Varee hair police 2

[mascarakatze]

You have to wonder if the teacher would feel the same if she had her hair cut in the same way. No harm done.

yes we all wonder that as well whinnie well worded and a perfect cohesive articulate contribution

[Baerboxer]

This is Thailand, get used to it. Teachers are god!!! Seen it done quite a few times. Whether you agree or not with it, sorry.

Varee, private school , change school but probably wouldn't make any difference.

Nonsense. Not all Thai schools are like this.

My daughters school has a know touch policy. Teachers that don't follow that are at risk if a parent complains. One female teacher pinched my daughter's ear a couple of years ago, causing a small blood blister. Investigation proved other teachers, including her non-Thai co-teacher didn't like her attitude to the children. We complained and met with the head of department and one of the owning family who also acts as COO. The Thai COO was like me in favour of dismissal. My wife, an experienced qualified teacher, and the head of department favoured disciplinary action but not dismissal. After some deliberation the offending teacher was removed from the lucrative and top grade English progam and reduced to looking atfer a sort of play area.

Things are different in Thailand, as they are in other countries. But that does not mean you cannot complain. Just complain in the correct manner.

[alfieconn]

Any sort of physical remedy taken by a teacher is, IMHO, out of bounds. An appropriate sanction might have been some classroom task or special assignment, but never shearing the child. Further non-compliance would rate being sent up to the school disciplinary officer and/or a letter home.

Haircut rules and uniform regulations really bug students. Such limits to self-expression, you know! Short of head lice, I'd say hair styles are essentially a private matter. I do believe that uniforms do serve a positive purpose. Although a uniform may be an extra expense (Some schools provide them.), it helps level the social playing field. Some children from poorer families might not be able to keep up with fashions worn by more fortunate peers, so uniforms lessen the potential embarrassment of the poorer children. Also, I have found that this simplifies the daily task of getting ready for school. Otherwise, rules based on good judgment about being neat, clean and modest are reasonable.

Both hassling and enforcing school dress codes and haircut rules is a waste of time.

Hassling whats the point in having dress codes and haircut rules if they are not enforced ?

If you ask me, then i think the rules and regulations are a good thing and ensures some discipline.

Footnote : What happened to the OP's son is not a one off, on the first of every month there is a check of all pupils for haircuts, correct uniform, girls wearing nail varnish, etc and apparently boys regualry have their hair cut by teachers, obviously some parents are all for teachers having some control and don't make a big thing of it

I'm actually pleasantly surprised by all of this as i always thought Varee was a bit soft on their pupils.

[jaideeguy]

Happens to my boy often [both in private school and more so in public school] it used to upset me, but the wife calmed me down and said that if I protested that it would only make it harder on the boy. Now, I accept it as the norm ..............appearance is more important than education here in the LOS!! They just want to produce obedient worker robots. We give him real life education at home and just play the game for school.

[DaamNaam]

This is Thailand, get used to it. Teachers are god!!! Seen it done quite a few times. Whether you agree or not with it, sorry.

Varee, private school , change school but probably wouldn't make any difference.

Disagree. Not all Thai schools, not at all.

Any school that advertises their pride in having Taksin be from Chiang Mai shows their dictatorship minds.

It's in their brochure.

All show no go this school, if you could call it that.

I think you may be mistaking Varee School for Montford School

I've never seen any reference to Taksin at Varee School but I used to see him regularly mentioned in promotional materials at Montford

But these days even Montford seem to be distancing themselves from this international fugitive ...... for the time being at least...

No mistake at all. In Varees glossy brochure it mentions him in the opening / welcome speech.

Edited July 3, 2013 by DaamNaam

[Mapguy]

Thaksin had some of his latter schooling at Montfort. His younger sister, the youngest child in the family, I believe, had a better education in Chiang Mai.

[Mapguy]

Any sort of physical remedy taken by a teacher is, IMHO, out of bounds. An appropriate sanction might have been some classroom task or special assignment, but never shearing the child. Further non-compliance would rate being sent up to the school disciplinary officer and/or a letter home.

