My kids tend to fill me in on the topics that outrage them at school each day. It is usually about how a teacher handled a situation or a kid who was irate in class. Yesterday’s news was that a teacher told a kid (these are 8th graders) to leave her classroom and not come back until he changed his shirt. He was wearing a Hooters shirt. My first gut reaction was there are kids going to school with much more inappropriate clothing and what happens…nothing. Sure there are rules in place about how long the shorts need to be and how high the shirts need to be but are they enforced? Hardly. However, a t-shirt with the word Hooters written on it got this boy kicked out of class.
This brings me to the 8th grade class who recently took a field trip to Baltimore and had lunch at the local Hooters restaurant. Apparently the group had to split up and a group of 15-20 students and their chaperones ended up having lunch at Hooters.
Would you as a parent have a problem with this?
I admit, my kids have been to Hooters. Yes it is a restaurant where the focus is basically on the waitresses more than the food (however the wings are actually really good), but my thought is this is not something they don’t see everywhere. Seriously, you see more in the mall than at a Hooters restaurant. That being said, I am not sure as a chaperone I would bring the group there.
As far as the shirt, um…well my son has one, however he is not allowed to wear it to school.
So, what are your thoughts?
{ 19 comments }
There are much, much “worse” t-shirts out there! How about the ones with the miniscule animals with goofy grins copulating in various positons? The shirt looks cute until you get up close and realize what they’re doing! Not appropriate for school wear.
How about shirts that say, “Joe’s Crab Shack: BITE ME” on them?
If families choose to take their kids to Hooters to eat, then fine. But I think it shouldn’t be the first choice for a school trip. If there was a Hooters available, I’m sure there were other places to eat that would have sufficed. I don’t think anybody’s getting a lap dance at Hooters or anything, but it’s obvious “it’s all about the waitress.” If the Hooter girls dressed like Playboy bunnies, would it still be ok to take the kids there on a class trip?
When anyone in my class (in the dark ages of the 1980s) wore an “inappropriate” tshirt, they were asked to turn it inside out. Sometimes, a teacher had a drawer full of odds and ends of shirts and would say “go put this on” or have the kid put it on over the offending garment. And THAT was when you could wear beer/cigarette/liquor slogans/logos on your shirts.
Kathy´s last [type] ..Cell Phone Harmony- A-one A-two A-three
What parents decide to do with their children on their own time is their business.
In school, there should be a dress code that is enforceable. I do not think Hooters is an appropriate shirt for school, nor do I think it is a place to take children to eat on a field trip.
I know of children who had parents called for wearing ill fitting clothing or inappropriate clothing. Make your own rules at home, but you must listen to the ones at school. It is a life lesson for the day you work for somene else.
mommymommymommy´s last [type] ..Amusement Park and Water Park Discounts Do Exist!
I haven’t taken my boys there yet- actually have never eaten in one. We have had their food b/c we’ve gotten it take out.
There is no way I would take a group of 8th graders to eat there. Not unless I had express written consent from their parents. Even then… well, I wouldn’t have suggested that place in the first place!
Shell´s last [type] ..Blog Friend Feature- Mom Tried It
I don’t think kids should be taken to Hooters on a field trip for a meal. But I don’t see what’s so bad about the shirt. There’s a place we go in Florida that has a shirt you can buy that says, “I got the crabs at Cap’n Curts.” That’s pretty offensive, I think. But I went to the Hooter’s website and looked at their shirts – I don’t find the shirts that offensive. There are worse things, I believe.
Missy | The Literal Mom´s last [type] ..When the Diem Carpes You
So do our kids go to school together or what? My 7th grader has a lot to say about the crazy things her teachers say and how a kid was irate in class…
As for the Hooters shirt question, I’ve never been to Hooters. Seattle doesn’t have one. I really have no desire to go. I can be a restaurant snob because there is fabulous food here! Dozens of amazing places to eat.
It seems appropriate to ban a Hooters shirt from school (but maybe it could be a “Don’t wear that again” kind of deal instead of a “Leave right now” thing) and to avoid taking school kids to Hooters on a field trip.
