Utah school forces student to change out of kilt

[sathor]

Um... which poem?!?

It was "THE SHEPHERD TO THE FLOWERS." by Sir Walter Raleigh

I found two different versions online, I am unsure which exact one my wife had used.

(they were studying period writers, his name was in a book they were using, how she found that poem from the many other easier to find ones I don't really know.)

[Roderick]

I remember such a hippie in college one year. The only logical argument I could come up with was a religious belief one, beyond that, I would think the health codes would be of issue. I'm curious how your incident played out.

The young lady in question is an artist and a musician, and her style of dress and general political attitude are those that might have earned her the label "hippie" from more than a few folks. She had a pair of sandals that she would bring with her, and if she needed to use the washroom she would slip them on. Otherwise, she was barefoot all the time! On her way to school, in school...

Our administrator tried various things to tell her that being barefoot was somehow against the rules (NOTE: not merely "unacceptable" or "dangerous", but "against the rules"), yet could never provide her with a consistant argument, nor show her where in the school code or code of conduct such a rule was laid out. So she at first tried to give her detentions, but the young lady would not show up for them. When threatened with suspension for not making her detentions, she finally came. Admin then gave her the standard detention punishment of cleaning up garbage around the school, but she refused when they added "and you can't do it barefoot!" So her friends finally packed her into a shopping cart and they wheeled her around the school grounds and picked up garbage on her behalf.

The administrator in question then threatened those students with detention and suspension!

In the end, the young barefooted lady figured she was better off going to a different school rather than continue to pursue this, as she was afraid she would end up doing something that really would warrant her suspension. She now attends a local Waldorf school where they are quite happy to have a bright and talented young woman going barefoot in their classrooms.

But none of this is about kilts.

Not all. The young ones perhaps. Some actually go into admin to try to fix problems they see with it, other tire of teaching, and going into admin is far easier than starting all over again with college. Some are just power hungry. My wife says she would never want to go into administration. She has had to deal with a few too many idiots in admin to want to join them I think. Like the one that said a poem her class read was overtly sexual and suspended her for just over 2 months. (He said that when it mentioned the flowers in the garden, they were really vaginas, and the persons weeping over their dead husband was really an orgasm. I think he liked Georgia O-Keef (sp?) a bit too much.)

I'm the kind of teacher likely to point out to my students that the poem was actually about vaginas and orgasms.

If in fact it was.

Love the Georgia O'Keefe line.

Too many people in administration spend too much time worrying about perceptions -- how the school might be seen by the community, how the school might be seen by parents -- and not enough time dealing in reality -- how the school is seen by the community, how the school is seen by parents. My own school used to have a really great reputation among parents and in the district for being open to differences, for creating a unique environment that was good for kids in our community, for including parents and the community in the decision making processes that determined how the school would be run... Now we are the same as any other in the district. McSchool. Closed-minded administration -- both at the district level and the school level -- is to blame.

And all of this kind of thing is why I, as a teacher -- an educator -- get frustrated when administrators do silly things and educators take the blame. Seriously: administrators administrate; educators educate. I can't speak for the rest of the world, but I can tell you that where I live (my time is divided between BC and Wisconsin) most principals and vice-principals have not been in a classroom for years.

Okay, end rant.

And back on topic...

I think this guy, the principal, made a boneheaded move, but it sounds to me like it's all coming out well in the end. So I can't hate on him too much. I will stand by my initial response to his reaction, however, and say that the guy is silly.

[meinfs]

In the original article link that Zardoz posted, did you all notice a reader comment from a certain Elsie Stuehmeyer?


From the original article:
http://www.standard.net/live/news/173494/

I'm quoting it here:
Reader comment

By: elsie stuehmeyer @ 05/17/2009, 3:08 PM

I have been a kiltmaker for 60 years and still kept very busy,I have made many kilts for high school grad who are proud to wear the kilt.I am glad this young man was man enough to to stick to his guns.I am proud of you.
I have made kilts for many well known people and have yet to meet anyone who is not proud to wear their kilt.God Bless

-------------
In case you didn't know --- Elsie Stuehmeyer is Barb's The Art of Kiltmaking co-author & kilt mentor.

[sathor]

I can't speak for the rest of the world, but I can tell you that where I live (my time is divided between BC and Wisconsin) most principals and vice-principals have not been in a classroom for years.

When I was in school, our principals covered classes often enough that it wasn't unusual. I think they missed it, some of them anyways. I still find it amusing that once they merged Jr highs, the principal at the one I went to retired and married the secretary of the school.

[Roderick]

When I was in school, our principals covered classes often enough that it wasn't unusual ...

They used to in BC. Administrators here used to be part of the teaching staff. But about ten years ago or so the government separated them. Arguably, our administrators were better when they were also teachers.

[mason500]

My girlfriend got this artical in myspace. So I got put is on this forum.


Utah Principal Says Student's Kilt is Crossdressing (+Kilt History)
Sunday, May 17, 2009 at 2:48PM


Just this week, in West Haven, Utah, principal Craig Jessop at Rocky Mountain Junior High informed 14-year old Gavin McFarland, who comes from Scottish heritage, that the kilt he had worn twice in the past two weeks as a prop for an art project was inappropriate and could be "misconstrued as cross-dressing." The Weber School District later made the principal apologize to McFarland.

I got a big kick reading this

Magnus the swed

[Roderick]

Yup, this is a pretty popular topic 'round these parts.

The story was first posted in this thread: http://www.xmarksthescot.com/forum/u...x.html?t=48962 .

[McMurdo]

Thread merged with original topic.

[mason500]

S io I was not first and thanks for show that tread.

Magnus the swed

[Detroitpete]

I've posted to Xmark's about my 13 year old nephew and his new found pride in wearing kilts and in Clan MacLaren. He's the young lad that decided to wear his kilt to a 'non-uniform' day at his Catholic middle school. He at first received a bit of flack, but stood his ground well.

He now attends more formal school functions kilted. Just recently he attended the sports awards banquet for his school while kilted. He's taken pride in his heritage and is often asked about his kilt, the tartan he wears, etc. The teachers that at first saw this as something strange and troublesome have changed their view.

I bought him his first kilt because he wanted to wear one to 'bang about' in and wanted to be like his uncle the "Heavy" athlete and practice thowing cabers in the back yard.

He is now learning more about his heritage, tartans, clans and geneaology. Just recently my brother and his whole family shoed up in MacLaren tartan to cheer me on at a local highland games. To see my niece and nephew like that, really made me proud.

So, from brave lads testing the waters of wearing kilts to school maybe we all learn a little about courage, eh? Good on the school systems that see this as a positive method to reflect one's heritage. I was once a Social Studies teacher. I can just imagine the fun I would have in using a kilt as a teaching tool.