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Child Item

Hitler-ish school rules

Commotion Ocean

What rules did (or does for the youngsters here) impose upon you?
I did my leaving certificate in 2008.

We had two doors on the building, the door at the back of the building was for pupils and the door at the front was strictly for teachers, principals and other staff (cleaners etc.) Even on a rainy pissy day, if a pupil dared to dash for the front door, they'd be accosted by one of the teachers if they were seen and made walk around to the back door. They would be followed by the teacher who caught them who'd walk the perimeter of the building and look the the pupil through the external windows.

When we finished lunch in the canteen room, we had to leave the building for the remainder of break. The school uniform specified a certain jacket, which when I did my leaving certificate was €90. No hats, scarves or gloves were allowed, they weren't part of uniform. On a freezing winters day, you'd still have to be outside for break. If you wore hats or scaarves, they were seized. Similarly, if you even entered the building wearing a different coat, and put it in your locker at the start of the day, it'd be seized if a teacher caught you

The uniform for female pupils consisted of a skirt which had to come to her knees and no higher, with knee-length socks. On very cold mornings, some girls would wear leggings or pyjamas trousers. Apparently when the principal caught wind of this there was murder because so many girls were flouting the uniform (even though you couldn't see the leggings or trousers). He ordered the vice principal (a woman) ask all girls to lift their skirts and anyone found to be wearing leggings or trousers were given detention.

No drinking was allowed in class or between class - even water. I can understand no fizzy drinks, but Christ ... WATER! One one particular occasion I took water from my bag and took a slug during maths class, the teacher marched down and seized the water ... doesn't matter that I was planning on drinking it with my lunch, it was seized for my horrible transgression. Even people who took swigs between class (walking from one class to the other) had bottles seized when they swigged.

A female friend of mine who was 17 in my final year suffered horrifically with period pain. She wasn't allowed to take Neurofen as it was "against school rules". Even with a doctors note and pressure from home, she wasn't allowed, as medication can only be taken when absolutely necessary. I'm surprised they even allowed the diabetic kid to shoot up insulin.

In my opinion, the schools were more focused on discipline than on actual education and developing proper skills.

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Robsweezie

Riddle101 wrote:

I wish our schools were more like American high schools were you could just wear casual clothes.

Only thing that could be said for uniforms, is it stopped you worrying about what to wear and competing with other kids to see who had the best tracksuit, latest runners, and cut out bullying relating to that.

still not a fan though.

FanadMan

griffin100 wrote: »

The OP did his leaving cert in 1998 and had a hard time with stupid rules. God love him if he'd had to endure school in the 1980's when it was perfectly acceptable for teachers to hit you with canes, dusters, their fists, etc.

Saw that on a regular basis, along with bunches of keys being thrown at kids. And that was at primary school. Evil shower of people at that time - teacher and priest were the law. :mad:

Tokyo

griffin100 wrote: »

The OP did his leaving cert in 1998 and had a hard time with stupid rules. God love him if he'd had to endure school in the 1980's when it was perfectly acceptable for teachers to hit you with canes, dusters, their fists, etc.

Didn't need to grow up in the early 80's to see plenty of that - in rural areas at least. Went to a tech in the early 90's, and T-squares, steel rulers for metalwork etc were easily at hand. It wasn't uncommon to get one of those, hard, across the side of the head. Or a hurley, if the teacher had an inclination towards sport.

Even worse were the passive-aggressive teachers though - the ones who would leave you hanging with the threat of violence, and you'd never know at what point of the day it would come. At least with the ruddy-faced, teacher by day, farmer by evening types, you knew what you were in for.

spurious

Blame your parents. They signed you up for it.

Graces7

Hitler? Nothing here to support using that name.

[Deleted User]

Went to secondary school in the late 80s. Teachers didn't lift a hand to us, they were too lazy, no school uniforms, mixed school...the worst that would happen is the principal nicking our fags if he caught us smoking. Great days.

threetrees

I was in secondary in the late 80s, early 90s. My son is in secondary now. Honestly, the rules are still the same. Walk on the left anticlockwise, only use particular doors, only the school coat allowed, plain black shoes and very strict on no branding on shoes that are slightly like runners.

These schools have 800+ students. Rules have to be made and enforced. It's hard to let exceptions pass in a school of 800 impressionable teenagers. The rules might seem silly but they are a way of preparation for life which is full of silly rules.

