Did you find school rules were needlessly petty and borderline fascist?

Hairy Japanese BASTARDS!

I was only thinking back to my time at school. It was a cesspit of needless and petty rules.
I got detention once for having the temerity to take a quick sip of water mid-class because it somehow "disrupted the lesson".

I remember being asked to remove a daffodil I got from the Irish cancer society one morning ... because it wasn't "part of uniform".

I remember nipping in the front door one morning when there was a downpour like you'd see in the old testament, I was stopped just inside, given a bollocking and told to go back around to the students' entrance at the back. The teacher who kicked me out followed me on the inside around the perimeter and I arrived in the back door drenched.

I remember a fracas that ensued when a classmate, then 18, had her painkillers seized despite having a doctor's note because her doctor's note apparently had to be backed up by a parent's note too.

A diabetic kid (whichever one is the one you're born with), type 1 I think. Had to leave the class to eat his snack (usually a banana) to comply with the no eating in classroom rule. If he missed out on anything important they'd probably blame him for "not paying attention". :rolleyes:

I remember being in my final year, I missed two days due to being ill. I asked the teachers for material I missed out on and a few of them said I'd need a note from my parents to request the work I missed, because it's not up to me to ask for it. Dafuq??

I had a dental appointment card when I was in sixth year, I had to leave during the day. I was prevented from leaving because the dentist appointment letter was insufficient. My mam or dad had to write a supplemental note too. I was prevented from leaving until they got through to my mam by phone.

Emergency doors were chained shut. There was two back doors for students and and one front door for teachers. It was in the middle of class and I was in the corridor because a teacher sent me on a message some clown hit the fire alarm in another part of the building. I was beside the front door so exited through it. Who was to know if it was a drill or a prank or a real fire. The vice principal caught me and demanded an apology for not waiting for teachers permission to leave. I refused to apologise and got suspended for two days.

I did relatively well in the end despite having my intelligence insulted by a few teachers. Secondary school from 2003-2008.

Looking over your posting history, I get the sense you have a mild distaste towards teachers.

Hairy Japanese BASTARDS!

[Deleted User] wrote: »

Looking over your posting history, I get the sense you have a mild distaste towards teachers.

:rolleyes:

Sandor Clegane

Not too many tbh, I remember we had to stand to attention when a teacher entered the classroom, some were normal and didn't enforce or bother with it but some took its as a personal insult if you weren't up quick enough, sad really.

Sometimes if you had so much as five o clock shadow you'd be accosted over it which was very petty.


Really it was more of teachers choosing to be dicks more than anything.

Hairy Japanese BASTARDS!

I have cousins who went to school in Germany and friends who went to school in the Netherlands.

None of them experienced any of that nonsense and can't believe how petty schools can be here.

I always found the rule of having to ask to go toilet a bit of an infringement of someones basic right tbh. I get that you'll get the odd chancer who'll take the piss with it but that's not the majority of students.

I can recall a really unfortunate incident of a lad who needed to go toilet and was refused for no reason. He wasnt well and got sick in the class as a result. Poor chap was mortified. His parents were around that afternoon to give it to the teacher in question.

Arghus

It depends on whether you took them seriously.

Uncle Pierre

Deleted User wrote: »

Looking over your posting history, I get the sense you have a mild distaste towards teachers.

Looking over the same posting history, I get the sense this really is a most unfortunate individual to so regularly find themselves in confrontational, upsetting, or disturbing situations, never through any fault of their own...

I went to Notre Dame in Churchtown, and aside from the exception over the years of one or two teachers who might have been off message, the school was the exact opposite of what most of my peers report from their school days in 1970s, always made every effort to be reasonable. The vice-principal appeared as a guest on the Late Late Show st the time to discuss more modern methods of discipline which were practised in the school.