Haircut rules and uniform regulations really bug students. Such limits to self-expression, you know! Short of head lice, I'd say hair styles are essentially a private matter. I do believe that uniforms do serve a positive purpose. Although a uniform may be an extra expense (Some schools provide them.), it helps level the social playing field. Some children from poorer families might not be able to keep up with fashions worn by more fortunate peers, so uniforms lessen the potential embarrassment of the poorer children. Also, I have found that this simplifies the daily task of getting ready for school. Otherwise, rules based on good judgment about being neat, clean and modest are reasonable.

Both hassling and enforcing school dress codes and haircut rules is a waste of time.

Hassling whats the point in having dress codes and haircut rules if they are not enforced ?

If you ask me, then i think the rules and regulations are a good thing and ensures some discipline.

Footnote : What happened to the OP's son is not a one off, on the first of every month there is a check of all pupils for haircuts, correct uniform, girls wearing nail varnish, etc and apparently boys regualry have their hair cut by teachers, obviously some parents are all for teachers having some control and don't make a big thing of it

I'm actually pleasantly surprised by all of this as i always thought Varee was a bit soft on their pupils.

I want to apologize to you. I was in the middle of an elaborate essay as to why the business of understanding rules--- their effective creation and enforcement --- to help children grow up to be responsive and responsible adults is different than you might think. But, then, stupidly, I managed to erase that draft. Happens this late at night! Well, at least it saved everyone from reading one of my extended quasi-essay posts!

Just let me say that there is much more to it all than just blind obedience if you want to help children become socially responsive and responsible adults. I believe that that is important at home as well as at school. While considering the past, you have to consider the present as well, and more importantly, the future. Teaching effectively is hard for teachers as well as for parents.

[wolf5370]

Any sort of physical remedy taken by a teacher is, IMHO, out of bounds. An appropriate sanction might have been some classroom task or special assignment, but never shearing the child. Further non-compliance would rate being sent up to the school disciplinary officer and/or a letter home.

Haircut rules and uniform regulations really bug students. Such limits to self-expression, you know! Short of head lice, I'd say hair styles are essentially a private matter. I do believe that uniforms do serve a positive purpose. Although a uniform may be an extra expense (Some schools provide them.), it helps level the social playing field. Some children from poorer families might not be able to keep up with fashions worn by more fortunate peers, so uniforms lessen the potential embarrassment of the poorer children. Also, I have found that this simplifies the daily task of getting ready for school. Otherwise, rules based on good judgment about being neat, clean and modest are reasonable.

Both hassling and enforcing school dress codes and haircut rules is a waste of time.

Agreed - and most school have second hand uniform sales too.

[PoodMaiDai]

I agree TIT, and by and large you have to follow their ways.

"Their ways" are disasters when it comes to eduction. Their schools (and English skills) are documented as being among the worst in Asia. If you follow their ways and throw up your hands and say TIT, then you have no one to blame but yourself when your child gets a horrible education.

You have to push harder and strive better than "TIT" or your child will pay for it dearly.

[CMKiwi]

I agree TIT, and by and large you have to follow their ways.

"Their ways" are disasters when it comes to eduction. Their schools (and English skills) are documented as being among the worst in Asia. If you follow their ways and throw up your hands and say TIT, then you have no one to blame but yourself when your child gets a horrible education.

You have to push harder and strive better than "TIT" or your child will pay for it dearly.

Luckily (or not?) I do not have any children here in Thailand....otherwise I would have seriously shopped around to find the best education available for them. Hair cutting would not be part of the sylabus!

[CMKiwi]

Hell I thought this was about someones kid that got their hair cut by some over zealous teacher..... or am I missing something here???

[metisdead]

An off topic obfuscation post has been removed as well as the replies. Another post proposing retribution of an obscene nature has been removed as well as the replies.

[NotEinstein]

I told my daughter, who attends Varee (M2), about this thread this morning.

She laughed and said it happens to many boys. They know the rules, its up to them.

Attending school, just like life in general, is about learning the rules in order to play the game and get by.

How about if you had acknowledged your/your sons slip and sent a note to the teacher apologising........

