Sir, – Further to “Uniforms, piercings, haircuts . . . what school rules still make sense?” (Jen Hogan, Health + Family, January 4th), after 30 years as a secondary school teacher, I would argue that students are actually becoming more intolerant of arbitrary rules. And understandably so.
The introduction of transition year means that almost all students are 18 when they do their Leaving Certificate and indeed some are 19.
And as adults they rightly question why other adults, who are notably not their parents, are making rules for how they should look and what they should wear.
To me, at this stage, it’s simply ludicrous and does nothing but cause unwarranted fuss and frustration.
As a teacher, all I need in my classroom is quiet. Beyond that, nothing else is necessary from the students for me to do my job. – Yours, etc,
ALAN O’CONNOR,
Donnycarney,
Dublin 9.