TheBoyConor

The masters at my school all had leather straps and sticks. They'd flog you if you didn't know that God made the world, or if you didn't know the patron saint of Limerick. They'd flog you if you couldn't say the Hail Mary in Irish, or if you couldn't ask for the lavatory pass in Irish. They'd flog you if you laughed, flog you if you were late, flog you if you talked. One master would flog you if you didn't know that Eamon De Valera was the greatest man that ever lived. Another would flog you if you didn't know that Michael Collins was the greatest man that ever lived.

o1s1n

Where did you go to school OP, Colditz?

Didn't have half the nonsense you mentioned in your post in my secondary school.

Riddle101

One rule that used to bug me in school was the one way system in the corridors. I get why they had the rule but it could be really annoying. If you were in a classroom and your next class was literally just down the hall but you couldn't just walk to the classroom, you had to walk all the way around the school to get to your next class. Would be simpler to just walk down the corridor instead but you'd be stopped by a teacher or a prefect and told to walk around. Not exactly needless or fascist but it still annoyed me at times.

Other than that I can't think of any rules that I felt were needless or unnecessary. My issue was usually with the teachers. Some of them could be real P*icks when they wanted to be.

Hairy Japanese BASTARDS!

TheBoyConor wrote: »

The masters at my school all had leather straps and sticks. They'd flog you if you didn't know that God made the world, or if you didn't know the patron saint of Limerick. They'd flog you if you couldn't say the Hail Mary in Irish, or if you couldn't ask for the lavatory pass in Irish. They'd flog you if you laughed, flog you if you were late, flog you if you talked. One master would flog you if you didn't know that Eamon De Valera was the greatest man that ever lived. Another would flog you if you didn't know that Michael Collins was the greatest man that ever lived.

Brilliant film!

Hairy Japanese BASTARDS!

Riddle101 wrote: »

One rule that used to bug me in school was the one way system in the corridors. I get why they had the rule but it could be really annoying. If you were in a classroom and your next class was literally just down the hall but you couldn't just walk to the classroom, you had to walk all the way around the school to get to your next class. Would be simpler to just walk down the corridor instead but you'd be stopped by a teacher or a prefect and told to walk around. Not exactly needless or fascist but it still annoyed me at times.

Other than that I can't think of any rules that I felt were needless or unnecessary. My issue was usually with the teachers. Some of them could be real P*icks when they wanted to be.

We had that too! A keep left rule would be much more logical

TheBoyConor

Hairy Japanese BASTARDS! wrote: »

Brilliant film!

Or the teacher that inspired us to work towards our confirmation since it would allow us to die as martyrs for Ireland in the event we were invaded by protestants, or Mohammadáns, or any other class of heathen.

Better Than Christ

Kalico92 wrote: »

I always found the rule of having to ask to go toilet a bit of an infringement of someones basic right tbh.

I had a teacher whose response to the question "can I go to the toilet?" was to shrug and say "I don't know, sure go on out and try..."

There were a lot of pointless rules in the secondary school I went to, but you could get around most of them if you were smart enough and weren't a known troublemaker. My friends and I started wearing our own clothes on Fridays in sixth year (because although most of us were 18, we couldn't get served in the local pub at lunchtime in our uniforms) and nobody batted an eyelid. The teachers just assumed that there was some valid reason why we were going around in jeans, hoodies and runners. The principal 'caught' us arriving back in school one afternoon, a bit tipsy and stinking of drink (us, not him). His response: "Ah, there's the lads".

ShatterAlan

We had rules but none of them were as anal as what you describe. I was in secondary a good few years earlier so the nanny culture hadn't kicked in. We had a uniform, grey trousers, crested jumper, blue shirt, and tie. I was a mod and used to wear a fish-tail parka that was generally accepted even though it was technically a "combat" jacket which were not allowed. I was allowed a bomber jacket which are associated more with skinheads and neo-nazis than combat jackets which were more favoured by rockers. A friend of mine was a bit of a commie and wore a black beret with a little badge of Lenin on it. The headmaster (who was a thundering gobsh1te) snatched it off his head thinking it was a statement of IRA support.



