Truth is loud
2/5
I went to this school from 09 to 14 and I really didn't enjoy it the majority of the time.
Students often complained, and still do judging by the reviews, that it was too strict. I think teachers often overlook this aspect of the school because it's a cliché that kids will think their school is too strict, but I think it would be right and fair for teachers to reconsider this aspect of the school.
Having teachers stand outside with buckets and wetwipes, and having them be alert throughout the day as to what the girls are wearing seems a very awkward, and possibly unethical practice. If you think wearing makeup and fake tan is bad for them, teach them why instead of taking that stuff away. It was a stressful experience when something of yours was taken away by someone else. It felt like a violation of your right as a person. I think what you're teaching here is something dangerous, which is that you as a child do not have agency over yourself and your life, someone older, or in a position of authority, has a right to take your agency from you, or make decisions for you. I don't think it should be anyone's right to do that and to make a child feel like that. You'll argue that the child shouldn't have brought it in then, but you forget that this person is at a stage in their life that you have long passed. There are no stakes for you, but there are for them, and this makes a world of difference when school is half of your life from the day you were born. I always remember feeling like there was a lack of empathy at this school, and I feel this is worth remedying. You take something away from the child which symbolises their lack of agency in their own life, and then you question why they haven't revised or done their homework, or are late to school. In order to do those things you need to have a sense of independent agency and control over yourself. How can you feel this way if your agency is always being taken away, or doubted? You should also seriously question your values if you think wearing makeup and fake tan is more disgusting than the possibility that a child be taken advantage of because they haven't had the tools to learn that they are a worthy individual who has the agency to stand up to those in powerful positions who may often be either wrong, or sometimes malicious.
Looking back at the way this school opperated, I feel it would be smart to reconsider the values of this school all together. I feel as though we were trying to replicate other more prestigious schools in order to be truly outstanding. I think this should be challenged. If the rules we had at hfs were a replica of the sort at those schools, I think there is an issue. Perhaps for students coming from middle-upper class backgrounds, the stringent, no-nonsense environment at school was well-suited to them (although I would personally argue against this as well) but the children at our school were not coming from these sorts of backgrounds, and I believe this is important enough to be taken into account, both in terms of class and ethnicity. I think these backgrounds should be embraced rather than overwritten with white, middle-class values. This should be done through listening to students: what they like/ what they think would make school better for them/ what feels wrong, etc. I feel this would be really appreciated by the students because during my time at school we had no voice. If there were differences of opinions there could be compromises. I think this way the school could be remedied. Students would be happier, everyone would be happier.
Good luck hfs 🙂
