Grade school comes with a lot of nonsensical, unnecessary rules. It feels almost like a power trip that the administration is going on- at least, from how I remember it. But rules are always meant to be broken. Here are some of the clever ways students have rebelled against their school rules, straight from Reddit.
u/ProfessionalMrPhann asked: What's the best way you've seen someone rebel against school rules?
Solid plan.
We had a French teacher who was really bad and most people barely tolerated. It happened a few times that whoever arrived first would stand outside her door as if waiting for her to show up and unlock it, and the rest of the class would just queue up behind them pretending to believe them. Meanwhile the teacher would just be sitting inside wondering where her class was.
Seems a little sexist.
Giphy
Just after the Virginia Tech shooting, when I was in high school, the administration banned backpacks/messenger bags. Purses were ok though.
One guy shows up to school with a purse. They suspended him for two days. The next day, most of the guys showed up with purses carrying all of their things. They lifted the backpack ban.
Petty but necessary.
Kid pissed in the trash can when the substitute wouldn't let him leave to use the restroom.
I'll never understand bullsh*t rules about not being able to use the restroom for 10 minutes or whatever arbitrary time is set.
Edit: I know that some kids use it to skip class, but you shouldn't punish everyone for that.
That's a really fair point.
I went to a Catholic grade school growing up that had a strict boys hair length policy. It couldn't touch the collar of your shirt and I wanted long hair. So the principal came in one day to talk to the class, when she was leaving the room she called me out for my long hair in front of my classmates.
My response was to point to the cross hanging above the door and said "Jesus had long hair." She didn't know what to say right away and seemed embarrassed but then pulled me outside and yelled at me to get it cut. Don't mess with Catholic nuns.
He had that one coming.
Giphy
Back in the 1980's there was one kid in my school was hardcore into the punk scene. Had a bright blue, 6" high, razor thin, stand-up-straight mohawk.
The principal gave him detention for being a distraction, etc. and his parting words that day were "And tomorrow... no more blue mohawk!"
The next day the kid came in with the same mohawk, only bright pink.
Why would they ban jackets?
Senior year, my school banned jackets. A friend was cold, wore his jacket to lunch, and the VP told him to take it off. Friend pulls out the student handbook and asked where it said he couldn't wear it. VP flips for a while and ends up showing him the, "...or anything the administration seems disruptive," clause. Friend rolls his eyes but takes off his coat.
The next day, friend comes in with the same tweed sport coat the VP wore every day.
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While we've all been cooped up for the better part of two years, many of us have been dreaming up exciting plans for the future. Maybe it's finally time to s...Seems like a flawed system.
My brother missed enough school during the year that the school required he attend summer school.
The penalty for not attending summer school? You'd be kicked out of summer school.
So he never went. And they didn't hold him back, because he knew all the material.
So petty. Love it.
Giphy
Not me but my friends dad (so a good 50 years ago). His teacher told him his tie was the most important part of the uniform and he had to wear it no matter what. That lunchtime he gathered half his school year and the next day, about 100 people turned up wearing nothing but underwear and a tie
That was on the school.
In third grade (early 90s), my brother did not want to participate in some sort of multiple class activity.
He just hung around the edges until a teacher approached him and told him "Now dear, you can't be here without participating."
Brother took what she said to heart, and waited for a chance to slip away.
He made it about 3 miles before a family friend noticed him and drove him the rest of the way home.
I remember mom being upset at him, but even more angry at the school for taking 4 hours to notice he was gone when they took a head count after lunch.
We love some malicious compliance.
When I was in grade 7, our last class of the day, students would always bring in snacks. Our lunch shift was way too early in the day, so by the end of the school day we'd all be feeling hungry. And we were all told by our teacher that if we didn't have enough to share we couldn't eat in the classroom.
One day, almost all of us brought in enough food to share, even with the students that didn't bring anything in. We even synchronised the times that we pulled all our food out. Our teacher was clueless. She had no idea what to tell us. There wasn't any school-wide "no food in classrooms" rule, so she couldn't run to the principal.
Finally she gave into our malicious compliance and allowed us to share food for the rest of the period.
The old wives' tales.
They are the stories of legend.
I think we all need a big DEEP Google dive though.
Where did they originate?
WHO ARE THE OLD WIVES!
You don't hear about them as much anymore.
It's like science and logic are suddenly a thing.
But they sure are a good way to keep your kids and their behavior in line.
