As someone who attended a catholic high school, I understand
the pros and cons of school uniforms. Pro: never having to think about what you
wear. Con: having very little options for individual style. My Thai students,
much like myself when I was their age, use what little materials they have at
their disposal to create a unique fashion sense. Bracelets, glasses, hats, and
sweatshirts splash color across the white and red palette of CVK. The only other
tool they have: their hair.
At our last school, they were militant in their rules
regarding hair. All boys had to keep their hair close-cropped, girls up to M3
(9th grade) had to have their hair bobbed to the chin, and older
girls had to have their longer hair tied back in a white or black ribbon. Any
disobedience was met with scissors or a buzz clipper and zero regard for the
appearance of the end result. The worst offenders had the worst haircuts.
Here at CVK, they are far more laid-back on the hair rules.
Yes, the boys’ hair is supposed to be buzzed short, but they only have checked
the length (by cutting out chunks in the back to force a trip to the barber)
twice this year. The girls are supposed to keep their long hair tied back in a
red ribbon (to match their skirt), but there are no strict guidelines on what
that entails.
The most incredible feats of French braiding happen in my
classes. They swirl around and down one side, they start at the bottom and work
their way up from the nape. They fishtail, they waterfall, they twist. The
girls even make French braids that, viewed from the back, make the shape of a
heart. And with the girls' long, sleek black hair, the braids are not only beautiful, but practically perfect.
And from watching it all, I have learned lots of new French braid
tricks to try on myself (or maybe friends first) in the future. And thank
goodness for them; my beauty toolbox was surprisingly low on tricks for long
hair.
