PRESSED FREEDOM

JUST as the students freely express themselves on the school premises, the word freedom never showed up once in the school’s student handbook.

The student handbook established in 2019 included minor, major, serious, and very serious offenses that came with their corresponding sanctions or consequences. It also included the school’s standards for students in how they must represent themselves and how they must act. This includes not allowing the students to wear earrings, chokers, caps, and other inappropriate accessories. Students are also not allowed to wear makeup and dye their hair.

Many of the rules and offenses mentioned in the handbook, students do not abide by. At the same time, many of the regulations and standards imposed by the school, students force themselves not to abide–for the sake of keeping something that makes them feel more confident in their skin.

The pandemic started on March 11, 2020. The school administrators have not revised this handbook, which was released a year before the outbreak.

We believe there should be a new student handbook where students who conduct offenses will be held accountable, and those who wish to represent themselves can appropriately express themselves without punishment.

Multiple times, students have abused the school’s rules beyond grooming and physical representation– yet they were not punished. These range from disrespectful behavior (such as howling, booing, and the like) to teachers threatening their students to students slandering the school’s, their classmates’, and teachers’ names online.

These students have walked their way through the past year, while those who have not once committed an offense have gotten tagged for wearing a pair of earrings, or for the natural brown shade of their hair, or for wearing sandals during days where no classes and voluntary attendance were imposed.

Alongside this, is the lack of awareness of the students regarding the student handbook. In some sections, the copy was distributed through the students’ emails only without formal announcement– and even those who had been aware have not read the 75-page booklet.

How can the students restrict themselves from committing offenses or freely represent themselves if they have not been briefed? Many students do not reach out to the appropriate authorities due to the same reason. They, too, normalize the wrongdoings of others just because they didn’t know. They, too, come to hopelessly tolerate their peers just because no rightful action or punishment would stop them. Again, they get to walk away.

From another perspective, why must the stu- dents follow a handbook that was established four years ago– three of which were timed with the pandemic and transition to online classes?

Many things have changed since then.

Restrictions on air conditioning, not wearing face masks, and some new facilities and rules had not been made included in the student handbook. This leaves room for parents and students to question the school. In multiple instances, the students’ parents or guardians have complained.

Outdated regulations and abused offenses together, lead us to ask the question: What is the purpose of the student handbook– when it mainly focuses on the grooming habits of the students and how they must present themselves?

The institution argues that they are requiring the students to groom based on the school’s standards above all else to encourage professionalism and to prepare the students in their future careers. However, accessories, hair dyes, and strict haircuts only prepare certain students for the corporate world.

We believe that these representation restrictions only cater to certain students. Not all students plan on developing careers in the formal and corporate world. Many of them plan on being graphic designers, architects, thespians, and artists– all of which require vast creativity and a strong foundation in freedom to express oneself.

Teachers freely dye their hair and wear casual clothes on the school premises sometimes. This should be proof that in no way can freely expressing oneself affect careers and how one grows as an individual in the future.

Many private school institutions promote freedom of expression and allow their students to represent themselves the way they want. While some may argue that it is because the school is known as religious–in no way do expressions and representation affect one’s faith and beliefs.

When will the students be put first before the school’s image?

This applies to those who abuse offenses. How will those students know their wrongs if they are always tolerated? How will the students feel that they can trust the school if those teachers who mistreat them walk away with no consequences? How will the students find their identity and what makes them unique within themselves, when the school does not allow it?

But alas, the list of questions can go on.

After all, a boy wearing a simple pair of earrings requires more attention than another who has committed a serious offense—

This has been deemed undebatable and often left not talked about. Perhaps that is why the word freedom never showed up once in the student handbook.

As she grew older, there had been a lot of pressure on her to consistently perform well. Nearly everyone around her had high expectations. It was always depleting and exhausting— it was never simple. She gave up sleep, time, and events to reach where she is now.

Building herself to excel as a student required anxiety, stress, cries, and hard effort in exchange. Perhaps, everyone believes it to be foolishness, but for her, it is significant.

Being a capable student is one of the things she wants to be as an only child, to fulfill and repay her parents for all that they have sacrificed for her. Receiving all of the honors and recognitions proved that all her effort had been worthwhile.

Here, as Dian watched her classmates and teachers come and go, she developed her skills and interests. She liked reading books in the library, learning documents on computers, conducting experiments in the old scientific lab, and hanging out with her closest friends.

After spending over 12 years in this type of setting, she feels as though there is nothing to look forward to aside from the new acquaintances and lessons that await her each upcoming academic year. Dian remembers when she was in preschool, the open grounds in the high school area used to be a garden full of greenery, and it was quite difficult to get about when there was an event back then.

Thinking about how the school used to look makes her feel nostalgic. She’s eager to see and await greater facilities at the school because of the recent improvements. She anticipates the school’s improved amenities and services not only for the students but for the community as a whole.

As she grew to be bigger, learned to be brighter, and changed to be better, so did her second home.

Everything Grows

During the pandemic, the school had improvements from newly painted buildings to fixed or new lights to lighten the surroundings for a brighter environment for the students, teachers, and school staff.

After many years of planning, the school recently acquired a lot where a future school building will be built. The expansion was sought to accommodate not only newer amenities but also the growing number of Graceans.

The school also had new science and computer laboratories constructed. The school aims to grow bigger to be able to assist Graceans as they also grow.

First of three parts