THE HEADMASTER'S VIEW

Date: 2015-10-07; view: 503.

We have been trying to resolve the issue of Ashley's pink hair since before Christmas.

Initially, we were assured that she would return it to the natural colour over the holiday but since Christmas her hair has remained pink.

Our code of conduct clearly states that pupils are expected to bring credit upon themselves by their appearance and we do not feel that pink hair fulfills this requirement.

Despite this we have acted very reasonably. We have not excluded Ashley from school and we have allowed her to attend normal lessons in the final year of her exams.

We also allowed her to be in the photograph for the whole year group. However, we feel strongly that, as the photograph is a record for the school, Ashley's hair colour does not bring credit upon the other pupils and the school. Therefore, we asked the photographic company to tone down the hair colour in the photograph.

1. Why was Ashley furious?

2. What did she think the school should have done?

3. How long had Ashley had pink hair?

4. How did the headmaster feel about her hair?

5. In what ways did he feel the school had been reasonable towards her?

3. Discuss these questions in pairs or small groups:

1. Who do you think is right – Ashley or the headmaster? Why?

2. Are there any better solutions to the problem of Ashley's hair? What are they?

3. If a 16-year-old arrived at school one morning with pink hair in your country:

what would her friends say? What would her teachers say? What would the headteacher say?

4. Discuss these questions in pairs. Think of reasonable solutions for the following situations:

1. Jessica wears old black clothes all the time. She has rings in her ears and her eyebrows. She has dyed her hair black and uses black eye make-up. Her brother is getting married soon. Her mother wants her to wear something different for the wedding. Should she? And if so, what?

2. You have invited your neighbours and their children to a party at your house. Their 15-year-old son arrives wearing shorts, black tights, an orange T-shirt and has a number of chains round different parts of his body. Should you say anything about the way he is dressed? If so, what?

3. Mark's 18-year-old son usually has shoulder-length hair. Mark has insisted that he gets it cut before a family wedding. He arrives at the church with short hair – dyed bright green. What should Mark say or do?

4. Jenny is 16 and gets good results at school. She wants to leave school at the end of term, get a job (any job will do), and move into a flat with three of her girlfriends. Should her parents persuade her to stay on at school? If so, how?

5. Mary accidentally finds cigarettes and beer hidden in her 14-year-old daughter's bedroom. Should she say anything to her? If so, what?

(From “Instant discussions”)

XIV. Write an essay explaining why it is difficult to be a teenager (about 350 words)(see Appendix 4).

XV. Roleplay the situation.

One of the students is supposed to be an outstanding educationalist and child-psychologist. The other is to play the role of an affectionate mother having a difficult teenage son who is always in a state of rebellion and resentment and regards his parents' anxiety over him as sheer interference. The psychologist should convince his visitor not to worry about her child and understand that his peculiar behaviour is due to adolescence. Advise her also not to give sympathy and advice but to show an interest in the child.

XVI. Comment on the following quotations:

1. Children begin by loving their parents. After a time they judge them. Rarely, if ever, do they forgive them. (O. Wilde) 2. The childhood shows the man as morning shows the day. (J. Milton) 3. It is a wise father that knows his own child. (W. Shakespeare) 4. When children are doing nothing, they are doing mischief. (H. Fielding). 5. We never hit children or even like to scold them. We like to pick them up or ask them what is wrong because if we punish them, they will grow up to be difficult or bad-tempered. So we bring up our children mainly by talking and explaining things to them (Chief of Amazonian Indian tribe).

XVII. Speak on how you were brought up, your family values, rules, traditions. Will you bring up your own children in the same way? Why? Why not?