Regarding the events of April 18, 2008

Yesterday, as most of you probably know, Michael White decided to crack down. He decided that enough was enough, and that the dress code had to be enforced.

I was sitting in first hour when he made the announcement. He said that people would be sent home for wearing shorts that were too short, etc. He told us right then and there that he'd be making the same announcement second hour. This makes very little sense; while there are people who start their day second hour, in my four years at Pioneer, I have heard of one person having a first hour, but no second hour. It simply doesn't happen. Why, then, make an announcement to both hours? Could it be that he was just so excited that he couldn't wait?

White has been mostly laying low since the camera issue exposed, over a period of a couple months, the fact that he had been spiraling downwards, most likely towards the realization that he is simply not fit to lead a school this size. This was one of the first times (besides shouting over musicians at assemblies) that he had put himself out there, shown how ridiculous he's come. It really wasn't reassuring.

It's not that I have a problem with all rules. Obviously, for a principal to be necessary, we need to have rules; it also comes close to preventing chaos. What I have a problem with is these specific rules, and the way they are being enforced.

I disagree with these rules not because I disagree with dress codes in general. I think certain things shouldn't be allowed. But I think this dress code takes things too far. For instance, I don't wear hats particularly often; still, I cannot understand the hatred White seems to reserve for headgear. I don't understand why the rules are ambiguous, based on your body type (think that's not discriminatory? Obviously, you don't have long arms and a small torso). Men are not held to the same standards as women. He claims that a school should be a semi-business-like environment. I understand that there are different standards in the Marines. But if I ever work in an environment where my boss refuses to respect me, no matter how hard I try, then consistently patronizes me in front of his superiors and peers in order to save face, I will quit. And that may be an idealistic viewpoint for me to have, but isn't that what White is doing, too?

The other aspect of yesterday that angered me was the way the rules were enforced. White had a hall monitor stand at the doors and watch for kids who might be wearing clothes that violated the dress code, and sent them to the office. Once there, it would be determined if they were to be sent home. They'd have to let their arms hang at their sides to determine if their shorts were long enough. Staff members would determine if the shorts were long enough (what a wonderfully efficient and ambiguous system!). My friend's sister was sent home, along with several of her friends.

White seems to think that we need a military state at this school. He's wrong. He can take that back to Livonia, where everyone will give in to whatever an authority figure says. I've said it before. I'll shout it until May 23rd. I'll help out efforts of the next classes at this school to promote it. Michael White will never succeed at Pioneer with that kind of mentality, and he will never succeed at this school without respecting students.