Saturday, January 17, 2009

Isn't Harvard A School?


Back when my oldest was in school, things were beginning to change. We were living in a rather rough neighborhood and the school was in the transition phase, going from plain clothing to uniforms. Along the way they had a dress code that forced girls into skirts and dresses and boys into slacks and dress shirts. No longer could a youngster wear jeans. No longer were girls suppose to be comfortable. No they were going to force them into a mold that they made.

There was one exception. Fridays. On Fridays the children could wear jeans, or shorts, or skirts as long as they wore a school shirt with it.

Being the rebel with a cause (I hate seeing kids in uniforms. That is for when they turn 18.), I made it my mission to push the limits of the school's dress code.

On cold winter days, my girls wore long dresses. On hot summer days my girls wore mini-skirts.

Needless to say, I caused a stir. On Halloween my girls were dressed in Elizabethan costume. Complete with frill, corset, petticoats, bum roll, and Spanish farthingale. But it was within the dress code.

During the Thanksgiving week, they dressed as Pilgrims. Complete with silver buckles.

But on Fridays I really pushed it too the limit.

I dressed them in jeans with college t shirts.

And I got the call. That nice principal of theirs had the nerve to call me and tell me that they weren't properly dressed for school.

Needless to say, I rushed down there.

When I was escorted into the principal's office he informed me that on Fridays they were suppose to wear a school shirt.

I asked him:

"Isn't Harvard a school?"

He replied:

"Well yes. But that is not the point."

I pointed out in the school's dress code that the code says a school shirt, not that particular school's shirt. A matter of semantics, but a good one.

He had to agree and we came to a compromise. They can wear a college shirt (he thought it was a good idea to promote higher education), but not a Harvard shirt. I said fine. And the next week they were sporting a T Shirt from my alma mater:


Tel Aviv University

1 comment:

Stephen Kruiser said...

Trouble maker.

I used to try to work around technicalities in the student handbook in high school. It was a Catholic school so I didn't really win any of those battles. But I did have my own seat in the dean's office.

Good times.