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Principal surprised by reaction to ban on extreme hugging
The middle school principal's directive to students is to quit clasping one another in the hallways, because group hugs are creating logjams that make it difficult to get to class. Over the weekend, she had to issue an emergency parent response to dispel rumors of an outright ban on hugging anywhere in the school. (Chicago Tribune | CBS2Chicago.com)
October 2, 2007 | Permalink
Comments
An academic environment is not the place for all this silly hugging and faddish behavior. Bullying makes more sense in a competetive atmosphere, not to mention contraband changing hands during a group grope. Someone will undoubtably mention the lack of affection in the home, or the improvement compared to bullying. Fact is, everything makes principals nervous, and the kids know that.
Posted by: debilsadvocado | Oct 2, 2007 6:04:06 AM
I don't really have much of an opinion either way on this one, but I do wonder why the kids find it necessary to be hugging. "I haven't seen you since homeroom!"
Posted by: elchampino | Oct 2, 2007 6:22:51 AM
Nobody is going to be old enough to remember "hunkering", are they?.
Technically I'm not either, but I do good deal of reading about fads and crazes. This sounds like more of the same.
The weirdest thing is the pre-emptive announcement that there would not be a ban.
Posted by: NellAgain | Oct 2, 2007 6:30:53 AM
Ms. Sharts? That's too easy.
Posted by: BallstotheWall | Oct 2, 2007 6:31:02 AM
Exactly, el. I have a 13 year old daughter. I picked her up from a play rehearsal. Those kids hugged each other like they were 19th century immigrants leaving for America, never to see their families in the old country again. The next rehearsal was 3 days later. It's ridiculous.
Posted by: cib | Oct 2, 2007 6:33:50 AM
Is 'hunkering' like 'hunker down you hairy dawg'?
Anyway, I think it's funny and if the kids start linking arms when they hug, some interesting news stories might arise. Everyone joins hands and bum rushes the security guards into a haliway or something in response to stupid policy. Or, someone gets trampled and everyone gets to have a pity party.
Tazers won't work ona group like this! Momentum!
Posted by: Sean, Torrington CT | Oct 2, 2007 6:55:59 AM
"Tazers won't work ona group like this!"
I can see it now: DON'T HUG ME BRO!
Posted by: Naga Please! | Oct 2, 2007 7:10:30 AM
Hunker means to squat, with the haunches, knees, and ankles acutely bent, so as to bring the hams near the heels, and throw the whole weight upon the fore part of the feet.
This position is murder on your hips and knees, but it constituted a college fad in the 1950's with guys "hunkered down" squinting into long middle distance. Apparently they thought they were doing something both masculine and metaphysical.
In theory it is a physical position which presents a low target profile and allows you to spring into action (except that you are likely to be too stiff to spring anywhere)
Posted by: NellAgain | Oct 2, 2007 7:11:31 AM
http://news.yahoo.com/s/ap/20071002/ap_on_fe_st/odd_no_hugs
This is the AP article. It's really sad when TRUSTED news sources get it wrong.
Also, 2 quick things!
1) It's a taser, not a tazer.
2) Don't touch me!!!!
Posted by: Random White Guy | Oct 2, 2007 7:25:01 AM
Soo's mom could give modern-day school principals some useful training.
Posted by: Sheila | Oct 2, 2007 7:32:12 AM
They ALWAYS get it wrong. Kids do that. Dont trip over the hugging, trip over the sex. Come on folks. You all did it too.
Posted by: Sami-Sosa | Oct 2, 2007 7:37:34 AM
Group hugging in the halls? That's a fad I've not heard of yet.
I'll take group hugging in schools over rampage shootings any day, though.
Posted by: Swangirl | Oct 2, 2007 7:39:16 AM
Hugging in schools is more annoying that rampage shootings though, come on.
Posted by: a normie | Oct 2, 2007 7:41:59 AM
Nothing wrong with hugs. Hugs are actually good for you. We should all hug more.
Posted by: cherie | Oct 2, 2007 7:48:22 AM
----
Exactly, el. I have a 13 year old daughter. I picked her up from a play rehearsal. Those kids hugged each other like they were 19th century immigrants leaving for America, never to see their families in the old country again. The next rehearsal was 3 days later. It's ridiculous.
----
That's just the theatre. Theatre folks can get that way, especially in HighSchool.
Posted by: stopeatingmysesamecake | Oct 2, 2007 8:31:10 AM
The specific bother here were the formation of hug lines, not just a pair of kids hugging. I've seen this in my teen's high school. If it's long enough to make kids late for class, then it's too long and needs to be stopped.
My mom wouldn't have been very happy if she'd known there was anything even remotely like PDA in the school. She was always lecturing about that sort of thing: I am not responsible for your stupidity. Keep it zipped or I'll send you to the nuns!
These hug lines would've made her come down on the school board like a dropped piano. "School is for learning, you knuckleheads. You can allow [insert questionable behavior here] after they graduate!"
Posted by: Soo | Oct 2, 2007 8:38:19 AM
Ok...this is all just a bit ridiculous, folks. Clumps of kids causing traffic flow problems in the hallways can be a problem, regardless of what they're actually doing. If they were huddled together drinking, or doing drugs, or group beating another kid, or gambling, then I could see being outraged at the behavior. But, come on! Since when is HUGGING a scandalous thing?
Posted by: Bob | Oct 2, 2007 9:23:16 AM
When I was in HS, one of my pet peeves was large groups of blabbermouths blocking the doorways. It was actually good social training for later in life, as it helped identify who the rude and oblivious a-holes were.
Posted by: Me | Oct 2, 2007 9:32:21 AM
extreme hugging sounds like the next x-games sport.
Posted by: boynamedsue | Oct 2, 2007 9:36:28 AM
Me - exactly!! Too bad I didn't know it back then though!
Posted by: Amy Gdala | Oct 2, 2007 10:06:20 AM
I dont see why these kids need to be hugging anyway I would back this school policy all the way!
Posted by: hope | Oct 2, 2007 10:15:37 AM
Well Bob, first they start hugging, then they start dancing, and then their having orgies with turtles in the bushes surrounding highway off-ramps.
It's a slippery slope.
Posted by: Sean, Torrington CT | Oct 2, 2007 10:24:32 AM
My child is in kindergarten, but goes to daycare before and after school since Hubby and I both work. The hugging is out of control at his daycare! I wonder if this is how it starts, and then they carry it over to school? I think it's goofy and the administrators, whether daycare or school, should make it stop.
Posted by: nlr | Oct 2, 2007 10:36:55 AM
I agree with Swangirl; I'll take group hugging--or line hugging, or whatever it is--over rampage shooting any day. As for hall traffic problems, that's nothing new. I remember a lot of that, usually by kids standing around and talking a lot. So it's always something.
OSaRR GROUP HUG!! (glomp)
Posted by: Chantilly Rose | Oct 2, 2007 11:09:51 AM
The first time I worked with a group of dancers, there was not merely a group hug, but a group "lying on top of each other" I had no idea what was happening or why and it was slightly creepy to be caught in the middle of a group of people just, sort of, squirming all over each other.
And these folks were stone cold clean and sober. As the work went forward, I took to hiding out in the changing room until I was pretty sure they were done.
I have since been told that it was a "dance thing" particularly for improv people.
Posted by: NellAgain | Oct 2, 2007 11:18:19 AM
