son told to "get a haircut"?!?

[carang]

ok, my son goes to a local kindergarten that we are VERY happy with. he went for 1/2 day last year and is now going for a full day.

today, he came home and told me that the teacher didn't like his haircut and that "that kind" is not allowed at their school.

i cut my son's hair myself and have done since he was born. for the past 1.5 yrs, he has on occasion asked for and received a "mohawk"... it is in quotation marks because it is not a real mohawk. rather, i use clippers to cut his hair slightly shorter on the sides than down a strip in the middle. we're talking a few mm's here guys, not cm's. for the clippers, i set the sides to "3" and the top strip to "12"...it is done neatly and the longest part is less than 1cm in length. if it was spiky and messy, i'd understand.

as i said, he's had this haircut on and off (mostly on) for at least a year and a half. this is the first we've heard that "they don't allow this haircut."

my gut reaction is, "come on! you've got to be kidding me! he's in KINDERGARTEN! it's not like he's going to be selling drugs on the street corner!"

what do you guys think? is the school out of line? or am i taking it too personally? i knew that local schools are not big into individualism, but i thought this was a little young....

 

[fingerscrossed]

That's hilarious! Kindergartens clamping down on haircuts now, huh? Your very graphical description of the cut seems very 'harmless' so I wouldn't bother about it until the teacher writes it in his 'handbook' or rings you about it. Sometimes I wonder why some of these local schools get so particular about the most trivial of matters.

 

[carang]

here are a couple of photos for you to see for yourself (in case my description isn't clear)

 

[thanka2]

I think his hair is cute and in my primary school in the States there were much more horrible haircuts (for example, the dreadful mullet or the tail thing with short hair for boys! Yuck! Sometimes I see it around HK and cringe too!) But, knowing how local schools are, I can see how they might see this as a haircut for an older boy--it does have that mohawk look to it. I think their reasoning is dumb but I can see how they could see it as inappropriate. What I would do? Ignore it. Sometimes you've gotta go against the trend. If it's really an issue they'll make it an issue with you. In this case, I would go to bat for my son and stand up for his right to be a bit different.

 

[snagito]

i don't think there's anything inappropriate about that hair cut. i don't understand why they think it's ok to say that they don't like it to the CHILD concerned - poor little boy what's he supposed to think? they should have written to you about it.

how does your son feel about his hair, does he want to change the look? if he does, then make the hair even all over, but if he doesn't want to change it, then i would tell the kindergarten that's just how it grows and leave it at that..

 

[aussiegal]

Ha that's funny. I think it totally inappropriate that they talk to your son about the haircut and not you. If they have a problem with it you're the only one going to fix it.

Nothing wrong with the haircut either. Maybe there is some other issue you aren't aware of and they're using the haircut as the excuse to have a go at your son?

 

[carang]

to be fair, they approached my helper, who was with my son... but he heard it all...

 

[LeahH]

unbelievable, the mohawk cut is so cute the way you've done it - the teacher objecting to it is totally ridiculous and inappropriate to say anything in front of your son. it's not as if it has a huge bright pink spiky fin! I LOVE seeing it on little boys (and big ones too!).

 

[solidstars]

maybe local kinders don't want other children copying it?

this reminds me of my brother, when he was in grade 1 or 2 the teacher called my mom and asked her to take him for a haircut to cut off his 'tail' (it was a natural one he's had for AGES, back of his head, if you know what i mean). She refused as it was natural and it wasn't even that long.

The next day the teacher took upon herself to cut it off with a pair of scissors. My mom threw a fuss, i still remember it, she went to school and pretty much yelled at everyone and in the end they had to apologise (but then, the hair is gone...)

 

[Shenzhennifer]

I would counter complain. But do it to her co-worker in front of her.
There are so many amsuing ways to handle this, I`m just giggling in my head thinking of them all.
I would want to know, however, if such a school policy might exist. You never know - HK is not the most laid back place in the world. they might actually have a haircut policy. In some other countries they do, though I think that might start from primary school.
Otherwise, I would either counter complain in a comedic snarky way as I suggested, or if you`re really peeved, then to the principal in a serious way. It was pretty senseless to talk that way in front of your son, who is adorable by the way, and whose haircut doesn`t look left of centre at all. He`s what, FOUR?