whatever happened to Individuality?

[snake_girl]

Does anyone here go to RMC?? It a uniform high school and if you don’t your lucky! And I hate you! No not really

Any way here is my little rant:

A few week before school started I dyed my hair a fire red (cuz I wanted to) I didn’t think I’d get spazed at for my hair, I mean its just hair right.

My principle Mr. Hitler (LOL) called me into the office today and began to yell at me about “the horrible state I was in” (ie: My hair, my piercing and my tats) He told me if he didn’t see an improvement in the way I looked he’d kick my out of RMC. I was in tears at the way he was addressing me and felt like I had no say in the way my body looked. it was like I was his robot and I had to do what he said. Once he ran out of rude and mean things to say he called in the VP and they BOTH started to yell at me! I was told I was a disgrace to the hard work of the Catholic school board and that I shouldn’t be so ungrateful. I told them that I couldn’t dye my hair that I had to wait 7 weeks to have it done again or my hair would get damaged and even turn a different colour. I even told them to call a hair dresser if the didn’t believe me. Which they didn’t they didn’t even listen to me they just said I’m sorry but if the hair doesn’t change you will no longer attend RMC!!!

I am in a state of shock, they already control what we wear and what we learn but now they feel the can control our hair and body as well! What ever happened to Individuality? The middleman? I want to be who I am! Not whom they want me to be a mindless drone ready to do they’re biding!

I’m sorry this is soo not any ones concer but I just needing to write it out I’d love to hear your thoughts if you have any
Thanks,
Grace

[reverendsterlin]

Luv I feel for you, I'm 41 wear sarongs to class, 8 tats, 8 piercings lol. I know here in the states we say religious significance and lawsuit in the same sentence, we get left alone. Are your adornments spiritually significant to you? Not sure how the law works up in igloo land (j/k), but worth a try (course a Catholic school may not be the best place to try this approach if the school has regs allowing discrimination againt non-Catholics)

[J.J.]

well, I think that it is stupid! i mean, you should be able to do whatever you want with your body, as long as you were you uniform i say!!! tell em to shove it up there a$$!!! lol!

[Shane Tesser]

I know what your going through. I once in my younger days also challenged the statisquo. I even attended a catholic school so i understand all too well the the whole uniform thing, as well as the little things we all tried to do as individuals. Now, from a legal point of view, i believe that the rev may have something here. Not wearing the proper school attire...well you may not have a leg to stand on here, but as far as tats, hair, piercing etc...there is nothing imo that they can really do. I would have my parents make a call to the local school board trustee or even principal Hilter and give them a little shock medicine. Perhaps threaten with a lawsuit, punitive damages is always a good one, seeing how they are basically basing your character on your appearance. If your parents are not willing, let me know, ill call the school for you....ive done this in the past for a couple of friends and its amazing how much fun you can have with these kind of people once you threaten to bring the law, the papers etc into the situation!!!

[reverendsterlin]

yep just think of the headlines "Pagan Spiritual beliefs Trampled at Canadian School", "Tatoo Girl wins $11,000,000 lawsuit against Canadian School District (spends $1,000,000 on snakes)", "Canadian schools Ordered By Judge to be Pagan Friendly", (National Inquirer) Canadian Girl, "Aliens Tatooed me!"
We can make quite a spectical lol. Really claiming religious significance (especially if true) is a usually quick end to the situation (at least in the US).

[Kurzix]

I say just threaten pricnicple hitler "do anything to me and I scream priest abuse' it'g actually get attention it todays sick twisted world.

warning that was only a joke please don;t try this at home, or anywhere else for that matter lol

[Canadaherp]

See i can avoid all of this, (ok its public schools but :P) because i believe religion sets limits on you, which is has obviously seriously affected this mr. hitler, anyways (im not bashing religion or anything) i think this has gone too far, im pretty sure the charter of rights and responsibilities, should let you have your own individuality, but an that must suck, oh well thats why i am public!

[sophia]

I would have to agree with you on religion Canadaherp, it should be kept a personal and private matter and should not interfere or infringe upon others rights, besides one man's truth is another man's mythology as I see it.

Tay

[KRYSTA]

i agree with canadian herp too. really i don't see the point of making you change the way u look though. even though it may be a catholic school u should at least be able to express yourself to some point. i think that really sucks and i am sure glad i don't go to a religious school....not trying to diss any one though...

[Bryan Self]

It is sad. However I really feel you do not have a leg to stand on. In private schools they can tell you how to look, and even in some public schools as well. You need to look at the dress code for the school and see what it has to say. If there is a part about hair and apearence you are probally out of luck. If it is not so specific and is written that you cannot be a disruptive influence have them prove to you that you are one. No matter what you have a long fight in front of you.
Good Luck

[reverendsterlin]

Any challenge that upsets you is worth the fight never blindly submit to domination, fight the good fight and leave a legacy win or lose. Sheep will never control the world and make it better

[reverendsterlin]

At High School level you should be able to comprehend Marx's "Capital", sometime required reading for some college classes. Give it a try, you could be a good radical leader in the making, someone has to change the world, why not you.

[Syst3m]

Perhaps you need to talk to your parents and see if they back up your opinion on your personal looks. Then you need to have your parents talk to the school about the way you were abused.
Private or Public School there is no right for a faculty member to degrade and abuse you. Next time they call you a name of any kind or use degrading remarks to your appearance you need to be adult with them and tell them to stop. Then Explain to them that this is a professional establishment and they need to act like professional people, Not like a middle school child who feels the need to call names and degrade people for his own place in life.

