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hnpccThere'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![[livejournal.com profile]](https://www.dreamwidth.org/img/external/lj-userinfo.gif)
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 fromdalmeny, 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?
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?