Redditor the_spring_goddess wanted to discuss the tall tales we've all been fed through life, so they asked:
"What is an old wives tale that people still believe?"
"Wait an hour to swim after eating."
What a crock!
So many summer hours wasted.
I want revenge for that one.
Say Nothing
Giphy
"An undercover cop has to tell you he's a cop if you ask him."
LonelyMail5115
"Pretty much most advice when it comes to cops are old wives tales. I’m not even a cop but most of the advice you hear is pretty off."
I_AM_AN_A**HOLE_AMA
Say Something
"That you have to wait 24 hours to report someone missing."
Severe_Airport1426
"I really think this one is important and should be the top regardless. As it’s a piece of advice that needs to be relearned and the only way to do that is through awareness."
crappycurtains
"This used to be true. I think they changed it after some guy named Brandon went missing back in the '80s or '70s. You used to have to wait 24 hours if the missing person was an adult because they had 'a right to be missing' and then everyone realized that was stupid and stopped doing it."
AlbinoShavedGorilla
Body Temps
"That drinking ice cold water after eating oily foods will solidify the oil and permanently remain in your body. I informed my coworker that if your body temperature ever reached that point, you’d have bigger problems than weight gain."
chriseo22
"Oh, I have a cousin who 100% believed this. One of those guys who believed every early 2000s internet rumor and old wives tale. One night I chugged a big glass of ice water after dinner and he started freaking out and saying my guts were gonna harden."
"I sarcastically told him to drive me to the hospital if that happened. Obviously, nothing happened and the next morning I said something like 'Thanks for being on standby in case my guts filled with hardened oil.' He just walked off muttering under his breath."
apocalypticradish
Arms Down
"When I was pregnant, I was told by young and old alike that I should NOT raise my arms above my head or exert myself in such a manner because it could cause cord strangulation to my unborn sons and daughters."
Fatmouse84
10 Years Actually
Unimpressed Uh Huh GIF by Brooklyn Nine-Nine
Giphy
"Chewing gum stays in your stomach for 7 years."
"I remember accidentally swallowing a piece of gum when I was a kid in like 1995 and just accepting my fate like welp, gonna have this in my stomach til high school I guess."
Gecko-911
I was so afraid to sallow my gum when I was young.
This tale is haunting.
High/Low
Hungry Debra Messing GIF by Will & Grace
Giphy
"You can tell the sex of the baby by how you carry."
LeastFormal9366
"Pregnancy certainly wins awards for the most old wives tales. So much absolute BS was repeated to us by everyone we talked to."
IllIIIlIllIlIIlIllI
The Cursed
"If you’re a woman and you wear opal jewelry but opal is not your birthstone (October), you’ll never be able to have children, or will be widowed, or just generally have bad luck or something. You can counteract this by having a diamond in the same piece of jewelry as the opal, though."
"I have a nice opal ring that my parents gave me years ago, and I’ve had other women give me this 'advice' unprompted more than once when I’ve worn it. I have absolutely no idea where it started, but I’m pretty sure this little chunk of silicate rock has no concept of what month I was born in, let alone of how my reproductive organs work."
SmoreOfBabylon
Stay In
"Going outside with wet hair will make you get pneumonia. Or an earache. Or maybe arthritis. Depends on which old wife you listen to."
"Jokes on them - I haven't blow-dried my hair in decades and usually leave the house with wet hair in the morning. On winter mornings, the tips of my hair get frozen. No ear infections or pneumonia or arthritis yet."
worldbound0514
Dreams and Facts
"You never make anyone up in your dreams you've seen everyone in your dreams somewhere else before and never make anyone up entirely."
"How would you possibly prove that to be true? My partner adamantly believes this and tells me this 'fact' whenever I have a dream about someone I've never met before."
mattshonestreddit
"My late wife used to tell me that before she met me she would have dreams of standing at an alter on her wedding day but could never see the guy's face, no matter how hard she tried. After meeting me the face was filled in with mine. Don't know if it's true but one of those things I like thinking of every now and then when I miss her."
Darthdemented
Cracked
Getting Ready Episode 2 GIF by The Office
Giphy
"Some people still believe cracking knuckles causes arthritis."
Choice-Grapefruit-44
"There's a doctor (Donald Unger) that cracked his knuckles a couple of times a day for 60 years, but only on one hand, just to prove it. Both hands remained exactly the same."
MacyTmcterry
I love my knuckles.
Do you have any tall tales to add to the list? Let us know in the comments below.
