!!

:rofl::rofl:

[Lone Wolf8634]

She'll be twirling her pink tassels for cancer victims baby!!!

:rofl::rofl:

I had envisioned pink pasties:supergrin:

I think I like the tassles better tho!:rofl:

[Peace Warrior]

The school let her know UP FRONT. If mommy is OK with you over the summer fine, but dye your hair back during the school year kid. She is at "that age." Sheesh... Hang in there Mr. Principal.

I see her being a lawyer after college.

[cguardsman]

The one thing that should be noted in all this is that this rule is for the Junior High but differs when they hit HS. It is a bs rule that this very conservative Principal is forcing on the kids. If this is the worst this A student does her mom should be commended. Oh by the way this is local news for me and i have heard both sides for days..it is still a bs rule.

[Blitzer]

This is a common tactic used by students. Sometimes it pays off big.

The district has a rule for some legitimate reason.

For example, in this case, the rule about distraction is there because if you don't regulate what students wear to a degree, they will construct elaborate costumes. They'll wear skimpy, and if they can't wear skimpy, they'll wear bright and flashy, with things like brilliantly dyed hair. Foot-tall green mohawks and such. Then they'll start competing over, fighting over, and focusing on who is wearing or doing what instead of their schoolwork.

The concern is grounded in some degree of reality. The most important point is that it is a rule.

The student, instead of going through the appropriate channels to try to change a rule she disagrees with, finds an excuse to violate the rule, and appropriates a cause to make her violation seem just.

In this case, cancer, her father's cancer in particular, is supposed to somehow justify her wearing pink hair.

The media then gets their hands on it, and tells the public to be outraged. The public fails to think critically, and is outraged.

The school either stands its ground and gets sued, or more often, buckles.

If this girl really cared about cancer, she'd get a job after school and donate money to cancer research funding. Or, she would be excelling in her science classes and starting a student advocacy group to inform others about cancer. She would be doing something productive.

Instead she's exploiting her dead father's memory to justify freaky hair.

She was warned and still chose to violate the rules.

Rule are meant to be evaluated and changes if deemed necessary.

:supergrin: :dunno: :whistling:

[MB-G26]

we just had this story on the air and there was a sound bite of the little girl and you can tell she is NOT some rebelious child trying to break rules, she is well spoken, gets stright A's and is an honor student. She isn't doing this as a way to rebel against the admins of the school.

It's sad that people have to worry about stuff like this.

Agreed!

Kddo's guidance counselor in High School asked me once, just off the cuff, about the length of his hair. I told her that with his high grades, his devotion to school and after school activities, and his full emersion into everything that WAS his high school, frankly, I didn't give a rat's pj's whether he could SIT on his hair :supergrin:

He later cut it for (a) school play part requirements and (b) so he could sent 12-14" of pony tails to Locks of Love.

I was proud as hell!

(Silly secret: one of his nerd friends and I are still planning to put purple streaks in our hair :supergrin::rofl: )

[Peace Warrior]

The one thing that should be noted in all this is that this rule is for the Junior High but differs when they hit HS. It is a bs rule that this very conservative Principal is forcing on the kids. If this is the worst this A student does her mom should be commended. Oh by the way this is local news for me and i have heard both sides for days..it is still a bs rule.
I don't see conservative views as the problem. I honestly see a tweenager becoming a teenager and testing boundaries. (My hunch is she not just testing her school's rules, but leave that aside for this thread.) I also see the administration at the school understanding this very fact of adolescents going through this stage of development and using an effective approach to handle incorrect behavior and constructively channel development without stifling expression. Students in Middle School need clearly defined boundaries. It should be taught to students that mistakes not only occur, but that the administration even expects students to make mistakes; however, it is just as important to teach that once identified, actions which turned out to be a "mistake," and that are under the control of a student, should NOT be repeated, by the student, once so identified and made known to the student.

She was informed that her particular CHOICE of DYED hair color was not acceptable at her school. She chose to dye her hair in an unacceptable color, keep it that way, and go to school anyway. She is now on suspension ruining her school record and possibly her Middle School GPA due to her mother being an idiot of the highest order. I personally expect the kid to act like this, to be stubborn, and to be rebelliously testing the resolve of the school's administration, but her mother having allowed it to get to her suspended in the first place is beyond me.

Mother needs to place her in home school and stop giving the Principal a headache. I HIGHLY commend the Principal and the school's administration for fairly and equitably enforcing the policies and rules of the Middle School without regard or special exception for academically talented students. Momma, get your head out of your "donkey" and make your kid either remove the dye or dye her hair to something that is accepted by the school! OR, take her out and place her in home school. (I bet ONE year of home schooling this kid would make momma come on board with the teachers and administration. :supergrin: )

[wolfman97]

if she gets to die her hair pink, then i get to shave that swastika in my head like i've been wanting to do

i'm going to wear my gang colored doo rag in my back pocket too

what's good for the goose is good for the gander

unfortunately some bad geese ruin it for the few pink geese

Well, that didn't happen, so why don't we wait until it does. You know, there is no real need to punish anyone who didn't do that.

