She does have a point that it’s weird we make teens change clothes, get naked, and shower as a group.
Like, it would be less weird if they did it as children. But waiting until some kids start going thru puberty and then making everyone strip together while an inevitably creepy gym teacher watches with too much interest…
The whole thing is fucking weird.
Like, why can’t shower stalls include a changing stall?
Everyone’s happy, and nobody’s looking or being looked at
So my school, back in the day, had communal showers, but we weren’t required to use them. We had to change in a communal area, but only down to our underwear. Though occasionally in Boy Scouts we did have to use communal showers.
Now apparently this school doesn’t require kids to change at all. Honestly, that’s nasty. Anyone who’s been around teenagers knows they’re nasty and sweaty normally, but after gym it’s obviously worse. The solution should have been to create private areas or something, not to have them not change clothes at all, so they walk around the rest of the day all nasty.
In my opinion though, communal changing isn’t a bad thing. It can actually be good. America already has a weird issue with nudity, and getting rid of the one place where that was slightly challenged I don’t think is beneficial in the long run. Short term it’s nice, but long term I think it might do more harm than good. Instead we should be trying to make people feel comfortable with who they are, not scared of it. Yeah, it’s got some issues, but I think the bad outweighs the good.
No, every student should use them. If they’re only optional, you still have the bullies together in a gang to pick on everyone else. You’re singling out people who choose privacy. You’re putting peer pressure on everyone who doesn’t conform.
Some of the high school showers I used were vertical pipes with shower heads pointing horizontally kind of spiraled up to the top. That way like 6 guys could share a shower area that would only be big enough for one guy. At my school we had normal (I guess) open showers with a showerhead and valve handle every 4 feet or so. With those verticle pipe ones just about the whole team could shower at once in the amount of space we used to shower 6 guys in our locker room. Very efficient?
Schools really don’t do gym anymore. I think the last time my kids had it was once a week, and I just didn’t see a point. It probably helps that my youngest is an athlete but what good does anyone get from once a week of screwing around?
We had different experiences, as did our kids. In the 70s/80s, we’d jog a mile everyday to start gym class. I was the wimpy kid, always picked second or third to last for a team. Sometimes last. :(
When I took my kids on a hike down to the creek summer before last, “A whole MILE!”
“Are you telling me a 52-yo man with emphysema can out walk you?!”
Best part? They were so much more fit, had no complaints walking to the creek by the end of that summer. Weird part? They didn’t even notice.
This was the norm in the UK in the 1980s (my only point of reference as I haven’t kept an interest). I can confirm most people didn’t really have a problem with it but also that the teacher who supervised spent a few years in prison later on for reasons I can now see were totally related.
No stalls. And if you refuses to strip naked and shower you got detention at my school.
The PE teacher was ALWAYS in the fucking locker room too.
The locker room and the shower room at my high school was also the same room. No partitions no privacy. The showers was just a row of shower heads on the far end of the single big square room.
She does have a point that it’s weird we make teens change clothes, get naked, and shower as a group.
Like, it would be less weird if they did it as children. But waiting until some kids start going thru puberty and then making everyone strip together while an inevitably creepy gym teacher watches with too much interest…
The whole thing is fucking weird.
Like, why can’t shower stalls include a changing stall?
Everyone’s happy, and nobody’s looking or being looked at
Seems like a ridiculously easy problem to solve.
So my school, back in the day, had communal showers, but we weren’t required to use them. We had to change in a communal area, but only down to our underwear. Though occasionally in Boy Scouts we did have to use communal showers.
Now apparently this school doesn’t require kids to change at all. Honestly, that’s nasty. Anyone who’s been around teenagers knows they’re nasty and sweaty normally, but after gym it’s obviously worse. The solution should have been to create private areas or something, not to have them not change clothes at all, so they walk around the rest of the day all nasty.
In my opinion though, communal changing isn’t a bad thing. It can actually be good. America already has a weird issue with nudity, and getting rid of the one place where that was slightly challenged I don’t think is beneficial in the long run. Short term it’s nice, but long term I think it might do more harm than good. Instead we should be trying to make people feel comfortable with who they are, not scared of it. Yeah, it’s got some issues, but I think the bad outweighs the good.
Private stalls for changing and showering should be mandatory and any student should have the eight to use them for any reason
No, every student should use them. If they’re only optional, you still have the bullies together in a gang to pick on everyone else. You’re singling out people who choose privacy. You’re putting peer pressure on everyone who doesn’t conform.
You know, some cultures are not ok with nudity like this. In those places, you give children the respect and privacy they deserve.
Y’all’s showers had stalls?
Some of the high school showers I used were vertical pipes with shower heads pointing horizontally kind of spiraled up to the top. That way like 6 guys could share a shower area that would only be big enough for one guy. At my school we had normal (I guess) open showers with a showerhead and valve handle every 4 feet or so. With those verticle pipe ones just about the whole team could shower at once in the amount of space we used to shower 6 guys in our locker room. Very efficient?
And people ask why I never play sports
We had mandatory gym class in the 80s. Showering was also mandatory.
Schools really don’t do gym anymore. I think the last time my kids had it was once a week, and I just didn’t see a point. It probably helps that my youngest is an athlete but what good does anyone get from once a week of screwing around?
We had different experiences, as did our kids. In the 70s/80s, we’d jog a mile everyday to start gym class. I was the wimpy kid, always picked second or third to last for a team. Sometimes last. :(
When I took my kids on a hike down to the creek summer before last, “A whole MILE!”
“Are you telling me a 52-yo man with emphysema can out walk you?!”
Best part? They were so much more fit, had no complaints walking to the creek by the end of that summer. Weird part? They didn’t even notice.
Wait what!? Can someone else confirm that this happens over there? That sounds so fake. Surely you have stalls?
This was the norm in the UK in the 1980s (my only point of reference as I haven’t kept an interest). I can confirm most people didn’t really have a problem with it but also that the teacher who supervised spent a few years in prison later on for reasons I can now see were totally related.
No stalls. And if you refuses to strip naked and shower you got detention at my school.
The PE teacher was ALWAYS in the fucking locker room too.
The locker room and the shower room at my high school was also the same room. No partitions no privacy. The showers was just a row of shower heads on the far end of the single big square room.