there's always some new fad shit coming out that will serve as a distraction at school. while i think grillz are utterly pointless (that doesn't mean i don't appreciate them), i honestly don't see any harm in allowing grillz and just taking action against students for distracting class. i don't know what this school district is like, but surely they have bigger problems than worrying about grillz
i'm positive if school districts could institute a simple rule to fix "bigger problems" they would, but in the meantime they have to do what they can.
i mean yeah. but can anyone really say this was a huge problem to begin with or was it just some shit administration didn't like?
i wonder how the board meeting went while discussing this ban
seriously, as distracting as grillz may be to other students, i doubt any of the teachers 'understand' the grill.
IMMG (in my mind garden) they're still trying to figure out why these kids wear their pants so baggy, and how '50 cents' figures into the whole equation.
I think you're misunderstanding my initial post. I'm not as concerned with whether or not children are allowed to wear grillz as I am with the idea that school exists to teach children "to follow specific regulations in specific settings."
Kids need guidance... they don't have enough knowledge and experience to manage their lives. Part of that guidance is regulations. I wouldn't go as far as saying kids don't know a fucking thing, but they definitely don't know enough. Look at the runaways that think they do... things never work out for them. Look at spoiled children who get whatever they want whenever they want... they turn out to be supreme dicks. Regulations, guidance, discipline, etc. is so necessary... how much is up for debate.
I think you are a perfect example of what schools should be inspiring children to be. You decided to quit working at an office job so you could start your own business doing something you love. That takes a certain amount of creativity and independant thinking, the sort of thing that seems to be discouraged more and more in schools. Grillz are not that important in the long run, but I bristle at the thought of schools becoming so regulated that children have no choice but to conform to mindless obedience.
... and yet, I believe in shit like school uniforms!
I think children should be prepared for whatever they want to do, but most kids I see don't know how to dress for an interview or conduct themselves in a professional manner.
I think we're more in agreement than opposition about this. I think I probably didn't make it clear that I was reacting to the larger issue of whether public school should teach children to be successful employees or successful people. I agree that knowing how to conduct themselves in a professional manner would be an important skill to teach children. But I don't think the way to teach it is to prohibit them from acting any way but.
... and yet, I believe in shit like school uniforms!
I think children should be prepared for whatever they want to do, but most kids I see don't know how to dress for an interview or conduct themselves in a professional manner.
the thing is though, students aint ever going to respect school administration. if they did, they wouldn't need to pass stupid bans like this. when someone you don't respect imposes something upon you something you don't like, you will naturally rebel against it. in this sense, i don't think having something like this will help kids in any way prepare for life after high school
I've been at two different schools (elementary and middle) before and after they've instituted a uniform policy. In both situations (especially at the middle school), there was a dramatically positive effect. The "personality" of the student body changed. For one, there was far less fighting. I'm not sure how much it "unites" the students, but it sets more of an even playing field. IMO, the social effects of fashion and trends (socioeconomic status, distractions, etc.) at school are significant.
Parents and schools are responsible for children just as much as the children are responsible for themselves. These children ultimately grow up to be adults. Whether they are "successful" in life is up to them and their choices. Whether they end up dead, homeless or in jail also is up to them and their choices as well.
Schools ban all kind of different shit. Gay dates for proms, pagers, cell phones, a type of clothes they wear, damn, even a type of book is read in school.
The bottom line is- Many of these children, not only in Texas but, all over will have a learned behavior, whether bad, good, indifferent or both. They are gonna turn out how it was meant to be according to their behavior, their support system choices made by or for them, and happenstance. I don't think banning grillz is gonna make these children into "meaningful" citizens in society.
Shit, who does want this world to be such a perfect place? How boring.