AndyBoBandy

When I started secondary school (1995?) the building has just undergone major renovations, including new carpets on all upper floors,

As such we all had to wear blue shower caps on our shoes while on the upper floors.

It lasted a few months before being ditched!!

amtc

I went to secondary school in late 80s. Like that we couldn't enter through front door and had to go round back. Recently I went back to do careers evening and I automatically went the same way!

We had a line skirts and it was the fashion to sew up the a line.

Minderbinder

griffin100 wrote: »

The OP did his leaving cert in 1998 and had a hard time with stupid rules. God love him if he'd had to endure school in the 1980's when it was perfectly acceptable for teachers to hit you with canes, dusters, their fists, etc.

If he did the leaving in 1998 he would have been in school from 1985 at the latest. I can kind of see why they hit you with dusters.

razorblunt

Brown shoes not allowed, I never really understood that one.

For everything else though the rules were pretty fine to adhere to in fairness.

languagenerd

They were ridiculously strict on uniforms in my school, which just wasted time more than anything else - they'd even have 2 teachers with a desk inside the door to police it in the mornings.
Eg. You had to wear the expensive school coat and school scarf coming in, but you couldn't wear them inside the building during the school day. Even between classes or on a freezing day. Any other coat or scarf was a demerit slip/detention.

You were allowed 1 necklace but it had to be tucked behind your collar - they were really strict on that one.

If you had PE first class in the morning, you had to walk in the door in your full uniform, walk to your classroom and immediately change into your tracksuit before the school day started. Why?!?!

Etc.

Conall Cernach

I was in secondary in the 80s, the rules weren't too bad really. We had a uniform and they were pretty strict about that but we could wear our own coats. If you turned up in incorrect uniform you had to have a great excuse, like a written note from a parent, or else you'd be sent home.

You'd be told to get a hair cut if they thought it was too long but you could stretch that out a good bit by just agreeing and then not bothering. I do remember 2 guys getting suspended for 2 weeks until their hair grew when they got their hair cut really short round the back and sides with a spiky bit on top. Was that ever a fashion? You would also be told to "shave that ronnie" but we took that as being more aesthetic advice than an outright order. Facial hair wasn't trendy among us young fellas anyway.

We couldn't eat or drink in class either, I imagine it would be pretty disruptive to have 30 teenagers sitting slurping and munching away during classes. Bottled water was a ridiculous luxury limited to Evian and Perrier so we didn't drink that either.

By the time I hit secondary corporal punishment was outlawed so we didn't fare as badly as some of our predecessors. We got the odd thump to the shoulder or whack over the head with a book but more in a "wake up ye dozy bollix" kind of way rather than anything sadistic. We would have gone through that in primary and so we were already programmed with the fear of it. I recall having a thick plastic ruler broken over my hand when I was 5 for talking to the boy next to me.

osarusan

My teacher was nicknamed Hitler and another teacher was literally Hitler. The art teacher. He was just subbing though, didn't stay long.

OneOfThem Stumbled

Huh exaggerate much? Next you'll be saying that being forced to wear a yellow badge, or being prohibited from sitting or loitering in particular public places because you are part of the untermensch is "Hitler-ish".

Red Kev

osarusan wrote: »

My teacher was nicknamed Hitler and another teacher was literally Hitler. The art teacher. He was just subbing though, didn't stay long.

Were you in school in Vienna around 1908 by any chance? ;-)

Princess Consuela Bananahammock

Commotion Ocean wrote: »

What rules did (or does for the youngsters here) impose upon you?
I did my leaving certificate in 2008.

We had two doors on the building, the door at the back of the building was for pupils and the door at the front was strictly for teachers, principals and other staff (cleaners etc.) Even on a rainy pissy day, if a pupil dared to dash for the front door, they'd be accosted by one of the teachers if they were seen and made walk around to the back door. They would be followed by the teacher who caught them who'd walk the perimeter of the building and look the the pupil through the external windows.

When we finished lunch in the canteen room, we had to leave the building for the remainder of break. The school uniform specified a certain jacket, which when I did my leaving certificate was €90. No hats, scarves or gloves were allowed, they weren't part of uniform. On a freezing winters day, you'd still have to be outside for break. If you wore hats or scaarves, they were seized. Similarly, if you even entered the building wearing a different coat, and put it in your locker at the start of the day, it'd be seized if a teacher caught you

The uniform for female pupils consisted of a skirt which had to come to her knees and no higher, with knee-length socks. On very cold mornings, some girls would wear leggings or pyjamas trousers. Apparently when the principal caught wind of this there was murder because so many girls were flouting the uniform (even though you couldn't see the leggings or trousers). He ordered the vice principal (a woman) ask all girls to lift their skirts and anyone found to be wearing leggings or trousers were given detention.

