!

[hnpcc]

There's been two articles people have pulled off the web today that have left me shaking my head and going "wtf?!?"

The first is the student whose photo was barred from the school yearbook because she was wearing a tuxedo. (came from askesis, via the friendsfriends option. Read their take on it. I agree.)

A tuxedo?!? Apparently this contravenes the photo dress code, and led to her photo being taken out. This has nothing to do with her being openly lesbian, naturally, but everything to do with girls not being able to wear tuxedos or something (seriously, the quote is" School officials have maintained that sexual preference is not the issue, it is gender.") Because, you know, they're girls. Can't be wearing boys clothes now, might give you ideas!

To be honest a tux would also have stood out in my year 12 photos, but only because the rest of us were wearing trakkies and rugby tops. No one wore a dress except the Canadian exchange student IIRC.

But honestly, who cares?!? A tux, taffeta, boxers, trakkies... in 10 years you'll be laughing at it anyway.

Except, of course, that's not the issue. *sigh*

(_{Y'know, the older I get the more I think school uniforms can be a good idea? And not just for the SES levelling side of things any more either *megasigh* Either that or make 'em all wear trakkies...})


Then you have the story nicked from dalmeny, where a student who wrote a zombie story has been arrested for "terroristic threatening". Apart from the obvious ("terroristic threatening?!?" That's a charge? Seriously?!?), it does beg the question of how the hell the cops/judge/school/grandparents involved aren't able to use common sense and actually just drop it. I mean.. if the kid's out buying high powered rifles, or tonnes of fertiliser OK, I can see where you're coming from. The kid's writing (probably) terrible stories about zombies taking over the high school... well, seriously here, what else is he going to use as a backdrop? The Empire State? I just don't see the threat myself. (Well apart from even more junk on the internet, but hey, that's what it's for.)

I mean, what a waste of public money and resources. Sheesh. Just give him a pen and paper and let him write zombie stories. And watch Shaun of the Dead, it's good.

Geez, use the money to let him go out and make short films or something.

Mind you, the makers of Cut and Buffy must be shaking in their shoes now...


Both of these actually brought to mind a question that's been on Dean and my minds for a bit.. how big is a big school? To me, most American schools are massive. My school had about 630 students total from years 7-12. Everyone didn't quite know everyone else, but we usually had a fair idea of what year level at least most people were in. My year 12 had only 47 students, but that was back pre-recession: now I think there are higher retention rates so most of the 103 of us who started year 7 would have stayed the distance were we still there. Dean's school was in the city and larger - about 1500 students (7-12 again). His year 12 would have had 170ish students. To me that's large, but to him that's 'normal'.

Then we were reading about Columbine, which was some 2000 students. I talked to an American studying out here, whose senior school (9-12) had 6000 students. That is to me, absolutely massive.

So, a quick poll (and not just cos I can!)

[Poll #446307]

Cos I'm curious as to how school sizes differ. Having just trawled the internet I see it's a topic of some debate, surprisingly enough. How big is too big?

Comments

[ang-grrr.livejournal.com]

Schools here have about 200 students at primary level (4-10) and 1500 students at secondary level (11-16). The school they are building opposite me is going to be s "Super School" at primary level and take 450 students which I think is far too many, well far too many to have opposite your house with cars coming too and fro etc. Not really my problem as I'll be getting moved out a couple of years after it finishes.

6000 students in a school. No wonder there is trouble.

[the-gardener.livejournal.com]

"Anytime you make any threat or possess matter involving a school or function it's a felony in the state of Kentucky," said Winchester Police detective Steven Caudill. (from the report of the student arrested for writing a zombie story)

So, if followed to its logical conclusion, the Kentucky state police will soon be kicking in the doors of private homes to make certain that people's private libraries don't contain any potentially incriminating books, won't they?

[davesangel.livejournal.com]

I can't believe that her picture was banned over wearing a tux. Big deal, at least she made an effort to dress up - surely that should be a good thing?

Our school had about 600 pupils, and we all had to wear uniform ALL THE BLOODY TIME. It was horrible too, but in some ways I was glad of it because otherwise there would have been the 'trendy' kids making hell for the poorer kids because they weren't able to afford designer labels. We never did have a 'yearbook' though, we got class photos each year which we could buy if we pleased. I've still got one somewhere in my room, I think...

[shnetti.livejournal.com]

We had somewhere between 300-400 kids at my high school by the time I left. I remember my Year 7 (called Form 1 back then) was the first to have enough kids to have three sub-classes, 1a, 1b and 1c -- about 80 kids in all, I think. By the time I did HSC in 1984 we started with a Year 12 class of 21, which was massive compared to the previous years, but most left and got jobs during the year such that only nine of us were left by the time exams came around (eight passed -- fortunately I was one of them).

[dalmeny]

Hm, so the statistical sample so far shows 100% of people went to a government-funded school. I wonder if that suggests anything about your Friends List.

[hnpcc]

There's only 7 people on it? ;-)

[dalmeny]

BTW, askesis is male. He's a friend of ours from Austin.

[hnpcc]

*grin* thanks. I tend to go gender neural ('their' - bad English but neutral) when I don't know.

[hnpcc]

I think I'm having one of those days. Gender neutral, not neural. But then again, with developmental pathways being what they are, who knows if that isn't slightly correct anyway.

[dalmeny]

I use "their" as a gender neutral term all the time too. I think it's only a matter of time before it becomes standard usage.

[jamaisneutral.livejournal.com]

I think there were about 300 students in my school...
As to private/religous or state funded. I think it was a mix of both. It was a catholic school, but then I think most schools overhere are catholic and they cost just as much as state schools.

[hnpcc]

Heh, I went to a private catholic school in Hasselt. I have no idea what the other schools were, but where I was used to be run by nuns, and still had some on staff.

[valamelmeo.livejournal.com]

My high school in lovely (ha!) DeSoto, Texas, was a 9-12 one (as lots of such schools are over here), and had a population hovering around 2000 when I started there in 9th grade, and about 2200 when I finished 12th grade.

My graduating class was 450 at the start of the year, but I think only 275 or so actually graduated at the same time I did, the rest having either dropped out or not met graduation requirements. I can't really give specifics there because I only knew about 300 people by sight (meaning I at least knew their names), and not all of them were in the same grade as I was. I imagine a fair number of them (maybe 100 or so) graduated at the end of summer school, like my sister did 3 years later.