What is there to understand about a grill?! RIDICULOUS! What knowledge about the grill is gonna get anybody anywhere?
haha.. i think there's something that these teachers need to understand about youth culture. not that understanding 'the grill' is going to get anybody anywhere, but understanding the children goes a long way in 'guiding' their behavior..
btw, i was raised by an inner city school teacher.. mom's still holds down an asst principal position in downtown b'more. and was once levelled by a 3rd year fifth grader for trying to get hommie to do his math work. and it's not that these kids weren't 'guided' by the teachers, it all originated at home.
... and yet, I believe in shit like school uniforms!
I think children should be prepared for whatever they want to do, but most kids I see don't know how to dress for an interview or conduct themselves in a professional manner.
the thing is though, students aint ever going to respect school administration. if they did, they wouldn't need to pass stupid bans like this. when someone you don't respect imposes something upon you something you don't like, you will naturally rebel against it. in this sense, i don't think having something like this will help kids in any way prepare for life after high school
If your preparation for life after high school is hinged upon whether or not you can wear your grill to class then you have much bigger problems
I think that teachers can and should ban ANYTHING that interferes with their classroom, whether that's gold fronts or fucking bubble gum.
I think you're misunderstanding my initial post. I'm not as concerned with whether or not children are allowed to wear grillz as I am with the idea that school exists to teach children "to follow specific regulations in specific settings."
Kids need guidance... they don't have enough knowledge and experience to manage their lives. Part of that guidance is regulations. I wouldn't go as far as saying kids don't know a fucking thing, but they definitely don't know enough. Look at the runaways that think they do... things never work out for them. Look at spoiled children who get whatever they want whenever they want... they turn out to be supreme dicks. Regulations, guidance, discipline, etc. is so necessary... how much is up for debate.
That doesn't confilct with what I was saying.
Our current industrialized education system was created to create children who would be better factory workers (i.e., ones who would follow orders without question, willingly conform to standards and be comfortable with mindless repetition). I am against what this system was founded on. I believe that schools should exist to guide children into being responsible, capable adults, not automatons.
Does that mean I believe in having "no rules?" Of course not. I believe standards and limits will always be necessary in a community. The same applies to schools. Without them, it would be difficult to create a safe, successful learning environment.
The banning of grillz simply points to a larger issue. Children are bored in school. My guess is many of them are bored not because there is a lack of structure forcing them to pay attention, but rather they can't see any connection between what they're being taught and what they experience outside of school. Of course, teachers often have their hands tied and can't do much about that, as their cirriculum and subjects are drawn up and mandated by school boards. Those boards must answer to the federal government, which is currently pushing an increase in standardized testing, as opposed to an increase in teaching.
But I may be in the minority here. Most feel that this is an acceptable system, because it is practical, in a sense. What good does being idealistic do, when children will be faced with the harsh reality of the workforce once they graduate? I don't really have an answer for that. I just know that if I ever have children, I want to raise them as a liberal, Oregonian, pansy idealist. Not as a hard-assed, this-is-for-your-own-good kind of person.
... and yet, I believe in shit like school uniforms!
I think children should be prepared for whatever they want to do, but most kids I see don't know how to dress for an interview or conduct themselves in a professional manner.
the thing is though, students aint ever going to respect school administration. if they did, they wouldn't need to pass stupid bans like this. when someone you don't respect imposes something upon you something you don't like, you will naturally rebel against it. in this sense, i don't think having something like this will help kids in any way prepare for life after high school
If your preparation for life after high school is hinged upon whether or not you can wear your grill to class then you have much bigger problems
I think that teachers can and should ban ANYTHING that interferes with their classroom, whether that's gold fronts or fucking bubble gum.
Jonny....as a parent of two teens I'm right there with you....and amazingly, so are my kids!!
Our schools are currently filled with too many mindless idiots and not enough mindful obedience.
I believe that schools should exist to guide children into being responsible, capable adults, not automatons.
I can agree with this... the difference in our opinions on this issue is the level and method of guidance. I really think kids need a good amount of direction and discipline as they grow up to become solid citizens in the adult world. Too much leads to rebellion, which is dangerous, and too little leads to anarchy, which is also quite dangerous.