No drinking was allowed in class or between class - even water. I can understand no fizzy drinks, but Christ ... WATER! One one particular occasion I took water from my bag and took a slug during maths class, the teacher marched down and seized the water ... doesn't matter that I was planning on drinking it with my lunch, it was seized for my horrible transgression. Even people who took swigs between class (walking from one class to the other) had bottles seized when they swigged.

A female friend of mine who was 17 in my final year suffered horrifically with period pain. She wasn't allowed to take Neurofen as it was "against school rules". Even with a doctors note and pressure from home, she wasn't allowed, as medication can only be taken when absolutely necessary. I'm surprised they even allowed the diabetic kid to shoot up insulin.

In my opinion, the schools were more focused on discipline than on actual education and developing proper skills.

I'd have no problem naming and shaming the school here. I'd have doen it the moment I left and even made reports to the media - especialyl if such rules were still in force. If a parent did this, they'd be up for abuse.

IN answer to your question, though - socks. The unifrom specified grey socks. They even had over-enthusastic teachers doing random sock-colour checks and confiscating the socks if they weren't grey (or too close to black or white depending on the mood of the teaher in question).

valoren

We had a formidably strict teacher in secondary. Essentially, he was a bully. He never used violence, as this was the early 90's, but when we were in 1st and 2nd year he literally scared the sh1t out of some of us.

Interestingly, things changed after 3rd year. The reduction of his strictness, his temper and his aggression was inversely proportional to the growing 'size' of the pupils.

AnGaelach

Temptamperu wrote: »

Jaysus! sounds like North Korea.
We had to stick to the left at all times. Fecking facists!

I'd have thought the fascists would've made ye stick to the right?

BlinkingLights

The worst I had was spending hours on an essay in French. I looked up phrases, put tons of effort in and didn't just use the stock sentences given by the teacher.

Instead of going : well done!

She got the essay, told me: this is the leaving cert, not f***ing university. Don't ever hand up sh1te like that again. She balled it up and threw it at me. And called me a poncy f**ker.

I got an A1 on the subject- no thanks to her. I actually read loads of novels and watched French TV and found a French person to talk to. The teacher couldn't even explain basic grammar and I suspect was just coasting through on notes she'd found 20 years previously.

My Irish teacher threw a duster at me in 1999 and actually hit me in the face leaving a bruise on my forehead!! Totally illegal. Complained and got basically frozen out of the class and had to drop to pass Irish and was constantly referred to as "that gligin" for reporting him.

Then we had a guy who used to absolutely berate guys like a standup comedian dealing with hecklers. Really insulting stuff too. Like our of the blue you'd be called all sorts or he would mock your accent, your hair colour, your parents, imply you were gay, refer to guys as the fat fellow down the back there - "now tubby? Can you please pay attention ..."

To be fair, you could give it back and he could take it but it was totally inappropriate slagging teenage guys. You've no idea what's going on with them in terms of psychology etc etc. It's not the pub.

Then we had the uniform fascism once in a while. You were only allowed to wear a shirt and blaser. Anything visible through the white shirt, like a T-shirt with a design was a huge deal.

We also had a situation where someone wore black nubuck shoes in and a teacher polished them with shoe polish ! Nowhere did it say you couldn't wear suade shoes and his parents turned up demanding the shoes be replaced.

....

Primary school was horrific though. I actually had to move schools twice because of bad teachers.

I had a teacher who used to chase us around with a broom in junior infants and I thought she was a witch and refused to go to school.

Then another one used to hold children upside down over a bin. A black bag on a frame. Again I found that disturbing.

Also a female teacher told us is we weren't good she'd super glue us to the ceiling! She specifically mentioned by the feet or the willy! When you think about it now you'd have had an investigation by Social Services these days but that was the late 80s and seemingly any mad, violent auld-one making bizzare threats to small children was acceptable as a teacher.

