Have Schools Become Too Lenient? - Unit 5

B2 First · Multiple Matching · Ready for B2 First 4th Edition, Macmillan Education Limited

You are going to read an article in which four people talk about school rules. For questions 1–10, choose from the people (A-D). The people may be chosen more than once.

Simon

When I was at school – more years ago than I care to remember – far too much emphasis was placed on what we could and couldn't do, and sometimes this got in the way of learning. We had to wear our jacket and tie at all times, no matter what the temperature, and I remember sitting there in the height of summer, sweating profusely as I battled with algebra or struggled with French verb forms. They didn't let us drink water in the classroom either. That would cause an outrage now. My daughter goes to the same school as I did, and we're asked to provide her with a refillable bottle, which she can take into class with her. They've realised that water improves concentration, so pupils almost have to drink it now.

Jenny

At my son David's school, rule number one of their two-page Mobile Phone Policy states that 'pupils are strongly advised not to bring mobile phones to school'; then there are sixteen more rules describing situations in which they can and cannot be used. It's very confusing – it would be much simpler just to ban them altogether. That's what my old school would have done if mobile phones had been around then. Everything was black and white in those days, just like our school tie. And that's another thing – David doesn't have to wear a tie if he doesn't want to, even though it's part of the uniform. That's just silly. I almost wrote to the school about it, but my son advised me against it. It seems that school rules are decided on jointly by students and teachers, and as a parent, I don't have any say in the matter.

Lucy

My sixteen-year-old daughter isn't allowed to wear a nose stud to school on health and safety grounds. Can you believe it? According to the headteacher, in a busy school piercings present 'a very real risk of accidents'. I can't see why – they're no more dangerous than carrying a sharpened pencil in your pocket, and there's no rule against that, as far as I know. I used to wear earrings to school and never had any problems. It seems I agreed to all this when I signed the school rules document at the beginning of last term, but I honestly wasn't aware of any ban on tiny metal objects in the nose. We were given a couple of warnings, but I was still furious when they made her take the stud out and sent her home for the day; they humiliated her in front of her classmates and there's no excuse for that.

Andrew

It's gone from one extreme to the other. When I was a lad, we weren't allowed to have shoulder-length hair at school. The headteacher cut it off in his office if we did, without so much as a phone call home. Now my boy Mastin I have his hair cut too short, otherwise he'll be suspended until it grows back to 'a suitable length'. He thinks it's unfair, but ultimately all rules, whatever they are, help to maintain order and get children ready for the real world. As a lawyer, I don't need to be convinced of their importance – they're part of my daily life. If anything, they should tighten the rules up a bit more at my son's place. Discipline has gone downhill in the last few years and the kids seem to do what they want.

Have Schools Become Too Lenient?

We asked parents to compare their school rules with those of their children.

I fail to understand the reason for a rule at my child's school.

Something which was forbidden at the school before is actively encouraged now.

School rules serve to prepare young people for the future.

I disagree with the element of choice offered to my child.

I did not realise that I had accepted a rule at my child's school.

School rules were clearer and easier to understand when I was at school.

Some school rules affected my ability to study.

I was angry at the way my child was made to feel.

There has been a decline in standards of behaviour at my child's school.

I was discouraged from voicing my opinion on a rule at my child's school.

Which person states the following?

Available as a free printable PDF worksheet with an optional answer key.

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