The photo was in the history section of our paper this morning. It made me laugh and immediately relive high school gym class and the horrible ice blue mandatory uniforms. Those lovelies had snaps up the front, short sleeves and baggie bloomers. Ugh! Gym class teachers had power driven by the culture of the time. Schools did not offer students much opportunity for diversity and opinion; gym class certainly didn't! If you were a wall flower, artistic or the bookworm type, gym was likely a nightmare visiting on you each time it was on your schedule. If you enjoyed the exercise, the only real downside was those hideous uniforms.
- Show up for gym class ON TIME
- Have your gym suit (NO EXCUSES)
- Dressing time was 'timed' and you best be in roll call line ON TIME
- MANDATORY showers after class
I am fairly sure the practices of the late 60's would be considered sexual harassment these days. Point in fact: the all important after class shower was monitored. Shower curtains were removed to allow the whistle-adorned gym teachers the ability to ensure compliance by each student. There was no pretending to take a shower, you had best be wet, with evidence of water droplets and the need for toweling or suffer the consequences of an after school detention. Personally, I felt it all to be intrusive and embarrassing.
Those before and after class minutes were the worst. I am not particularly shy, but even to me having people not of my choosing monitor my showering was irritating. I always felt terrible for those girls who were far more reserved than I. Let it be know that I HATED those uniforms and I HATED showering at school.
Three HS gym antidotes:
1)
I got only one detention in high school. I was throwing OUT a piece of gum I had been chewing on my way to class just as a gym teacher walked by. Detention. The fact that I had been chewing gum in a gum free zone was a sign of guilt.
2)
Durning a portion of the year we practiced for the dreaded physical fitness tests. We would meet on the football field at the beginning of class (in our sky blue 'lovely') and from there run to the water tower and back... about a mile. I often got picked to be 'leader' (i.e. snitch) assigned to be sure everyone actually ran all the way to the tower. Instead, I would go part way with my little clip board and check people off til the last one came through to return the 'all complete' clipboard to the whistle-adorned gym teacher. I just decided to use her power in the reverse....
3)
It wasn't all bad.... just the uniforms and showers. I really enjoyed that during a free period I could sign up to go to the small courtyard for gymnastics practice. Outside would be the trampoline, uneven parallel bars, the balance beam, the horse and mats. There was nothing like using the equipment outside; the reward was so freeing.