Schools and Kilts

**Roan Carter** · 28th August 06, 04:24 PM

I went to the community college down the road today for the first day of my new semester. I'd forgotten how very positive their responses were!

"That's pimp!"
"ROCK ONNN~!"
And one guy says to his friend after passing me, "I have the sudden urge to play the pipes!"

Are college and university campuses usually this way? I plan on becoming an art teacher and may go to work at one every day.

**Robert Lamb** · 28th August 06, 05:55 PM

Elva and I walk thru the campus of Pacific Univisity almost every day and the only remarks about my kilt have been good ones. I will admit they are few and far between though.
We walk about three miles a day and the campus and through town are usually on our route.
The new students started last week so I will be seen by some new, fresh eyes, who knows what might happen!!!
Robert "the kilted" Lamb

**beloitpiper** · 28th August 06, 07:02 PM

I go to Beloit College, and I wear a kilt 2-3 times a week. I get a very positive response, but then again, my college is especially liberal. But yeah, I'd say at most colleges you'd be well received.

**sirdaniel1975** · 28th August 06, 07:14 PM

Remarks at college are usually positive, I only ever had one negative one at Florisa Southern College. It was a really negative and blunt commit... That aside, kilted at college is fairly easy.

If you plan at teaching kilted, be careful. There could be some unneccessary actions against you. A think a teacher was asked to go change clothes by the principal after being seen in a kilt at a school in California on Tartan Day in the late 1990's. The response was, men are not aloud to wear skirts to our schools. If my memmory serves me correct, Clan Donald Society took care of the mess and the teacher recieved an apologie from the school board. Since I'm going into teaching (band), this has been on my mind as well. My suggestion is this:

- Upon hiring, inform the principal that, you celebrate your Scottish heritage by wearing kilts.

- Tell him/her, that you are considering occasionally wearing kilts to school.

- Join your clan or district society, if something happens. they'll take care of it.

- I would stick to tartan to avoid miss-conceptions. We may know the difference, but others will not.

- Remember, your job is at stake, once you are fired from teaching... good luck getting another position.

I was once an music education major before I switched to performance, now I'm going into education anyway. So, I know a little about the school situation. Every county school board and area is different. They all have their own cultures that are very unique. I know there are those teachers that have found a way to wear kilts to school. By declaring your interests up front will prevent probable drama.

A safe bet would be a school that has a band that wears kilts as their unifrom. Some schools have a Scottish themed marching band, or pipe corp. like:

Dunedin High School
Royal Stewart Dress tartan

Lake Wales Senior High School Band (no website) they wear MacLeod of Lewis

Barron Collier High School Band (no website) they wear Gordon Dress

Sarasota Riverview High School
They wear MacDonald Dress

Wearing a kilt at a school like these would be much more accepted.

Here's a college band that wears kilts:

Wooster Scot Band

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I guess what I'm trying to say is, kilts at school are possible.

**pdcorlis** · 28th August 06, 08:46 PM

I teach kilted almost every day at a community college in northern Idaho - not the most open minded place on earth. I've had a few stares and titters along the way, but the comments are overwhelmingly positive.

I chose to wear a kilt as a member of the hiring committee for our new VP of Instruction last spring and when I saw her this fall she smiled and told me I looked great. Today, the college president was wandering around our building, saw me and asked "just how many of those (kilts) do you have?" I said "five or seven" then I pointed to his suit and asked him "how many of those do you have?" he smiled and said "I guess everybody's gotta have something!"

So far this semester about a half dozen students have gone out of their way to tell me how much they like my kilts.

All in all not a bad place to practice the kilted life... I know I'm one lucky guy!

**Red Lioness** · 28th August 06, 09:03 PM

We had two high school boys suspended for wearing thier kilts to school last winter. They did it mostly as a protest against a double standard in the dress code (girls could wear anything they wanted, but boys were treated strictly).

The principle said that kilts were 'not usual clothes' and caused a disruption at school.

**neo71665** · 28th August 06, 09:37 PM

Originally Posted by Red Lioness

We had two high school boys suspended for wearing thier kilts to school last winter. They did it mostly as a protest against a double standard in the dress code (girls could wear anything they wanted, but boys were treated strictly).

The principle said that kilts were 'not usual clothes' and caused a disruption at school.

Sorry to say that is not all that uncommon. I remember reading about a boy that got kicked out of his prom for wearing one (in texas I think). Was taken care of though.

**michael steinrok** · 28th August 06, 09:39 PM

Originally Posted by neo71665

Sorry to say that is not all that uncommon. I remember reading about a boy that got kicked out of his prom for wearing one (in texas I think). Was taken care of though.

Yeah it was we flooded them with emails and shut down their system

**Tattoo Bradley** · 28th August 06, 09:45 PM

The only episode around here that I know of:

A buddy of mine several years ago (when he was in High School) wore a fashion tartan to school. I don't guess it even had a name... was one of those types you find in mall stores. I've seen it, and it's constructed with three straps and the whole bit (surprised me.) Anyhow, he was told he could not wear it. When a protest (by his wealthy Irish Parents) was made, the school made a compromise... he could only wear a kilt if it was his family tartan. HA! I sort of saw it as a battle half won...

**Roan Carter** · 28th August 06, 11:58 PM

Originally Posted by neo71665

Sorry to say that is not all that uncommon. I remember reading about a boy that got kicked out of his prom for wearing one (in texas I think). Was taken care of though.

I wrote a paper last year on Nathan Warmack, who went through that exact experience. I believe the Clan Society fixed the problem. ^_^