Going to the dentist you just showed your appointment card, no questions asked. The asshole principal did come the heavy with a guy who grew a moustache. Most of us had a bit of bumfluff aged 16 or 17 but there were a few hairy bastards who were ahead of the curve and would grow a full muzzy in a couple of weeks.



Couldn't eat or drink in class unless it was lashing rain and you could have you apple or banana for little lunch at your desk. Nobody ever got detention. It was a good school and the teachers were ok and treated you like an adult. I got suspended for a week once for insulting one of the Brothers.....I was just being a smartarse and it backfired. Did well enough in the end and went on to university.

ShatterAlan

Better Than Christ wrote: »

I had a teacher whose response to the question "can I go to the toilet?" was to shrug and say "I don't know, sure go on out and try..."

There were a lot of pointless rules in the secondary school I went to, but you could get around most of them if you were smart enough and weren't a known troublemaker. My friends and I started wearing our own clothes on Fridays in sixth year (because although most of us were 18, we couldn't get served in the local pub at lunchtime in our uniforms) and nobody batted an eyelid. The teachers just assumed that there was some valid reason why we were going around in jeans, hoodies and runners. The principal 'caught' us arriving back in school one afternoon, a bit tipsy and stinking of drink (us, not him). His response: "Ah, there's the lads".

Jesus christ.....you went to the pub at school lunchtime? How could you possibly concentrate on anything in the afternoon after a few scoops. I have sometimes gone for a lunchtime pint at work with some colleagues and then gone back to the office and I can't do sh1t. Just all fuzzy headed and the computer screen blinding me.

byhookorbycrook

Riddle101 wrote: »

One rule that used to bug me in school was the one way system in the corridors. I get why they had the rule but it could be really annoying. If you were in a classroom and your next class was literally just down the hall but you couldn't just walk to the classroom, you had to walk all the way around the school to get to your next class. Would be simpler to just walk down the corridor instead but you'd be stopped by a teacher or a prefect and told to walk around. Not exactly needless or fascist but it still annoyed me at times.

Other than that I can't think of any rules that I felt were needless or unnecessary. My issue was usually with the teachers. Some of them could be real P*icks when they wanted to be.

There will be a lot more of one -way systems when schools reopen.

Better Than Christ

ShatterAlan wrote: »

Jesus christ.....you went to the pub at school lunchtime? How could you possibly concentrate on anything in the afternoon after a few scoops. I have sometimes gone for a lunchtime pint at work with some colleagues and then gone back to the office and I can't do sh1t. Just all fuzzy headed and the computer screen blinding me.

We'd usually have dinner and literally only a couple of pints, and we'd skip double-PE and head back up to school in time for Irish. I don't recall ever being too fuzzy headed. We'd regularly bump into teachers in the pub, and they were doing exactly the same.

Church on Tuesday

Weren't allowed long hair; hair had to be short, no excuses. No color in hair.

No jewelry except for one ring.

Tie at all times.

Black shoes only.

Absolutely no stubble or facial hair.

I wore a light grey shirt for the whole of first year instead of the light blue shirt inside the jumper we were to wear, my mother must have made a mistake or something and it kinda wasn't all that obvious anyway, except for the obviously mentally unwell Biology teacher I had who chewed me out of it one day in class because of the the shirt :rolleyes:

Didn't like that place one bit.

Lillyfae

Hairy Japanese BASTARDS! wrote: »

I was only thinking back to my time at school. It was a cesspit of needless and petty rules.
I got detention once for having the temerity to take a quick sip of water mid-class because it somehow "disrupted the lesson".

I remember being asked to remove a daffodil I got from the Irish cancer society one morning ... because it wasn't "part of uniform".