I don’t have boys so I know I’m not up on all the offensive shirts out there. And my girls just don’t happen to be into asking to buy super tacky/sexy clothes (lucky me. For now!) So this has been an interesting issue to get a sneak peak at!
I would say going to Hooters on a field trip is a no-go. I don’t think it’s “bad,” but there are thousands of restaurants to choose from that won’t cause a stir. If even one parent might be upset, then the answer is go somewhere else.
Kelly´s last [type] ..Fear Is The Best Medicine
I have to be honest here, and say that I’m not sure how I would feel. It would probably depend on which teacher initiated the outing (if I liked the teacher, I’d be all for it, and if I didn’t like the teacher, well, I’d pretend to be upset.) Boobs are boobs.
On a slightly different yet similar note, my 8th grader said that a girl was told to remove her rubber bracelet that said “I support boobies” which was in support of breast cancer awareness month. The teacher deemed it: inappropriate. Ya. I hate that teacher.
Sandra´s last [type] ..Mess with my kid and I will make you cry!
I think taking kids to Hooters and wearing a Hooters t-shirt is very inappropriate. I would be livid if my kids were taken to such a place. I myself would never set foot in Hooters.
Niki´s last [type] ..Kellys Dentist Appointment
Wow, Hooters on a school trip is a big no no! I hope the chaperones were reprimanded!
xo Susie
Uh…..wow. I’d be a little surprised and disappointed if my 8th grader’s outing included a meal at Hooters! Although, yes, they see more in the mall/on the beach/on TV/etc., it’s still a little on the edge. Should the girls allow “the girls” to hang out because, well, the girls hang out at the beach, and we’ve all seen them there? That’s probably the best analogy I can come up with. Along the same vein, so many of the kids I work with (elementary-aged) have t-shirts that bash education (If homework were as exciting as video games, I’d actually do it; Couldn’t do homework, there were galaxies to conquer)…my son had a few in his earlier days, but I didn’t allow him to wear them to school, either. Same thing, to me – have some respect for those you’re with…”is THAT what you want people to think you’re all about?”
SuzyQ´s last [type] ..What do you call it?
Honestly, if I knew they were going there ahead of time I would not have given my child permission to go on the field trip. And if I found out about it after the fact the Principle and I would be having a very serious conversation.
Look, I live in Los Angeles and we’re a pretty liberal family, but taking kids to Hooters just is not appropriate. What people do on their own time is their thing. But that would not be the “teachable moment” I would want to have to talk to my kids about sexism and misogyny.
As for the shirt I’m with Kathy above, just make them turn it inside out and get on with teaching your class.
J.´s last [type] ..LAX Observation Deck
well i think that this kind of matter should be handled carefully by parents. I think that this is really an interesting post. And i love to know different point of views of people about it. Thank you so much for sharing this post.
sam´s last [type] ..LESBIAN DATING SITES
People; young or old need to express themselves in any way as long as nobody is harmed/being harmed..
julianoswald´s last [type] ..- Local Dating
Great post!Very much true all of us need to express our self in some ways we share our ideas that can help to readers.It’s good to feel that we learn something new from other people.just my opinion.
Allicia´s last [type] ..Teaching Kids About Banking
aww…that’s sad that the kid probably didn’t know it was something bad. He was clueless and the parents? Oh well, I don’t know what to say or how to react to this.=p
alanissacravoldi´s last [type] ..angry birds board game
Poor kid. . .but I really don’t see anything bad with that. It’s just a name. Its not like it has boobs printed on it. It’s a restaurant anyway right? It’s how people react and give malice to it I guess. I don’t know. The kid would probably wonder, my family took me to that restaurant…that means its bad to go there? Well that’s how i see it…
vitatremboli´s last [type] ..- Free Dating Tips
I agree with the comment of Kathy, true about the turning of the shirt inside-out…rather than embarrassing the kid. As long as it doesn’t have inappropriate signs or logos.
samanthaaklovach´s last [type] ..Being a Mother: Is it that Simple?
Shocking to the kids, do you know that it left a mark on their minds? i don’t know what it is, but I’m sure its not good.
zililin´s last [type] ..meet singles
You have an interesting blog..
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