My sister went to a bunch of schools for "troubled kids" where they thought the right way was to just let the kids "learn in their own way" and "follow the path of their self-expression", the repression of which was what must have caused them to fuck up at their previous school.
So the kids skipped class every day and did drugs.
Children are bored in school because nothing challenges them. Children will almost always rise to the level expected of them so long as it is fair and intriguing (which someone pointed to). As someone else mentioned, children also love to share their talents and achievements -- they are such grade mongers. I can guarantee they'd rather floss a hard-earned 'A' than a grill.
I believe that schools should exist to guide children into being responsible, capable adults, not automatons.
I can agree with this... the difference in our opinions on this issue is the level and method of guidance. I really think kids need a good amount of direction and discipline as they grow up to become solid citizens in the adult world. Too much leads to rebellion, which is dangerous, and too little leads to anarchy, which is also quite dangerous.
I think you mean chaos. Chaos and anarchy are different.
Children are bored in school because nothing challenges them. Children will almost always rise to the level expected of them so long as it is fair and intriguing (which someone pointed to). As someone else mentioned, children also love to share their talents and achievements -- they are such grade mongers. I can guarantee they'd rather floss a hard-earned 'A' than a grill.
You can believe that if all the Grill wearers were getting A's they wouldn't be banning them........Pocket Protectors are the Grillz of the Straight A crowd.
Schools are for general education yes, but they're also for social education.
so true.
some of the posts on here seems to say that school is strictly an academic place. The Social education is just as, if not more important.
That said Grillz shouldn't be in schools for the same reason anything of major value shouldn't be brought in, they are not neccasary. I'm not down with the uniforms but I am down with minimizing school crime and classroom distraction.
Schools should ban them mouth shits and since they pretend to care about students they should encourage more social activities for them.
My sister went to a bunch of schools for "troubled kids" where they thought the right way was to just let the kids "learn in their own way" and "follow the path of their self-expression", the repression of which was what must have caused them to fuck up at their previous school.
So the kids skipped class every day and did drugs.
That sounds about right. I went to one of those schools and did the same thing. However, some of my friends who'd gone there since grade school (it was K-12) were far more successful. Having started out in that environment, they were used to the freedom and aware of the responsibility it brought. Having just come from one of the worst high schools in the state (at the time it had the highest dropout and turnover rate for countless years in a row), I had no idea how to handle that responsibility. I wouldn't let them teach it to me, either. No big surprise, considering I'd hated the entire concept of school for years. Still, I honestly believe that if my experiences with school had been more positive from the get go, I would also have flourished in such an environment.
Children are bored in school because nothing challenges them. Children will almost always rise to the level expected of them so long as it is fair and intriguing (which someone pointed to). As someone else mentioned, children also love to share their talents and achievements -- they are such grade mongers. I can guarantee they'd rather floss a hard-earned 'A' than a grill.
My response to this is:
The function of high school, then, is not so much to communicate knowledge as to oblige children finally to accept the grading system as a measure of their inner excelence. And a function of the self-destructive process in American children is to make them willing to accept not their own, but a variety of other standards, like a grading system, for measuring themselves. It is thus apparent that the way American culture is now integrated it would fall apart if it did not engender feelings of inferiority and worthlessness.
demarcate sub-cultures and the haves from the have nots.
Thank you.... thats exactly why I'm pro uniform.
No kid should get picked on because they wear k-mart clothes and shit.
This is why I think uniforms in schools are a good idea. The kids are forced to wear the same cheap uniforms, rich or poor, it gives the kids more of a equal footing in a public forum. When I was in school kids were vicious, the kid with the new Jordans was accepted and envied, while the kid that shopped at k-mart was teased for being poor regardless if it was true or not.
