Civil disobedience starts with Civics class

My first act of civil disobedience

In 1969, I was a senior in high school, taking a required course in Civics. It was taught by a football coach. In Indiana at that time, at least, public schools were not allowed to hire coaches who weren’t teachers. So the coaches they hired taught the courses that kids were required to take, like Civics. Health. Yeah. I was mostly in the “Honors” classes, so I mostly had better teachers, except when I had to take the required courses like, yeah, Civics and Health.

Anyway, one day in Civics, the Coach picked on a kid in the class, who was obviously a kid who just wanted to get his high school diploma even if it was barely a passing grade, by saying that his sideburns were too long. Yeah, that was a thing in 1969: Sideburns could only come to the middle of your ear (if you were a boy). This kid’s sideburns were longer. So Coach kicked him out of class and sent him to the principal’s office. Because, control, I guess.

With the confidence of an A student, I raised my hand and asked something to the effect of wasn’t it ironic to kick a kid out of Civics class for expressing himself. Coach responded by snarkily saying, well, if you want to join your “boyfriend” at the principal’s office, go ahead. Calling him my “boyfriend” was particularly cruel, as I didn’t have a boyfriend.

So I picked up my books and left the classroom.

Coach chased me down the hall and said, No, really, don’t go to the principal’s office. Just hang out until the bell rings. Implying, “Forget this ever happened.”

But when he went back to the classroom, other students had taken up the banner. Why did you kick him out for such a minor infraction? Why did you kick her out, too, just for asking a question? Isn’t this Civics class? Isn’t this what America is about?

I was so proud of them.

I do not know what happened to the guy. I don’t remember his name. I think I checked at the time and he did at least graduate.

So, as much as I admire most teachers, I will always harbor doubts. Not all teachers are saints, especially if they care more about rules than about the students.

P.S. One of the rules for girls was that we had to wear dresses or skirts. Even on cold, snowy days; we could wear long pants under our dresses to walk to school, but had to take the trousers off once we were inside. (This was before leggings were invented.) And then mini-skirts became the fashion and there were new rules about those! They should have just let us wear pants.