I remember nipping in the front door one morning when there was a downpour like you'd see in the old testament, I was stopped just inside, given a bollocking and told to go back around to the students' entrance at the back. The teacher who kicked me out followed me on the inside around the perimeter and I arrived in the back door drenched.

I remember a fracas that ensued when a classmate, then 18, had her painkillers seized despite having a doctor's note because her doctor's note apparently had to be backed up by a parent's note too.

A diabetic kid (whichever one is the one you're born with), type 1 I think. Had to leave the class to eat his snack (usually a banana) to comply with the no eating in classroom rule. If he missed out on anything important they'd probably blame him for "not paying attention". :rolleyes:

I remember being in my final year, I missed two days due to being ill. I asked the teachers for material I missed out on and a few of them said I'd need a note from my parents to request the work I missed, because it's not up to me to ask for it. Dafuq??

I had a dental appointment card when I was in sixth year, I had to leave during the day. I was prevented from leaving because the dentist appointment letter was insufficient. My mam or dad had to write a supplemental note too. I was prevented from leaving until they got through to my mam by phone.

Emergency doors were chained shut. There was two back doors for students and and one front door for teachers. It was in the middle of class and I was in the corridor because a teacher sent me on a message some clown hit the fire alarm in another part of the building. I was beside the front door so exited through it. Who was to know if it was a drill or a prank or a real fire. The vice principal caught me and demanded an apology for not waiting for teachers permission to leave. I refused to apologise and got suspended for two days.

I did relatively well in the end despite having my intelligence insulted by a few teachers. Secondary school from 2003-2008.

Pretty much exactly the same as my school, more or less the same time period.

whisky_galore

Not really.
We didn't have to wear ties, as long as the shirt, jumper and trousers looked like the school colours, there were a few variations on styles people wore, and never got pulled up on it. No crests or any of that pretentious shyte were worn. Wear any sneakers, shoes or boots you felt like wearing. Girls were supposed to wear skirts but I think that's gone now.

Hairy Japanese BASTARDS!

I remember scarves and gloves were banned iny school, again, not part of uniform.

You had to be out the back yard during lunch, only exception was rain. In the depths of winter, teachers were dressed like arctic explorers but pupils couldn't wear gloves or scarves only a monkey cap which had to be plain.

You also weren't allowed gloves in classroom. Cold hands? Tough.

During the mocks, the vice principal took it upon herself to enforce the "no drinks in class rule" and filled a binliner with "contraband" Ballygowan.
Cunt.

topper75

Hairy Japanese BASTARDS! wrote: »

Brilliant film!

I thought myself that the film missed a broader point being made in the book.

The film: life is miserable.

The book was more: the miserable nature of life is completely absurd and therefore weirdly funny when you gain the luxury of looking back.

Zebra3

I remember one of our head teachers in primary school used to make us line up in the yard at the end of break every now and again, stand in a line with enough space to reach out and put your hand on the shoulder of the pupil in front of you.

He used to go on about military training or some sh1t like that and discipline.

Needless to say nobody listened to him, but I think he got a buzz doing it when he felt some mothers were walking past and he wanted to show off that he was in control.

A petty, petty man.

One of our primary teachers loved to rant about Saudi Arabia being a great place as they knew how to deal with criminals. Nothing like a nutjob espousing beheadings to pupils that she's preparing for their confirmation in the RC church which is all about love and forgiveness. :rolleyes:

Obvious Desperate Breakfasts

We had an officious jobsworth of a deputy headteacher in secondary school.

Once in the depths of winter, the heating was broken one day. This was a school that was Baltic at the best of times. So we were allowed to wear our coats in class. Just before last class, we’re talking 40 minutes from the end of the school day, the deputy head comes on the intercom to say that the heating was now fixed and to take our coats off for last class. An audible groan reverberated throughout the school.

How petty and overbearing can you be? The heating would probably only be felt towards the end of that last class. I believe everyone ignored her. Certainly in my class, we did.