I also had some highly inappropriate stuff asked and said in 1st year by a male teacher. Asking questions about whether we were shaving and endlessly bringing up puberty. He was teaching a totally unrelated subject and had no reason to be bringing those subjects up. Just creepy.

Then in one place we had a very elderly religious guy who wasn't a teacher but kind of hung around helping the principal who used to punch us in the back of the head if you we're talking in line etc. This was way after corporal punishment was banned.

Other than that just the usual unhinged stuff.

Glenster

Commotion Ocean wrote: »

A female friend of mine who was 17 in my final year suffered horrifically with period pain. She wasn't allowed to take Neurofen as it was "against school rules".

In fairness you shouldn't take Neurofen for chronic pain.

We had a teacher who'd come up to you during a private conversation, after school had ended but before study, and demand to know what you were talking about. and punish you if you didn't tell him.

Teachers are a bit weird as far as I'm concerned, why would anyone become a teacher except to have power over children? Its creepy.

The_Valeyard

Glenster wrote: »

y would anyone become a teacher except to have power over children? Its creepy.

Viewing teachers like that is a bit creepy.

So who is going to educate children???? The badger who lives in the woods

Princess Consuela Bananahammock

The_Valeyard wrote: »

Viewing teachers like that is a bit creepy.

So who is going to educate children???? The badger who lives in the woods

Well, teachers obviously - there's a lot of them out there. As opposed to arrogant ****ers on power-trips as described previously.

The idea that soemone who is a teacher is automatically NOT creepy is a bit creepy in itself. That's Christian Brother rationale right there.

The_Valeyard

Princess Consuela Bananahammock wrote: »

Well, teachers obviously - there's a lot of them out there. As opposed to arrogant ****ers on power-trips as described previously.

The idea that soemone who is a teacher is automatically NOT creepy is a bit creepy in itself. That's Christian Brother rationale right there.

You post reads like people should be naturally suspicious of teachers that they are somehow like teachers of old.

Very creepy indeed!

Wanderer78

BlinkingLights wrote:

I got an A1 on the subject- no thanks to her. I actually read loads of novels and watched French TV and found a French person to talk to. The teacher couldn't even explain basic grammar and I suspect was just coasting through on notes she'd found 20 years previously.

Could have done with your help, got an f in pass French in the leaving, didn't help I had undiagnosed dyslexia. Fair play to you, languages are hard

Princess Consuela Bananahammock

The_Valeyard wrote: »

You post reads like people should be naturally suspicious of teachers that they are somehow like teachers of old.

Very creepy indeed!

Any person (teacher or otherwise) who came across as being in the job just for the power, or being creepy in some other way, is most certainly someone I would be suspicious of.

(I'm kinda wierd that way - self-preservation and not being a complete moron and beleiveing everything someone tells me being lifeskills for me...)

Boom_Bap

We had a rule in our school to not poo in the sinks.
It was broken a number of times.

FTA69

I remember I came in to school in non uniform pants one day and a teacher demanded I wear one of the communal pairs of trousers they kept for such a purpose. I agreed to it until I saw that it had a massive hole in the knee and an actual sh*t-stain in it. I refused on the grounds of health and safety (I was an officious little f*cker at 16) and the answer was: "oh you should have thought of that earlier!" as if that was going to coerce me into putting on a pair of ratty trousers soiled with someone else's excrement.

I'd a day at home for that and the poor mother got her umpteenth call from the school about my carry on. Our school was actually incredibly lax but I somehow kept ending up in rows and arguments all the time. Aside from that I actually got on well with various teachers and having been turfed out of a previous school I was probably lucky I got away with so much.

Melisandre121

We had a teacher who was in charge of fines and used to walk around with a "fine book". He'd shout "THAT'S A FINE!" constantly. Once someone threw a ball of paper into the bin instead of getting up from his desk and was told "THAT'S A FINE!" a girl had a sip of water in class "THAT'S A FINE!" being on your phone in between classes whilst walking to your next class, another fine. Then he'd hound you for the money until you paid. What a joke. He was probably just running the whole thing himself to get money together for the weekend the scab.

Glenster

The_Valeyard wrote: »

You post reads like people should be naturally suspicious of teachers that they are somehow like teachers of old.

Very creepy indeed!

Human beings haven't evolved in the last 30 years.

The creeps who beat the sh*t out of children 30 years ago are still teachers, you'd hope that there are more controls in the structure of the school to prevent this from happening anymore, but they'd still slap you around if they could. And worse.