Hitler-ish school rules

Princess Consuela Bananahammock wrote: »

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.

Nobody said that though.

Wow. Just wow. Anytime these type of threads come up, I realise how lucky I was attending school in Germany. I finished school in the early 90s:

- No uniforms (not just the primary and secondary school I went to, I don't know of any schools in Germany that would have uniforms)
- No corporal punishment (outlawed in the early 1980s federally, and had been outlawed in practically all states individually well before that)
- No regulations on appearance. You could have hair any length or colour you wanted, any type of jewellery you wanted, piercings, etc. The only thing I can recall being outlawed was spray-on deodorants in the late 1980s, both for environmental impact ('twas the days when these things were still using CFCs back in those days) and because students and teachers complained that they stank the place out.
- Usually very good relations with teachers. Outside of school hours, many would offer voluntary classes (teaching additional languages, musical instruments, arts and crafts and the like), during which we would call them by their first names.

I'm actually a little ashmed that I never at the time realised how fantastic a system it was, and how much I profited from it.

In 2nd class we'd have to sit with our hands behind our back at certain times when the teacher was speaking. If you had an itch and scratched it, you were thrown outside the door.

Our teacher was an old school elderly woman who at a guess began her career in the late 50s (this was late 90s). We were all very intimidated by her, she'd throw copy books at you or turn over your table if she lost her cool.

One thing I will say about her though was that we all learned and got on very well in that class. The fear she instilled in us was a great motivational tool.

I went to primary in 1968, and I still remember a nun going around every class
and pulling me and maybe a few more out in front of everyone,
and saying how dirty looking pups we were.
Aw sweet Latern Jesus she knew there was 14 in our family,
and where did she think the money for nice clean uniforms came from ?
"the back to school allowance":rolleyes:
But the choir nun used to buy us poor pups pencils and copies
and sneak them to us.

Shenshen wrote: »

Wow. Just wow. Anytime these type of threads come up, I realise how lucky I was attending school in Germany. I finished school in the early 90s:

- No uniforms (not just the primary and secondary school I went to, I don't know of any schools in Germany that would have uniforms)
- No corporal punishment (outlawed in the early 1980s federally, and had been outlawed in practically all states individually well before that)
- No regulations on appearance. You could have hair any length or colour you wanted, any type of jewellery you wanted, piercings, etc. The only thing I can recall being outlawed was spray-on deodorants in the late 1980s, both for environmental impact ('twas the days when these things were still using CFCs back in those days) and because students and teachers complained that they stank the place out.
- Usually very good relations with teachers. Outside of school hours, many would offer voluntary classes (teaching additional languages, musical instruments, arts and crafts and the like), during which we would call them by their first names.

I had similar except the last one. We had continuous assessment (as every school had) and we were under quite a bit of pressure to pass the year. We were first year that didn't need certain points in version of junior cert to get in. Unofficial policy in first year was to flail people they didn't think we're capable enough and get them to repeat or in first year preferably change the schools. It was quite a shock in first year and probably the most pressurized environment I ever had schools/universities. Most of us were A grade students in primary school and most of us had to get used to lower results. Once you got to third year you were mostly fine. The 'leaving cert' was easy in comparison to some internal exams. We moved to different classroom for different lessons. There were certain classrooms we opened the windows straight after we came in because there was such a strong stink of nervous sweat. It was only in a few classrooms where certain teachers taught. Calling teachers by name wasn't something we would even consider.

We had freedom to wear whatever we wanted but we knew that more rebellious was the outfit more likely we will be called for oral exam. Informal pressure to conform can work just as well as formal. The height of formal prohibitions was probably that they decided to prohibit smoking on school grounds during the breaks when stricter smoking law came into effect. We moved next door and continued. it was a great school but it was not cushy.

pickarooney wrote: »

Whoah, that's taking corporal punishment a bit far!

In keeping with the tragic and violent revelations in the thread though.

Princess Consuela Bananahammock wrote: »

What I find interesting is that virtually every rule discussed relates to uniforms...

I never minded having uniforms in principle, but it was the relentless strict policing of it that still strikes me as so unnecessary. Hours wasted on checking if necklaces were tucked in, handing out demerits for people wearing a non-uniform raincoat over their school fleece on a rainy day, forcing kids to walk in the door in uniform and get changed within 5min arriving for PE, arguing with students who wore their school-crested fleece or scarf inside the building when they were cold, etc. What on earth did it achieve other than wasting everyone's time and energy?!

On one hand, they were giving out that girls didn't do enough exercise and promoting cycling/walking to school, yet on the other, they banned any uniform transgressions from the minute you arrived in the morning - how could you reasonably be expected to cycle in a skirt and black leather school shoes? Or to walk instead of getting a lift on cold mornings when you weren't allowed to enter the building wearing runners or trousers?! (even if you had your skirt and school shoes in your bag to put on once you got in - nope, still a detention). So counterproductive.

I often thought that at secondary schools in Limerick whenever my Citylink bus travelling en route from Galway to Cork stops during lunch time, that the way they make the girls wear these Florence Nightingale style schools dresses is very old fashioned and religious, in the sense that they cover the legs.

Mine was not as strict as many but i definitely remember a few things:

-No long hair, they sent people home and suspended them for that. Also liked students who had facial hair to be somewhat well groomed, although they didn't mind unless they were quite scruffy looking. Just wanted their students to look respectable

-Loved their uniform alright, you had to wear it, would get pulled up for not having a tie etc.

-Nothing with a hood. No hoodies especially but this extended to jackets which often had the effect of us being drowned in the frequently wet irish weather.

-They banned jackets and scarves entirely in my last year. With the exception of the school jackets they made and charged a hefty amount for. Screamed a money racket that. Naturally these jackets didn't have hoods so you were still getting a wet head all year round. Thankfully the leaving cert students were left alone in that. We were left to our own devices as we were mainly 18 and not long from being out the door.

-Teachers were mostly sound but i recall one bag of an irish teacher who inappropriately insulted and chided students, similar to a poster earlier in the thread. There was also another teacher in the school who had a reputation for this but i didn't have her. She would mock them making mistakes, insult them, their appearance and generally take the piss out of them and embarrass them in front of the class . It was totally out of order in many instances, often made some students extremely uncomfortable and humiliated them. Often it gave bullies extra material to pick on somebody with. You can't be at this ****ing craic when you're a teacher, as the same poster said, these are not your mates down in the pub. Totally inappropriate and unprofessional.

-We also had a maths teacher who was a bit of a cantankerous old bollix. Apparently was very fond of the aul corporal punishment back in the day and you could tell he missed it, loved roaring at students to shut up if they spoke in his class and the like. Also had a nickname and he would lose his **** if students ever called him it within earshot, to the point of keeping an entire class in for a lunchtime and threatening mass suspensions until someone ratted them out. Ridiculous behaviour like. In fairness though, he was a good teacher, was known to be good craic outside hours and was there for years so we get the feeling the principal and vp put up with ****e like that for that reason.

-Also had another loon of a teacher who lost the plot at one class per year and would call for them all to be suspended or get detentions for "not respecting her" or some ****. It would be over something ridiculous and arbitrary, maybe someone gave cheek back and people laughed or the lads on the football team didn't get the homework and do it. This would end up with the comical sight of half of 6th year off for a day or in detention for nothing because the office wanted to keep their staff happy.

In all they weren't too bad by the standards of a lot of schools i've read here, but they definitely had their moments. On the plus side, they were horrid sound to the 6th year students at least and treated us as adults

It's striking how different it is to the culture in schools on the continent though. Here in Holland for example, there are no uniforms and students don't get homework.