The trick to getting away with anything now adays is to be more mature and outsmart the people who are making the rules. If you can pull off the fact that your acting more mature about the situation then they are the will automatically feel inferior and lose any standing ground they have. School or no School You also have to be prepared to give demands too. If they start calling you names or if they start degrading you. You have to be ready to walk out of their office and let them know that right away on the grounds that they need to be professional and have valid points, Not opinions. They need to come forth with what rules you have broken and stand on them like a professional not like a 12 year old. That is out right abuse if they make any degrading remarks about it. Legally they will also have to prove you have broken rules to kick you out of the school without risking legal prosecution. Then also can not demand you harm your person IE dying your hair again so soon after you have treated it. If there demands are harmful to you I think you need to seek legal advice and the advice of your parents over what they are doing.

Remember, Be and adult be professional. Even if you are only 14 having a breakdown is what they want to see. They know your going to be irrational and they want you to be.


Fsck the System, beat them at their own game.

[sophia]

Rev, you're starting to sound like me talking to my daughter and it's unsettling! LOL

I just hate sheep, all that trouble picking the wool out of your teeth afterward! BAA

*wink*

Tay

[Canadaherp]

im in midddle school (:P its junior high up here) so i see no point to that comment Syst

[gunnerslakeshor]

Hey Snake_girl
Im from the old school so to speak , my last time in a class room was 20 yrs ago or so i went thru the same BS and this was in a regular school lol. I can see the dress code being a pain and they can tell you what youll learn in class but as far as hair color and tatoo's i dont think so
It goes against the human rights code to dictate how you must look i mean if you are non disruptive in class you do your work i dont see how they have a leg to stand on.
Just tell them in a world were its now legal for woman to marry woman and man to marry man hair color just dont stack up right.
I suppose what im getting at is be yourself at any cost cause when it comes right down to it your dignity and self respect and values are the only things soley your own once you cavein on those there is nothing left . Right?
JMHO
Phil

[snake_girl]

thank you all so much for you advise!!

last night my friend called me up and told me that under expolsion there was nothing that stated a student could be expelled for extreme hair colour, piercings and tats. and then it said in the staff/student responsbiltys that all staff (including VP's) must have respect for the beliefs of all RMC students!!! I really don't think I was respected at all! I'm on my way to school so I'll be having a nice little chat with MR.Hitler, my dad will be present and there will be threats of going to the paper and reporting the durg crime I have witnessed it there "perfect" high school and of the total lack of respect for a persons rights, if they don't take that seriuosly then its a lawer they'll be talking to next :P

also yes my tattoos mean a lot to me I'm buddhist and dying my hair red sybolizes being a light in all the darkness I'm being swallowed in. (how did that sound???)

thanks again PPL! your all great!

[Big Mike]

Put a snake in his desk...j/k

[AzR@k]

they only time some1 can say ne thing about ur appearence is @ ur job in school they cant do ****...i went to a catholic high school in St.Thomas and i had hair the was a diff colour every week and my principle hated it he kiked me out of school but i went to the board and oops he lost his job!

[Melly18]

hey i'm in OAC now and i'm lucky and glad to be going to a public school... what your going through is Bull****! I think that if you can't be original in the way you dress then they should at least let you do your "own thing" by expressing who you are in other things such as hair and stuff because it's part of who you are and your personality...besides it's our own body why do they care so much argh! i hate how adults (not all adults but certain ones) have stereotypes on us teen/young adults and how they think they can boss us arround just because they are older than us. Snake_gurl what's your school's full name?

[snake_girl]

well it didn't work, my father was turning red he was so mad!! but the wouldn't listen to us, so I guess I'll go to the papers.

My schools full name is Regina Mundi College, send hate mail if you want :P

thanks again for all your help!
Grace

[Melly18]

Oh i see i never heard of that school....well it's prolly not in toronto or something who knows lol... goodluck with your "case" though :)

[Cas]

I went to a catholic highschool, and they were pretty tolerant about what people did (granted, it was also a no uniforms school). There was one girl I can remember who dyed her hair a different color on a monthly basis (I can still remember the dayglo green month *lol*), and at least one wiccan student. I do think that at our school, visible non-ear piercings had to be removed during school... unless they had religious significance.

Anyway, if nothing else, your hair is a shade of RED, right? Red, even if it's incredibly intense, is a natural color... it's -technicallly- possible that someone could naturally have hair that bright (i'm visualising a boy in my highschool who had extreme natural red hair... to the point that it just about glowed). What would they do if someone enrolled with bright hair? Refuse to teach them? That's discrimination... most places of work can't even do anything as long as it's a 'natural' color... so anything in the red-orange-brown-black-blonde spectrum should be acceptable. Personally, I'm confused about how EXACTLY your haircolor effects your ability to learn, or that of those around you. Since it DOESN'T, I don't think it's any of your principal's business what color your hair is or how many piercings you have. (of course, I don't think it's a school's business how you dress either, but details)

I love schools that try to turn everyone into little robots... especially when it's having UNIQUE skills that will help land you a decent job later on :P

Dawn

[crimsonking]

Many moons ago long hair (on guys) was ILLEGAL in school here!Didn't cut it then and haven't cut it (what's left anyway-LOL) since!

[Syst3m]

If your father supports you then you need to have them draw up papers saying why they want to kick you out and what rules your breaking, I'm fairly confident that a princepal person opinion on your hair is not grounds, Remember to not get angry with them, As a matter of fact I say goto the board or a lawyer with it.