High School Logic · 12:23pm Dec 8th, 2016
It was multicultural day at my high school; a day where you could dress up as your culture/ heritage to celebrate your family's origins.
My heritage is Norwegian, Greek, and British.
Just to clarify, I am biologically half British and fourth generation Norwegian. I grew up with Norwegian and British customs in my family. But I am culturally Greek because my step grandmother was from Greece and I grew up with Greek custumes and foods as well.
So even though I am biologically Nordic and British, I still consider myself to be connected to Greek culture because of the influence I had from my Grandmother and her relatives growing up.
With this in mind, I dressed in traditional Greek clothing to celebrate the occasion.
Around lunch time, a teacher walked up to me as I headed to the cafeteria. She told me to go home and change because I was mocking the culture by dressing the way I did (according to her). Even though it is my own culture. Yeah. I don't get it either.
As a result, I was forced to go home, change into regular clothes, and walk back to school before my next class started. I was actually late to class because it took me a while to walk back and the teacher wouldn't let me make up the pop quiz I had missed at the beginning of the hour because she said I should have been prepared. Or something.
Even though I tried to tell her that I was fored to leave during lunch period and change my clothes. Which, according to her, was my fault, and wasn't her problem. Even though it was multicultural day and everyone else was allowed to dress in their traditional clothes from all around the world. But apparently I wasn't.
I also didn't get to eat lunch because I had to go home and change into regular clothes. So yeah. There was that.
In short, high school logic makes no sense. I'm so glad I haven't had to deal with it for years. University logic wasn't any better either. But that's a story for another day.
i get how you fill one day you can do stuff but the next your not allowed but everyone else is
4332732 Yeah. High school logic can be really weird sometimes.
4332733 and i am in high school
4332734 Do you have any similar stories? It seems like a lot of people deal with double standards in the school system. So I'm just curious.
4332735 just basic's teachers get you for having your phone out or doing something else but everyone is doing the same thing but they get you
4332736 Yeah, I always thought stuff like that was messed up. Teachers definitely choose favorites sometimes. And they make it blatantly obvious to everyone around them.
4332738 yep yep
4332743
I know the feeling mate.
If it were me though, Lord knows I probably would have gotten into an argument with the teacher.
4332752 They weren't the brightest bulb in the package. That's for sure.
4332756 I figured that there really wasn't a point. I would just get taken to the Principal's office and the one of the Principal's aides would write me a note to go home and change. That's the way things work here in Arizona. You can't really argue or stand up to the teachers. :/
damn that sounds sucky. :/
4332796 I disagree, but, in the end, what's done is done.
4332822 It's one of many interesting school adventures that I've had here. I could go on all day about this subject.
4332825 The Arizona school system is one hundred years behind everyone else. I used to get hit in elementary school if I acted up by my teachers. There are other examples I could bring up too. The teachers don't have any consequences and can treat the students any way they want.
Wow, that sucks. That is highly unacceptable.
4332873 One of the many joys of growing up in the Arizona school system. :/
...
That's pretty stupid, honestly.
I mean, seriously! What on Earth?
Why would someone even mock their own culture anyway!?
4332882 I think the teacher assumed that I was mocking the culture because I don't physically look Greek (I have blond hair, blue eyes, etc). I tried explaining my cultural heritage to the teacher but she didn't care. :/
4332880 I guess that how it works in this country. Trust me I know.
4332883
Ah. Still, it doesn't make any sense. They should have at least listened to you.
And those teachers claim to be intelligent.
Political correctness and a lack of respect/care has gone too far.
4332910 Have you ever experienced similar things? I'm just curious.
4332931 I definitely experienced my share of weird happenings as I went through the Arizona school system. That's for sure.
4332977 I know right?
4332978
4333000 Some teachers aren't very smart at all. I've definitely encountered my share of not very bright ones.
4333001 Political correctness has never been 'correct' in my opinion. It's just another form of censorship. And it does a lot more harm than it does good.
4333127 Agreed.
4333130
I know what you mean, oddly though I was too much of a smart ass for high school. I wore a poncho my grandmother got me from mexico during the multicultural week. Someone on the student council (you know this kind of kid, very popular, has good looks, but an ass when they talk to anyone) wanted me to remove it because they didn't like it.
I gave them the finger and told them to make me, then sarcastically joked about how they didn't have the power to do such a thing. Two classes in I was called into the vp's office and was guided by a security guard (this guard hated me and I knew it, as to why I didn't know or give a shit). Once in the office I was told to take it off and leave it off for the rest of the day, when I asked why they said another student fearfully claimed I could walk into the school with a shotgun under it.
Keep in mind I used a satchel to carry my books around, the strap went across my body. No way in hell it could have happened, so I argued my side of it while pointing this out. They asked that I comply with what I was being told or they would kick me off school grounds.
Standing up I started to walk out of their office. I paused for a moment seeing the prick from that morning smiling at me, and a few other people in the office as well. One of them from the department of human services, doing a small check up on the school.
I looked back and said, "I didn't know this school district was racist towards mexicans, everyone here gets to wear something of their cultural heritage. But you won't let anyone of mexican decent, very shameful. I suggest you do away with cultural heritage week all together, or I'll be paying DHS a small visit. And they can discuss this with the school board." They didn't bother me about it the rest of the week, or even the school year as I kept wearing it around just to piss them off from that point on.
4333447 It's good that you fought your case and were able to wear what you wanted to. I've always liked ponchos, especially for camping because they are really warm and versatile.
At my school they banned trench coats, funny enough. They banned them because of all of the student shooters in other places who wore trench coats. It was a sign of an 'unstable person' according to them.
If you wore a trenchcoat, they would make you take it off and they would cut it up on front of you. I saw a guy who wore a several hundred dollar trenchcoat one day freaking out because the vice principal cut it up while he was still wearing it because he refused to take it off.
We weren't allowed to wear hats either because they were a sign of disrespecting authority. If you wore one, the teachers would take it away and throw it in the dumpster.
Girls weren't allowed to wear skirts above the knee, hats, tops that revealed too much cleavage, underwear that stuck up above the pant line (like thongs), too much makeup, trenchcoats, or excessive jewelry, or they had to go home and change.
Boys weren't allowed to wear tank tops, wife beater shirts, hats, baggy pants, chains of any kind, trenchcoats, or show their boxers. If they did, they would also be forced to go home and change.
All of the schools I attended had these strict dress codes. One time I got sent home because I had glitter on my face (glitter lip gloss and glitter face dust because my friends were messing around with glitter things at lunch time).
4333940 There is a school where the dress code said that girls can't wear skirts that were too short. So a group of guys put on the skirts that were deemed inappropriate for girls to wear. When they were taken to the principle's office they argued this.
"The dress code says that girls can't wear these skirts, it doesn't say anything about guys wearing them." You've gotta love smart asses and their constant bending of the rules.
4334704 That's pretty hilarious.
4334882 That it is.
4335040 Yes indeed.
Bucking cretins
4338670 Well, that's the Arizona school system for you. :p
4339282
That system needs to change
4340340 I completely agree.
4340561
Is there something being done?
4341610 Not as far as I can tell. Arizona is about one hundred years behind every State. That's not an exaggeration. :/
4341947
God, sounds bad :(
4342445 It's very interesting indeed.
4342673
I suppose it is yes
4343394
4343611
;)