Kindergartner Suspended for Haircut
I came across this article this morning on MSNBC about a 5 year old boy that was suspended from his kindergarten for having a mohawk. I was initially pissed off. Schools shouldn’t have the right to suspend a 5 year old for his haircut should they?
Then I started to think – should they? Obviously, being a new dad I’m going to have to start thinking about things Emma may do when she gets older including tattoos, short skirts, body piercings and whatever else they think of between now and then. I didn’t think I have to worry about it at age 5.
I’m a liberal guy when it comes to appearance. I shave my head, have what some consider funky facial hair and I have my ears pierced. In fact, back before I lost my hair I had long hair. I went to a private Catholic high school and during the first week of my senior year I was told to either cut my hair or leave the school. I left the school. My point is I understand railing against the norms of society.
But, do schools, kindergartens even, have the right to tell parents and kids how to cut their hair? If they’re private, they can do whatever they want. If they are public, should they have that right? Would I take a stand if Emma had a mohawk and wanted to keep it? I don’t know yet.
I want to raise my daughter with a balance of individuality and free expression, but also with the understanding that there are sometimes rules in life that we need to follow. I’m not sure where this falls yet.
What do you think?
February 27th, 2008 at 12:53 pm
i think that if emma ever sported a mohawk and got suspended from kindergarten- you should DEFINITELY stand up against it. i mean.. for pete’s sake..it’s a mohawk..not a t-shirt with sexual obscenities or anything worse for that matter..
you’re talking about a 5-year-old with a mohawk..
i worked at a daycare for a while and a child once came in with a mohawk..
his dad did it for him- he was very proud of it..
but unfortunately..teachers made a big deal out of it- infront of the children..and he got a lot of undesired attention.. t
the next day he came back and guess what.. no mohawk.
it was kinda sad to me.. cos the day before..he rocked it.
he was so proud, especially cos his dad had done it for him.
but anyway.. i don’t think a mohawk..should cause any problems in a public kindergarten classroom..or any classroom at that.
the public..and the schools.. need to seriously pick and chose their battles a little more wisely..
does having a mohawk all the sudden make you a future problem child??
does it mean your parents don’t care about/for you??
does a mohawk, in kindergarten, cause drop outs in high school??
no..it’s simply a hair style..on a 5 year old kid. innocent and noooooot worth suspension.
February 27th, 2008 at 12:55 pm
Brittany – great comment. Thanks for weighing in.
February 28th, 2008 at 6:32 am
i totally get where you guys are coming from, but doesn’t the line have to be drawn somewhere? Is it ok for kids to where clothes with swear words or violent images? How short should a girl’s skirt be allowed to be? I’m not suggesting we run up and down the halls with rulers to make sure it’s no more than two inches above the knee, but shouldn’t there be some sort of standard? Even in the professional world, there’s an expected dress and etiquitte required if you want to be taken seriously (and in some cases, keep your job). i’m not saying that the line should be drawn at mohawks or anything else, merely suggesting that a line needs to be drawn. and if the line IS drawn at mohawks, what good is that line if it’s not enforced?
February 29th, 2008 at 6:00 am
Location..Location..Location makes everything. It happened in Ohio what do you expect? Ohio is a very conservative state from my point of view. My high school had a two hour assembly on allowable dress and told us what we could and could not wear. We were 18 for crying out loud. I guess they thought big brother new best I suppose. I think if the boy would have lived in California this wouldn’t have been a big deal. Thats my opinion and as always love the show!
March 4th, 2008 at 1:36 pm
Hi Scott… I think I side with Jim’s comments. Agreed it’s not just about the mohawk, but rather what is acceptable as a social standard. What seems to get everyone so worked up is that their ‘rights’ are encroached upon anytime tries to maintain a communicated and defined standard (and interpreting what’s right or wrong isn’t so much the issue as having the conviction to either stand behind the established standard or taking up the cause for reasonable discussion and eventual change). Even as a manager of a professional staff, I run into many times having to manage to what I would consider the ‘least common denominator’ thought process – meaning if I don’t spell a performance standard explicitly, it can be misinterpreted and virtually unenforceable. (sorry – I regress). If a standard isn’t fair or unreasonable, take action to change it (civilly). But let’s also make sure that the battles we take on are worthy of the fight and that it’s not just a matter of someone feeling offended because a standard was upheld. – Just a thought…
I do love the show and the various perspectives – sometimes shake the head, sometimes laugh. It is entertainment after all.
March 5th, 2008 at 10:36 am
I must be completely missing something here… I do not know why this is even an issue? Its a hair cut for frig sakes. It doesnt mean anything, he probably has parents that are a little on the funky side. Gwen Stefani gives her little guy a mohawk and you dont see anyone saying anything about it.
Its just another thing for people to complain and make a big deal about. I think a lot of people just like to hear themselves speak.
March 11th, 2008 at 6:08 pm
I, too, lean towards the liberal side of the road. But I lalso like to “take my half from the middle” and see if i identify with both sides. Personally, I’d let the kid rock the hawk. And if Sally wanted to come in with pink hair, ok. And if Billy wanted to shave his head except for two spots on either side and then gel them up to make horns…. ok. AS LONG as the parent and child know that they are going to draw potentially negative attention to themselves AND as long as the kid doesnt take away from the other kids opportunities to learn due to distraction. But thats ME.
BUT you have to think that even though its kindergarten, its still school. Where they are learning social interaction as well as instruction from the teachers and obeying rules and identifying limits. In kindergarten it may be a mohawk… and in 5th grade it may be 6 safety pins thru each nostril… not saying mohawks are the gateway to extreme facial piercings… but when does it start to take away from why they are there? There does have to be a limit or end to what is “ok”. Is the parents (or kids) desire to express their fabulous hair funkyness more important than kindergarten fundamentals?
I think its basically the fault of us being a greedy, vain, self centered species. I want more. I want to be the best. I want my kid to be the cool kid and rawk a hawk. I want to push the limits… push push push.
...... but I think in a few years, people wont blink at a cool ‘hawk … because they are too busy oggling the newest trend of forest creature inspired hair sculpture. What? its JUST HAIR???