As long as there is teenagers on this planet, they will try to find ways to express themselves. Unfortunately at some of the uniformed schools they don't have dress codes for shoes. Kids grasp for self expression in any way they can and if kids are allowed to do that with shoes or body jewelry, well... they will. I can only imagine grillz could be a distraction, just like plugs/ gauging but I don't teach high school. Just take the damn things out for a few hours.
When I was in both middle and high school boys were not allowed to wear any piercings, ears included. Neither sex could dye their hair any unatural color. If you actually had a mohawk, you couldn't have it spiked, and any tattoos had to be covered at all times. I never thought it was that big of a deal honestly.
ban the grillz. schools have to have standards and institute structure and discipline when a good deal of their students lack structure and discipline in their home environments. i'm with the couple voices on here who said that self expression shouldnt be based on clothes and accesories, but on character and personality. with uniforms, there is less of the material bullshit to build a rep around...it does level the playing field. works in the high school where i work. as far as distractions, my garbage ass school sdministration has become lax about PSPs and walkmen, ipods etc. i banned them from my room and confiscate them (as well as cell phones). kids bitch and moan, but i want them to focus on whats going on in my room and i actually have kids who cut class to be in there. i gotta lock the doors to keep kids out and as soon as they come in the room they better hide their shit... for real though, fucked up public schools need a lot of discipline, focus and structure to operate smoothely. teachers who are actually working with a sense of urgency and mission. these teachers should nt stand for any distractions in their classrooom. and youknow what? those are the teachers whose classes have high attendance and who actually impact students' lives. they arent teaching worker drone conformity codes, but are teaching work ethic.
grrillz are just parotting behavior seen on dirty south videos. gtfohwtb
ban the grillz. schools have to have standards and institute structure and discipline when a good deal of their students lack structure and discipline in their home environments. i'm with the couple voices on here who said that self expression shouldnt be based on clothes and accesories, but on character and personality. with uniforms, there is less of the material bullshit to build a rep around...it does level the playing field. works in the high school where i work. as far as distractions, my garbage ass school sdministration has become lax about PSPs and walkmen, ipods etc. i banned them from my room and confiscate them (as well as cell phones). kids bitch and moan, but i want them to focus on whats going on in my room and i actually have kids who cut class to be in there. i gotta lock the doors to keep kids out and as soon as they come in the room they better hide their shit... for real though, fucked up public schools need a lot of discipline, focus and structure to operate smoothely. teachers who are actually working with a sense of urgency and mission. these teachers should nt stand for any distractions in their classrooom. and youknow what? those are the teachers whose classes have high attendance and who actually impact students' lives. they arent teaching worker drone conformity codes, but are teaching work ethic.
grrillz are just parotting behavior seen on dirty south videos. gtfohwtb
Hi Tony! I still haven't forgotten about getting you that video... it's just that I've forgotten to get you that video.
As for your post, I think that's great that your classroom is so popular. I like hearing comments from you, Anna and other teachers in this thread. That sort of success makes a strong argument in favor of banning attention-leeching items from classrooms. I'd also be curious to hear what other methods you use in the classroom to retain attention and get children excited about learning.
I believe that schools should exist to guide children into being responsible, capable adults, not automatons.
I can agree with this... the difference in our opinions on this issue is the level and method of guidance. I really think kids need a good amount of direction and discipline as they grow up to become solid citizens in the adult world. Too much leads to rebellion, which is dangerous, and too little leads to anarchy, which is also quite dangerous.
I think you mean chaos. Chaos and anarchy are different.
Out of curiosity, what is the price range for grillz? What does the average person pay for one? I know some famous rappers end up shelling out to get diamonds and platinum done, but how much does the non-rap star grillz cost? Maybe I should just head to Sharpstown Mall and ask TV Johnny himself.
Out of curiosity, what is the price range for grillz? What does the average person pay for one? I know some famous rappers end up shelling out to get diamonds and platinum done, but how much does the non-rap star grillz cost? Maybe I should just head to Sharpstown Mall and ask TV Johnny himself.
I'm sure most of these are of the $1.99 Gold Spray Painted Flea Market Halloween Wax Teeth variety.
