Colleen Smith-Dennis | Of students and hair in Jamaican schools

The controversy regarding the hairstyles of Jamaican students is ongoing, especially at the beginning of each academic year when students are routinely examined and accepted or rejected entry to school based on the existing rules of the particular institution.

As the controversy rages, as a past teacher at the secondary level who had direct experience of this perennial problem, I have always been fascinated by the whole issue of the perspective of hair. I would like to state without fear of being criticised that there has to be rules in an institution, and ironically, if there were no rules, (laissez faire) then the rule would be anything goes, which in itself is a rule.

It has always struck me forcefully that the defence of many students and parents regarding hairstyles is deeply rooted in current fashion trends and the concept of self. In the 1990s, I distinctly remember surveying the hairstyles of the females in one of my classes, and as an advocate of natural hair, registered the fact that only seven of the approximately 25 girls in the class had natural hair. Everyone else had processed hair, which reflected the trend at the time ,which might have been born of black people aspiring to look as near white as possible.

INSISTENCE OF PARENTS

As someone who was always interested in issues concerning students’ perception of their blackness and how it affects their learning and concept of self, I conducted my own informal interviews and registered the responses. Several natural-hair students revealed that they did not like the texture of their hair but left it that way because of the insistence of their parents and the Church. This adherence, as they expressed it, made them feel different and less than those with processed hair because they did not feel ‘pretty’ as processed hair enhanced one’s looks. One stated vehemently that she could hardly await the grade eleven school-leaving ceremony because after that, no one could deter her from processing her hair.

Another stated that processed hair was much easier to manage and it got rid of the kinks, which were a part of her natural hair. It is worthy of note that there has never been any debate (to my knowledge) about processed hair in schools then or now.

Stepping into the 21st century, it is now the drift, which has seeped into our culture, for many females to wear natural hair, thanks to black Americans. I revisited my action of counting the number of processed to natural hair and the reverse surfaced. Only approximately eight students in that particular class sported processed hair. On reminiscing, several upper-school girls chopped their shoulder-length processed hair to the roots, stating that they wanted to get the crème out so that they could embrace natural-hair styles. These were students, who before the trend started, might have scoffed at natural hair, but the tide had changed, and so had they. When teenagers become a part of a trend, it boosts their self-image.

Some might argue that it was good of them to embrace their black roots, but was it that or them merely becoming part of a trend? I remember the ‘fights’ to get students to ‘properly’ groom their hair as some of the new hairstyles closely resembled fingers sticking out all over their heads or one who had been disrupted in the process of loosening their hair before combing it.

HAIR EXTENSIONS

Now, a part of the craze is hair extensions, deemed unacceptable by the majority of institutions. Where do they fit into the whole scheme of things? Should the school accept modified versions of these sweeping manes or neat braids? Are they a part of black hair or fashion trends? It is also interesting to note a few of the disparaging comments made by students about teachers’ attitude to the changing fad: “You teachers don’t attack the children with processed hair, but yuh have a problem with black hair!” Was this a fair criticism, and as one student expressed it, “You people love white things too much!”

The males also joined the conversation by complaining about the males who had curly or ‘Indian and Chinese’ hair, who were allowed to wear their hair beyond the number of inches stipulated by the school and were not ‘attacked’ while they were sent to the barber. The boys also complained about the lightness or depth of fades: “Miss, tell me what fades have to do with learning? “There was also a major concern about girls being allowed to lock their hair while the boys were not even allowed to twist or twirl their hair let alone lock it if they had already started school with close-cut hair.

Some questions that arise from this controversy are:

1. When a trend dies, as many do, what will the next hair fight be about?

2. If wearing your head bald becomes the next hair fad, what would the defence be if students decide to adopt this?

3. Should we ignore the role that hairstyles play in students’ concept of self?

4. Do hairstyles determine whether students assimilate what they should or not?

5. When students become consumed or preoccupied with a trend, does it affect effective learning?

6. If students are not comfortable with their self-image, does this deter learning?

7. Should students be allowed to change hairstyles along the lines of a modern trend?

Food for thought ...

Colleen Smith-Dennis is a former educator and author. Send feedback to columns@gleanerjm.com.