Should schools have strong rules around piercings, haircuts and bathroom breaks?

Irish Examiner columnist and schoolteacher Jennifer Horgan thinks not.

On Newstalk Breakfast today, she said some things children decide to do are just “none of our business”.

“These rules that we think are really significant, when you think about them and break them down, they become hard to justify,” said Ms Horgan.

“The thing is respect, that’s what you want.

“You want children and young people to respect you and you need to show them respect.

“You will know straight away when you walk into the classroom of a school if there is respect in the room.”

Ms Horgan said certain hairstyle choices are made to cause a reaction.

“If the young person is doing it to make that statement, then there is a lot of other stuff going on that you need to dig into and get on top of,” she said.

“You need to talk to that student if there is that intention behind it.

“It’s a good thing for a student to communicate to you and say ‘There’s something going on with me.’”

Piercings

Ms Horgan said if a student walked in with a number of piercings, she is “not really that interested” in it.

“It’s about how they behave and how they are,” she said.

“If I have a young person who is being lovely, respectful and interested in learning - then happy days.”

The teacher said there is no basis for some of the worries out there in schools.

“There is an underlying fear that if we let young people do what they want then there will just be complete anarchy and you’ll have no control,” said Ms Horgan.

“I understand where that fear comes from, they are young people and it’s our job to guide them.

“In my experience, if you create an atmosphere of respect and you give them a little bit of room to breathe – the vast majority of young people will respect the toom.”

Bathroom breaks

Ms Horgan said telling children when they can go to the bathroom is plain wrong.

“Asking 18-year-olds to ask their teacher when they can go to the toilet makes me uncomfortable,” she said.

“At that age, give me a nod to let me know you’re going to the toilet but please don’t ask.

“Any sense that a child shouldn’t be allowed go to the toilet at any age is ridiculous.”

Ms Horgan added there is a cut-off point where students can overstep the mark with dress codes and bathroom breaks but generally, it’s best to leave them be.

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Main image: A student raises his hand in a classroom. Image: Wavebreak Media ltd / Alamy Stock Photo