[wolfman97]

The school let her know UP FRONT. If mommy is OK with you over the summer fine, but dye your hair back during the school year kid. She is at "that age." Sheesh... Hang in there Mr. Principal.

I see her being a lawyer after college.

Yeah, she will probably be encouraged to do that after winning this showdown.

[wolfman97]

Its my understanding that school is supposed to help prepare you for the real world. You know, the world where you have to get up and go to work every day? My question is...What world is it that she would be allowed by an employer to show up to work with pink hair?

Perhaps if she aspires to the lofty goal of serving drinks in a punk bar, or better yet, a career as a stripper would allow her the freedom of expression she so desires.

Actually, I see quite a number of them working near where I work. If she chose a lot of well-paying professions -- such as computer programmer (consistently one of the top-ranked jobs in the nation - often 100K+) then I doubt that anyone would really care what color her hair is.

I cant put my thoughts into words as elequently as some, but IMO it boils down to the fact that she broke a rule that she was fully aware of, having been warned about it in the past. There are avenues you can take to change rules you dont like. Willfull disobedience is usually the least effective

OK, so you weren't around when we had this exact same hair issue with the Beatles. Just FYI, it was not resolved by politely asking school administrations to allow boys to wear their hair all the way down to their ears.

Here is an even better picture of those society-destroying haircuts that caused all the problem then:

http://www.beatles.com/core/music/withthebeatles/1.jpg

Scandalous, isn't it? Everyone was just as sure as you are that it would cause massive teenage rebellion and that kids would never learn the rules i they were allowed to wear their hair like that. You remember that, don't you?


I would be willing to bet that the school allows a wide variety of dress and hair styles. Its not like they require a uniform as they did in the past.

I must have missed it in my own schooling and that of my kids. When did public schools commonly require uniforms?


School is not a place to celibrate you individuality. Its a place to learn.

In what Holy Scripture is that written? And how is celibrating individuality by dying her hair so completely incompatible with learning? If you dyed your hair would you be unable to learnn anything?

And this is the area I have my biggest complaints with the school system. They take it upon themselves to teach your children social views that they deem "acceptable" without a care for wether you, as the parent, agree with them or not. I can tell you from personal experience that going in and telling a teacher/principle that you dont agree with the agenda being force fed your kid will earn you a lecture on sensitivity and tolerance.

I had a similar thing happen to me. I got a similar lecture from people who were some of the most incompetent jackasses I ever met. Just because you get the lecture doesn't mean that the lecture had any substance.

There has to a line drawn somewhere. To let the kids know.. here the tolerance stops, go no further. Otherwise whats the point of having the rules in the first place?

If you think a line has to be drawn somewhere then answer the question I asked before. Pull up the Pantone color chart and tell me which colors are acceptable and which aren't. Give a rational explanation for your choices.

She dyed her hair pink to honor her father and promote awareness of cancer? I dont buy it.

The question that occurs to me is: Who really gives a damn whether you buy the reason for someone coloring their hair? And why would you or anyone really care what color her hair is?

She found an avenue that she thought would force the powers that be to let her get her own way.....it didnt work. And that is as it should be.

I would wager that we haven't seen the end of this story and whether it will work. Think about it whenever you see someone with one of those society-destroying Beatle haircuts.

[wolfman97]

I don't see conservative views as the problem. I honestly see a tweenager becoming a teenager and testing boundaries. (My hunch is she not just testing her school's rules, but leave that aside for this thread.) I also see the administration at the school understanding this very fact of adolescents going through this stage of development and using an effective approach to handle incorrect behavior and constructively channel development without stifling expression. Students in Middle School need clearly defined boundaries. It should be taught to students that mistakes not only occur, but that the administration even expects students to make mistakes; however, it is just as important to teach that once identified, actions which turned out to be a "mistake," and that are under the control of a student, should NOT be repeated, by the student, once so identified and made known to the student.

So refresh my memory on what great harm dying her hair pink caused to anyone. I have asked that before and no one seems to come up with much.


She was informed that her particular CHOICE of DYED hair color was not
acceptable at her school. She chose to dye her hair in an unacceptable color, keep it that way, and go to school anyway. She is now on suspension ruining her school record and possibly her Middle School GPA due to her mother being an idiot of the highest order.

Well, seeing as how hair color is as inconsequential as you can get, it seems to me that the responsibility for screwing things up lies with the last person who did something really stupid. That would be the school administration -- for suspending a student over something that really made no difference to her education or anyone else's.

I personally expect the kid to act like this, to be stubborn, and to be rebelliously testing the resolve of the school's administration, but her mother having allowed it to get to her suspended in the first place is beyond me.

