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Diamond_Dog

(37,265 posts)

40. I remember on special occasions

Mon May 5, 2025, 09:16 AM

May 5

In elementary school, we would gather round the flagpole out in front of the school and actually raise the flag before stating the pledge. A student was always chosen to do the raising - I don’t know if it was a rule,but the student chosen was always a boy, even when everyone raised their hands to volunteer. I still remember it struck me that it seemed that the school was telling us that girls were not deemed worthy of such important official duties such as flag raising. I always wanted to be a crossing guard too but only boys were crossing guards. You got to wear a cool belt with a badge on it if you were a crossing guard. I guess girls were deemed incapable of crossing younger students across the street. Another sexist attitude.
I know these are small things but I still remember them, being made to feel inferior to boys.

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Can you remember a rule from grade school/High School that made no sense to you now? Mine--girls were forbidden to wear [View all] debm55 May 4 OP

Yeah, same here- no pants allowed biophile May 4 #1

thank you biophile. I hated walking to school in the winter without slacks and sitting on the bus in mini skirts. debm55 May 4 #14

Same here. My sister was 5 years behind me in school and was able to wear pants yellowdogintexas May 4 #34

I graduated in 1965..never allowed to wear blue jeans, slacks or whatever we called them back then. Deuxcents May 4 #2

Same here. My last year of High school, we were allowed to wear jeans. debm55 May 4 #15

It was the same when I went to school, deb. Diamond_Dog May 4 #3

Gee, that is very strange. Thank you Diamond_Dog.. debm55 May 4 #17

I remember in the mid 60s... buzzycrumbhunger May 4 #4

I was just going to put the length of boys hair. and skirts being measured above the girls knee. Thank you debm55 May 4 #18

Jr high, girls couldn't wear miniskirts, so three girls wore long granny skirts in protest and were expelled. dem4decades May 4 #5

Makes no sense. I would were granny skirts in the winter. But we were never expelled for it. debm55 May 4 #19

Maybe on Topic BOSSHOG May 4 #6

BOSSHOG, I went to Catholic school too ---grades 1-8, I remember the altar boys and the choir. My biggest problem was debm55 May 4 #20

And ya couldn't chew gum at recess BOSSHOG May 4 #22

No candy either. At 12 the noon bells rang and we all had to stop and with folded hands face the Church and pray the debm55 May 4 #24

I Was An Altar Boy, Too ProfessorGAC May 5 #62

Decades ago BOSSHOG May 5 #65

Yes.. Unbelievably even in winter snowstorms... hlthe2b May 4 #7

HAHAHAHAHAHAh. Yes, the measuring of the skirts. And the pants under the dress or skirt. debm55 May 4 #25

In my school, between skirts only time and pants okay time ms liberty May 4 #8

Yes. Pants under a skirt. Thank you very much ms. liberty. I do remember. debm55 May 4 #26

shirts tucked in, measuring hemlines, no sandals stopdiggin May 4 #9

1993 - I took a job at a big IT firm in Texas Skittles May 4 #10

I agree with you Skittles. I was a slacks person. If you wore a dress or skirt, a slip was required and panty hose. debm55 May 4 #30

I worked in a room that looked like NASA with an observation deck Skittles May 4 #35

Were you at TI in Richardson? efhmc May 5 #43

I started with a private firm in 2003 that would not allow women wearing bare legs or open toed shoes. Nanuke May 4 #11

A school I taught in had the rule of no bare legs, no sandals for the students and teachers. debm55 May 4 #27

I'm trying to think of one that did make sense to me. chowmama May 4 #12

Thank you very much chowmama. I loved the part of your post about the books. debm55 May 4 #31

Somebody had donated a set of old Grimms' type stories chowmama May 5 #68

Skirts couldn't be shorter than two inches above the knee. Squaredeal May 4 #13

HAHAHAHHAHHAH That is so funny. Thank you Squaredeal debm55 May 4 #33

I remember a really creepy teacher who would sit on her desk and cross her legs so she could be ogled at by the boys. efhmc May 5 #44

That is gross. debm55 May 5 #46

My sister, an honor student, was sent home from school for wearing colottes in the mid sixties. mobeau69 May 4 #16

I remember those,,,, KarenS May 4 #29

My sister got sent home for wearing culottes in Jr. high Diamond_Dog May 5 #39

That whole morning routine of facing the flag ... surrealAmerican May 4 #21

Wow you are so right surrealAmerican. Day after Day we made the pledge. As a student in a Catholic Grade School. We made debm55 May 4 #23

I remember on special occasions Diamond_Dog May 5 #40

I never said the pledge. As a Jehovah's Witness I ignored it. hunter May 5 #42

Pledge and anthem chowmama May 5 #67

Graduated in '65. The flat top was in fashion.The biggest scandal was the majorettes/twirlers came up with new outfits. surfered May 4 #28

The length of boy's hair LogDog75 May 4 #32

I went to high school in Nashville in the early 70s. MIButterfly May 4 #36

Headbands? Made you a non conformist and went on your "permanent record"? Diamond_Dog May 5 #41

We had moved from a suburb of Detroit to Nashville in my junior year of high school MIButterfly May 5 #45

Thank you for sharing MIButterfly. That was an awful thing for them to do. debm55 May 5 #48

Actually, they kind of did have a point. It was a T-shirt, after all! MIButterfly May 5 #52

I agree. Thank you very much Diamond_Dog for sharing. debm55 May 5 #50

We had to do swim class naked CanonRay May 5 #37

Thank you CanonRay. that is in such poor taste. debm55 May 5 #49

Didn't all us old people have the same rule? JMCKUSICK May 5 #38

HAHAHAHAH. so true. Thank you John. debm55 May 5 #47

I hated the no slacks rule. Ritabert May 5 #51

Leggings! I think they matched the coat and yorkster May 5 #55

Exactly! Ritabert May 5 #60

Be home before dark. no_hypocrisy May 5 #53

In the 1960s, at Ole Miss, AnnaLee May 5 #54

Thank you very much AnnaLee for sharing your post with us. debm55 May 5 #56

We couldn't wear shorts. Emile May 5 #57

My senior year of high school I cut many if not most of my classes. thucythucy May 5 #58

Shorts had to be no more than 6" above the knee dlilafae May 5 #59

Girls could not wear anything other than dresses or skirts, at least long enough to touch floor when kneeling zeusdogmom May 5 #61

First I want to say that I'm forever grateful that I grew up in a time Niagara May 5 #63

Miss Scott... LuckyCharms May 7 #70

Catholic school, taught by nuns some_of_us_are_sane May 5 #64

Girls were finally allowed to wear pants in 5th grade. I hated wearing dresses. Clouds Passing May 5 #66

In case The Bomb went off... Mad_Dem_X May 6 #69