[Thailand]

physically degraded him/ abused/whatever

He wasn't physically degraded or abused. His hair was cut. He may have had his feelings hurt a bit, but that balances out his disregard for the rules. No harm done.

Seems more like assault to me?

[taotoo]

physically degraded him/ abused/whatever

He wasn't physically degraded or abused. His hair was cut. He may have had his feelings hurt a bit, but that balances out his disregard for the rules. No harm done.

Seems more like assault to me?

Maybe you're right, in which case the OP will presumably have withdrawn his son from school out of fear for his safety, be commencing legal action, and the teacher will have been suspended. Or perhaps the kid just got a haircut he didn't like.

[mattincm]

Sorry, OP, but you knew you (and your son) were taking a risk in "not having time" to get a haircut after such a clear "warning".

I agree that a warning to the parents, in writing, would have been nice, but I suspect you've already been given a written statement of school policy.

It's your money, and you're free to move your son to another school. It's good to give the reader of Thai Visa a "heads up" about their hair policy, but this is what you signed up for when you agreed to send your son to that school.

Seriously? You think it's ok for a child to be dealt with in what would be deemed assault in many parts of the world. I'm quite confident that it is not written in any school policy document that teachers have free license to cut a child's hair as they see fit and as such I fail to see how any parent / student has "signed up" for this.

[Benjie]

Sorry, OP, but you knew you (and your son) were taking a risk in "not having time" to get a haircut after such a clear "warning".

I agree that a warning to the parents, in writing, would have been nice, but I suspect you've already been given a written statement of school policy.

It's your money, and you're free to move your son to another school. It's good to give the reader of Thai Visa a "heads up" about their hair policy, but this is what you signed up for when you agreed to send your son to that school.

Seriously? You think it's ok for a child to be dealt with in what would be deemed assault in many parts of the world. I'm quite confident that it is not written in any school policy document that teachers have free license to cut a child's hair as they see fit and as such I fail to see how any parent / student has "signed up" for this.

Assault? ridiculous.

OP should take his child out of the school into a school with a more relaxed attitude, else follow the dress code

[bigbamboo]

There used to be a 'Hair Nazi' at another Chiang Mai school I won't mention who used to stand inside the gates and put the fear of Buddha into the kids as he but especially the girls. If their fringe was over their eyes he would take the scissors and chop it.

I told my niece if he tried that with her to tell him we'd be round the next day to give him a number one cut!

[Benjie]

There used to be a 'Hair Nazi' at another Chiang Mai school I won't mention who used to stand inside the gates and put the fear of Buddha into the kids as he but especially the girls. If their fringe was over their eyes he would take the scissors and chop it.

I told my niece if he tried that with her to tell him we'd be round the next day to give him a number one cut!

If they did this at the entrance gate I'd be more worried about what they are teaching inside than making a big fuss about saving a fringe.

[Dante99]

Any sort of physical remedy taken by a teacher is, IMHO, out of bounds. An appropriate sanction might have been some classroom task or special assignment, but never shearing the child. Further non-compliance would rate being sent up to the school disciplinary officer and/or a letter home.

Haircut rules and uniform regulations really bug students. Such limits to self-expression, you know! Short of head lice, I'd say hair styles are essentially a private matter. I do believe that uniforms do serve a positive purpose. Although a uniform may be an extra expense (Some schools provide them.), it helps level the social playing field. Some children from poorer families might not be able to keep up with fashions worn by more fortunate peers, so uniforms lessen the potential embarrassment of the poorer children. Also, I have found that this simplifies the daily task of getting ready for school. Otherwise, rules based on good judgment about being neat, clean and modest are reasonable.

Both hassling and enforcing school dress codes and haircut rules is a waste of time.

Physical remedies have been used by a farang teacher at one of the well known CM international schools and they also have repeatedly hassled students about minor uniform infractions, both for years. Interestingly the physical remedies were imposed only on the boys so it was also a case of sexual discrimination. Years later that teacher is still one of the valued staff of the school. Be careful, it is possibly more widespread than you might expect.