I had PE.
Strict uniform policy for pe kits. White socks, leggings etc.
Unfortunately for me, I had no white socks. Usually I put my leggings over my tights because we were expected to have completed getting changed in 5 minutes but of course, these pe teachers always want that last group huddle that is unnecessary, resulting in our time to get changed getting chopped down. The bell would literally go as I’d be going to get changed.
Anyway, I had no white socks, and our school’s pe kit disciplinary system goes like this: 1. First time missing part of your pe kit results in 1 kit mark. 2. Second time missing part of your pe kit results in your 2nd kit mark. 3. Third time missing part of your pe kit results in a detention after school.
It was my first time not having part of my kit, so I was fully prepared to get that kit mark that I should’ve gotten. So we go to the court and miss makes every girl stand in a line and individually checks their socks. My leggings were long so I use them to cover up but I had to show them and of course, I had no white socks. So she’s like ‘you need white socks’
I’m like well I don’t have any, my tights is fine. She then tells me to take my tights off and go barefoot in my trainers, which is highly disgusting and I was not going to involve myself in such atrocities, then continues going down the line and calls another black girl MY name and doesn’t correct herself. I’m standing next to my friend who has BLACK FLUFFY socks on and didn’t get called out at ALL, just chuckling like wtf? Miss then comes back to me, and tells me that I’m disrupting the class as if she can’t just move on.
She tells me to go to matron to get white socks? Matron the medical nurse. I’ve been there multiple times she does NOT have white socks. I didn’t get it at all, so I’m like okay first off, I’m not tryna get an infection because of my sweaty feet in trainers just manifesting. I was young so I didn’t even know if that’s how you get fungi like athletes foot or something but I just knew I was not gonna STINK and be barefoot in these hand me down air forces
She proceeds to exit me while sending 1 white girl to change into white socks that she actually HAD. Looking around, there was 2 other girls aside from my friend who had either black socks or tights on. So I go to change into my school uniform. I’m emotional so when I get home I’m crying to my mum so she calls my pe teacher asking what happened and asking HER questions. I’m in the other room, so I only come back when she’s done and I ask my mum what she said. My mum tells me that miss said I was YELLING at her and being totally rude. Lies. I then take this into my own hands and email my HOY telling her what happened. I get my detention removed and my behaviour points. I made sure EVERYONE knew about this.
Should I have just followed her instructions and prevented myself from going through all that, or was what I did understandable
YTA
Can we ban teenager drama from this sub? It sounds exhausting.
You forgot your socks. Take responsibility and stop whining. Don’t start going on about ‘What aboutism’. No one cares about your small insignificant life.
YTA.
NTA
Always stand up to bullies. Always.
So other girls weren’t wearing white socks bit were not called out? That’s some bs
Calling the only other black girl by your name and not correcting herself and apologising? That’s definitely bs.
Lying to your mum about your behaviour? That’s some bs.
She can go to hell!
There was a male p.e.teacher at my school when my eldest brother went there who was a massive bully and an arsehole. I was quite young so I don’t know the specifics but it was enough for my mum to go all kinds of Mama Bear in the head teacher’s office. More than once, I think.
I have to ask. Well, first of all, what is your location? Second, are you female? If so, do boys have the same PE uniform requirements? When I was in Jr High, girls had to wear these ridiculous one piece things, and boys could wear whatever. Shorts and t-shirt, sweats… No requirements for having to buy a special one use garment for them.
I’m assuming this person is British, as I’ve never heard of a country with as strict uniform rules as we do here.
YTA. I mean, good on you for pushing back with your instructor lied. *You should!* But everything after and around that was just working yourself up and self-justification for your ire. It’s completely irrelevant to the fact that you showed up without your full kit and then didn’t do what you were told to rectify it.
Next time, just follow instructions, even if they don’t make sense. You’ll be surprised how often small, seemingly ridiculous things are established for some valid reason that you aren’t aware of. You should have gone to Matron and let *her* send you back saying she doesn’t have spare socks, then roll from there. Instead you turned a molehill into a mountain.
NTA, and I feel like a lot of the yta posts are just general annoyance with teens?
Based on your description, especially calling another black girl your name, it sounds like there was a racial element to the level of discipline you experienced. As a non white person who lived in the UK for about a year, it was honestly shocking how much more casual racism and xenophobia I experienced compared with my experiences in the more liberal parts of the US. So I think it’s quite reasonable to be upset.
That being said, I would recommend working on smarter ways to manage this, just for your own safety in the future. Make sure to read through all school rules so you can see if the teacher broke any policies about how to deal with things. If you have any teachers or other authorities you trust, explain the situation to them and ask them to explain the PE teacher’s “logic.” Use ways to gently lead them to the realization that the way you were treated is not ok, and keep your behavior as calm as possible. This is especially important as a person of color, since unfortunately our emotions are treated as dangerous or overreactions by others. It’s incredibly unfair, but unfortunately, it’s the reality of life as a racial minority.
Love the unnecessary race comments here.
YTA. Bring socks you KNOW you are supposed to have and stop acting like a drama queen.
> It was my first time not having part of my kit,
But
> I’ve been there multiple times she does NOT have white socks.
YTA. Something does not compute.
If you believe your teacher is treating you differently from other students because of race, you need to talk to the dean of students/principal.
NTA—It sounds like the gym teacher was discriminating by not calling out every student who didn’t have white socks. Everyone who didn’t have white socks on should have been treated the same. If you detect a biased pattern in the gym teacher’s treatment of students based on race, ethnicity, skin tone, etc., you and your friends might want to start keeping detailed notes of such incidents, including the dates and times and descriptions of the unequal treatment to eventually show your moms and the principal. Also, wearing your shoes without socks is not a health hazard unless the shoes give you blisters.
Thanks for the clarification of the shoes without socks. I don’t usually think about keeping tabs on teachers, but now that you’ve said it I might. Obviously, in secondary school many newer things can happen than in a primary school that you’ll learn from. This was just a learning experience.
Question
If you knew you needed white socks why didn’t you have any white socks?