January 23, 2002

Dear Sir,

I have been following what has become somewhat of a controversy relating to students being sent home for not being in proper uniform.

While I agree that students should be properly attired, I find it too extreme to send them home if they are not. What I find even more absurd is that the schools expect such a high standard of dress for students, yet employ some teachers who present themselves in a very sloppy manner but expect to be viewed as professionals.

I have two children who attend West End public schools-one primary, one middle. My middle school child's student handbook has precise regulations regarding dress, hairstyles, etc. The school is particularly rigid when it comes to boys' hairstyles, yet has two male teachers with long hair. One male teacher wears his hair cornrowed, the other sports a long ponytail. My younger child's school will allow her to wear a small, stud earring, yet a female teacher there wears about ten big hoops dangling from each ear! The list goes on and on. Too short skirts. Beat-up shoes. Untidy clothes. Are the children supposed to look at these teachers every day and take them seriously? I doubt it because I sure can't!

While I realise that teachers are adults and are free to wear whatever they want, I feel that they send out a hypocritcal message to our youth.

Some of these teachers, not much older than the children themselves, are trying to maintain a cool, Hip-Hop image, looking more like Rappers off of BET than schoolteachers.

The students are expected to maintain a very proper image as a part of overall discipline, yet teachers don't seem to have any level of accountability their Principals or the Education Department on how they present themselves. Why is this?

People will no doubt say that it doesn't matter what the teachers look like, but they are all a part of the big picture as well. Perhaps if the teachers tidy up a bit, the students will follow suit. Once a child is at school, is neat and clean, has all of his supplies and is behaving himself, why should his education be interrupted to go all the way home for a uniform infraction? Some of these Principals need to open their eyes and scrutinise their own staff instead of obsessing over the wrong colour socks or a missing tie!

OLD SCHOOL JAM

Sandys