I think that can be easily explained by what you see here. A lot of people think it is a stupid rule that has nothing to do with anyone getting a good education. Her mother probably does, too. Just FYI, parents tend to get a little pissed off when some stupid school official makes arbitrary rules that have no bearing on real education.

Mother needs to place her in home school and stop giving the Principal a headache. I HIGHLY commend the Principal and the school's administration for fairly and equitably enforcing the policies and rules of the Middle School without regard or special exception for academically talented students. Momma, get your head out of your "donkey" and make your kid either remove the dye or dye her hair to something that is accepted by the school! OR, take her out and place her in home school. (I bet ONE year of home schooling this kid would make momma come on board with the teachers and administration. :supergrin: )

So refresh my memory again on what major calamity pink hair would have caused in the school. I don't think anyone has adequately covered that.

Or are you just one of those "the rules are the rules" people who believe that any rule handed by authority must be good just because someone in authority issued the rule?

[redware]

Regardless of the school's right to regulate her hair color, I gather Amelia Robbins just learned an important life lesson. No matter how intelligent she may be, people are going to give her negative attention if she displays a clown's hair color. Better she learn this now than when she's trying to start a career.

[wolfman97]

Regardless of the school's right to regulate her hair color, I gather Amelia Robbins just learned an important life lesson. No matter how intelligent she may be, people are going to give her negative attention if she displays a clown's hair color. Better she learn this now than when she's trying to start a career.

OK, so you didn't read what I said about it making no difference at all in some jobs that pay 100K+. So noted.

[HekiDanjo]

I guess there ARE exceptions to the rules as long as the school says so. Heil!

Mmmmm, sweet, sweet Godwin.
Nazi references...the first resort of people without an actual argument. If you can't understand the difference between a program sactioned by an administration and rules broken despite a warning I guess you really are just as beyond reason as Godwin supposes.

[wolfman97]

Mmmmm, sweet, sweet Godwin.
Nazi references...the first resort of people without an actual argument. If you can't understand the difference between a program sactioned by an administration and rules broken despite a warning I guess you really are just as beyond reason as Godwin supposes.

Since you are here, maybe you could cover the point not addressed by anyone else. What difference does hair color make to the process of learning?

If you dyed your hair, would you be unable to learn?

[HekiDanjo]

So refresh my memory again on what major calamity pink hair would have caused in the school. I don't think anyone has adequately covered that.

Or are you just one of those "the rules are the rules" people who believe that any rule handed by authority must be good just because someone in authority issued the rule?

I wasn't the one addressed but I'll cover it for you. I'll keep it simple. A school's primary mission is teaching. For this to happen, you must ensure that the students stay focused on what the teachers are saying. To ensure the children do so it is essential that the teachers and administration be able to have a set of rules in place to be able to quickly eliminate and distractions from this goal. Dress codes are put in place to ensure that half the class isn't busy discussing and or looking at your little snowflake's most recent expression of individualism. This should be easy to understand for anyone that has even the most remote memory of how children act in school.

or are you just one of those people who think rules shouldn't apply unless you personally can discern the reasoning behind them and find it sound?

[wolfman97]

I wasn't the one addressed but I'll cover it for you. I'll keep it simple. A school's primary mission is teaching. For this to happen, you must ensure that the students stay focused on what the teachers are saying. To ensure the children do so it is essential that the teachers and administration be able to have a set of rules in place to be able to quickly eliminate and distractions from this goal. Dress codes are put in place to ensure that half the class isn't busy discussing and or looking at your little snowflake's most recent expression of individualism. This should be easy to understand for anyone that has even the most remote memory of how children act in school.

So we come back to the question that no one has addressed. Let's assume that all you said above was completely correct without any room for debate.

Now explain how the color of your hair is of any consequence at all? Does it start fires in the classroom? Does it make a lot of noise in class? Does it incite people to riots? Just exactly how does hair color destroy society?

or are you just one of those people who think rules shouldn't apply unless you personally can discern the reasoning behind them and find it sound?

I am bright enough to know when some rules are patently silly. Aren't you?

But, do explain the good sense behind this rule, if you can.

[redware]

OK, so you didn't read what I said about it making no difference at all in some jobs that pay 100K+. So noted.

"So noted"? You're keeping a running tab on who reads your posts and who internalizes your comments? My goodness you're taking this seriously. I certainly didn't mean to upset you. My apologies.

Right or wrong, people who present a bizarre appearance make themselves the targets of negative attention. It's no stretch to say that Amanda is receiving some pretty negative attention right now. Moreover, she can expect similiar attention in the future if she continues to wear odd colors. People like to make snap judgements and outlandish hair color is a liability in an interview. It's as simple as that.

As for your "some jobs," I have a very hard time believing that they're anything but limited exceptions to the rule. More power to her if she can find them.

[wolfman97]

"So noted"? You're keeping a running tab on who reads your posts and who internalizes your comments? My goodness you're taking this seriously. I certainly didn't mean to upset you. My apologies.