Comments
seriously, as distracting as grillz may be to other students, i doubt any of the teachers 'understand' the grill.
IMMG (in my mind garden) they're still trying to figure out why these kids wear their pants so baggy, and how '50 cents' figures into the whole equation.
Kids need guidance... they don't have enough knowledge and experience to manage their lives. Part of that guidance is regulations. I wouldn't go as far as saying kids don't know a fucking thing, but they definitely don't know enough. Look at the runaways that think they do... things never work out for them. Look at spoiled children who get whatever they want whenever they want... they turn out to be supreme dicks. Regulations, guidance, discipline, etc. is so necessary... how much is up for debate.
Actually, I don't think I understand grills. Somebody explain this to me....
I think we're more in agreement than opposition about this. I think I probably didn't make it clear that I was reacting to the larger issue of whether public school should teach children to be successful employees or successful people. I agree that knowing how to conduct themselves in a professional manner would be an important skill to teach children. But I don't think the way to teach it is to prohibit them from acting any way but.
Kids can be individuals without fashion.
Parents and schools are responsible for children just as much as the children are responsible for themselves. These children ultimately grow up to be adults. Whether they are "successful" in life is up to them and their choices. Whether they end up dead, homeless or in jail also is up to them and their choices as well.
Schools ban all kind of different shit. Gay dates for proms, pagers, cell phones, a type of clothes they wear, damn, even a type of book is read in school.
The bottom line is- Many of these children, not only in Texas but, all over will have a learned behavior, whether bad, good, indifferent or both. They are gonna turn out how it was meant to be according to their behavior, their support system choices made by or for them, and happenstance. I don't think banning grillz is gonna make these children into "meaningful" citizens in society.
Shit, who does want this world to be such a perfect place? How boring.
haha.. i think there's something that these teachers need to understand about youth culture. not that understanding 'the grill' is going to get anybody anywhere, but understanding the children goes a long way in 'guiding' their behavior..
btw, i was raised by an inner city school teacher.. mom's still holds down an asst principal position in downtown b'more. and was once levelled by a 3rd year fifth grader for trying to get hommie to do his math work. and it's not that these kids weren't 'guided' by the teachers, it all originated at home.
If your preparation for life after high school is hinged upon whether or not you can wear your grill to class then you have much bigger problems
I think that teachers can and should ban ANYTHING that interferes with their classroom, whether that's gold fronts or fucking bubble gum.
That doesn't confilct with what I was saying.
Our current industrialized education system was created to create children who would be better factory workers (i.e., ones who would follow orders without question, willingly conform to standards and be comfortable with mindless repetition). I am against what this system was founded on. I believe that schools should exist to guide children into being responsible, capable adults, not automatons.
Does that mean I believe in having "no rules?" Of course not. I believe standards and limits will always be necessary in a community. The same applies to schools. Without them, it would be difficult to create a safe, successful learning environment.
The banning of grillz simply points to a larger issue. Children are bored in school. My guess is many of them are bored not because there is a lack of structure forcing them to pay attention, but rather they can't see any connection between what they're being taught and what they experience outside of school. Of course, teachers often have their hands tied and can't do much about that, as their cirriculum and subjects are drawn up and mandated by school boards. Those boards must answer to the federal government, which is currently pushing an increase in standardized testing, as opposed to an increase in teaching.
But I may be in the minority here. Most feel that this is an acceptable system, because it is practical, in a sense. What good does being idealistic do, when children will be faced with the harsh reality of the workforce once they graduate? I don't really have an answer for that. I just know that if I ever have children, I want to raise them as a liberal, Oregonian, pansy idealist. Not as a hard-assed, this-is-for-your-own-good kind of person.
Jonny....as a parent of two teens I'm right there with you....and amazingly, so are my kids!!
Our schools are currently filled with too many mindless idiots and not enough mindful obedience.
I can agree with this... the difference in our opinions on this issue is the level and method of guidance. I really think kids need a good amount of direction and discipline as they grow up to become solid citizens in the adult world. Too much leads to rebellion, which is dangerous, and too little leads to anarchy, which is also quite dangerous.
So the kids skipped class every day and did drugs.
I think you mean chaos. Chaos and anarchy are different.
and this differs from regular schools how?
Because those schools exist ostensibly to help kids who got booted from their previous schools for doing the same thing
You can believe that if all the Grill wearers were getting A's they wouldn't be banning them........Pocket Protectors are the Grillz of the Straight A crowd.
so true.
some of the posts on here seems to say that school is strictly an academic place. The Social education is just as, if not more important.
That said Grillz shouldn't be in schools for the same reason anything of major value shouldn't be brought in, they are not neccasary. I'm not down with the uniforms but I am down with minimizing school crime and classroom distraction.
Schools should ban them mouth shits and since they pretend to care about students they should encourage more social activities for them.
That sounds about right. I went to one of those schools and did the same thing. However, some of my friends who'd gone there since grade school (it was K-12) were far more successful. Having started out in that environment, they were used to the freedom and aware of the responsibility it brought. Having just come from one of the worst high schools in the state (at the time it had the highest dropout and turnover rate for countless years in a row), I had no idea how to handle that responsibility. I wouldn't let them teach it to me, either. No big surprise, considering I'd hated the entire concept of school for years. Still, I honestly believe that if my experiences with school had been more positive from the get go, I would also have flourished in such an environment.
My response to this is:
This is why I think uniforms in schools are a good idea. The kids are forced to wear the same cheap uniforms, rich or poor, it gives the kids more of a equal footing in a public forum. When I was in school kids were vicious, the kid with the new Jordans was accepted and envied, while the kid that shopped at k-mart was teased for being poor regardless if it was true or not.
As long as there is teenagers on this planet, they will try to find ways to express themselves. Unfortunately at some of the uniformed schools they don't have dress codes for shoes. Kids grasp for self expression in any way they can and if kids are allowed to do that with shoes or body jewelry, well... they will. I can only imagine grillz could be a distraction, just like plugs/ gauging but I don't teach high school. Just take the damn things out for a few hours.
When I was in both middle and high school boys were not allowed to wear any piercings, ears included. Neither sex could dye their hair any unatural color. If you actually had a mohawk, you couldn't have it spiked, and any tattoos had to be covered at all times. I never thought it was that big of a deal honestly.
i'm with the couple voices on here who said that self expression shouldnt be based on clothes and accesories, but on character and personality. with uniforms, there is less of the material bullshit to build a rep around...it does level the playing field. works in the high school where i work.
as far as distractions, my garbage ass school sdministration has become lax about PSPs and walkmen, ipods etc. i banned them from my room and confiscate them (as well as cell phones). kids bitch and moan, but i want them to focus on whats going on in my room and i actually have kids who cut class to be in there. i gotta lock the doors to keep kids out and as soon as they come in the room they better hide their shit...
for real though, fucked up public schools need a lot of discipline, focus and structure to operate smoothely. teachers who are actually working with a sense of urgency and mission. these teachers should nt stand for any distractions in their classrooom. and youknow what? those are the teachers whose classes have high attendance and who actually impact students' lives. they arent teaching worker drone conformity codes, but are teaching work ethic.
grrillz are just parotting behavior seen on dirty south videos. gtfohwtb
Hi Tony! I still haven't forgotten about getting you that video... it's just that I've forgotten to get you that video.
As for your post, I think that's great that your classroom is so popular. I like hearing comments from you, Anna and other teachers in this thread. That sort of success makes a strong argument in favor of banning attention-leeching items from classrooms. I'd also be curious to hear what other methods you use in the classroom to retain attention and get children excited about learning.
Truth
I'm sure most of these are of the $1.99 Gold Spray Painted Flea Market Halloween Wax Teeth variety.