Should long fingernails be banned from schools?

[kchn1984]

I am a foreign teacher teaching English in China and today i was angered by a student. This student had 1.5cm of fingernails

He angered me with two incidents

1. i asked him to write his answer on the chalkboard. He refused on the basis that he might damage his fingernails while writing with the chalk.

2. A couple of hours later he was caught using his nails to scratch a guy who had swore at him. The male student was bleeding.

Of course he refused to trim his nails. Of course i punished him but i could not make him trim his nails.

I understand Chinese have a culture for longnails but should long fingernails be banned from schools? What is too long? 3mm, 5mm,1cm,2cm,3cm?

ps. I must admit i have longer fingernails than him

[blue_fyre]

I think that having long fingernails is a personal choice, and if he keeps them clean I don't see why not. If he is using them to scratch people, they should make him cut the nails off. On a side note he needs to stop with the fingernails and find a better way to fight.

[gato]

I've never heard of a long-fingernail culture in China. For women maybe, but for guys?

[devi9]

Sometimes men in China do grow their fingernails long (usually just the pinky finger) to symbolize wealth and prosperity. I've never heard of (or seen) a guy growing out all of his finger nails, though.

As far as banning it from schools, I don't think that's necessary. I agree with blue fyre. It is a personal choice. Anyone could use their nails to claw at someone, just like they could us a pen or a pencil to inflict similar damage. Banning long fingernails won't stop angry students from attacking and inflicting harm on other students.

[roddy]

Erm, ban nasty teenagers from school would be a much more logical response.

If you keep your eyes open you'll notice men with long pinky finger fingernails - to demonstrate they don't do manual work.

[Ian_Lee]

I think long fingernail on the pinky finger is a residue from the Qing Dynasty.

By that time, the rich guy keeps long fingernail on the pinky so that he can use it to scope the opium paste in a tiny portion onto the smoking pipe.

But nowadays I don't see there is any use of such long fingernail on the pinky except digging his nose.

Frankly whenever I encounter any guy with long fingernail on his pinky, I hesitate to shake his hand.

[rockytriton]

Here in America men grow long pinky nails to show that they do cocain. They usually put the coke in their pinky nail to snort it. That was popular back in the '80s I don't think so much anymore though.

[fenlan]

In answer to your original question, I don't think you can stop students from growing their nails, but I don't understand how a student can legitimately refuse to write something on the blackboard when asked. On the other hand, trying to force the student to do so would no doubt produce a highly unproductive situation.

[in_lab]

I work with one guy who has a long index fingernail. I've seen the long pinky fingernails before but this is the first time I've seen it on the index finger. He doesn't seem like an eccentric person. It must make typing difficult.

[芳芳]

Really, long fingernail shouldn't be an excuse not to do some things.

I don't think banning long nails is the solution, but forcing this guy to do everything like anyother student is a minimum. It's not as if he was a disabled! (or he disabled himself ).

When he'll see his nail is really annoying doing things he is forced to do, he,ll see if he want to keep his long nail ( and for scratching other students with his nail....how old is the boy?)

And what about sports? does he don't do sports because he's afraid of breaking his nail?

Well, be taugh, I hate people saying they can't do things because of their nails (boys or girls).

[IvánQú]

Last summer i noticed at least three taxi drivers in Shanghai with EXTREMELY long pinky nails. But this summer I haven't seen any yet.

[wemyssnails]

Re message from in_lab. I am most interested to hear of your colleague who grows just his index fingernail long. I agree that this is most unusual. In a lifetime of nailwatching I have encountered this only some four or five times. The growth of the pinky nails and the thumbnails is the most usual, sometimes to quite extraordinary lengths. But the index fingernail is probably the most difficult nail to cultivate as it is the most exposed and liable to damage.

I wonder if in-lab's friend still has his long nail and what length it has now reached.

I'd be very interested to hear from anyone else who has come across similar extreme growths.

[ameliasj]

I wonder whether you teach in school or university? Since during my school days, we are not allowed to have long fingernails. Actually, on every monday morning, a certain teacher will go around the whole school checking our fingernails class by class. And student who has long fingernails must cut short at once and may sometimes be punished because of that.

It is only when I am in university that I have the right to keep my fingernails as long as I wish.

And in fact, we have many rules in school in China, we can't curve or dye hairs, have long fingernails or nail polished, or wear any jewelry.

[doumeizhen]

kchn1984- Perhaps you should make it clear to your student that you have long fingernails and can write on the board without destroying them. Maybe you could suggest (read: insist) that you understand the how difficult it is to keep a good manicure, and that you would like to take some time after class to teach him the fine art of writing on a blackboard, as you really believe it will be of the utmost benefit to him. (Make sure you stay in positive phrasing, as you want him to know that this is not about your annoyance, but about his well-being).

It sounds as though perhaps this kid is in a bit of an identity problem: asserting indiviuality through physical appearance and getting into fights... and that, as I am sure we all know, is totally normal. But it needs to be dealt with. If he refuses to accept your kind help, perhaps bring the other students up to the board for fun activities and hopefully, relaizing he is not individualizing, but isolating himself will bring him around.*

Finally, it's my opinion that you would be perfectly justified to bring in headmasters/parents, the two most potent weapons in China. Again, positive phrasing with the parents: I am concerned that your son might not be getting the most out of his education, and I would like to help him by teaching him to write on the board/finding compromise (maybe he can write the stuff on paper for extra homework), should do the trick. I was able to solve all of my problems that way. Clear this with your school first, of course. Back when I taught, I used the problem children as an excuse to communicate both good and bad to all the parents, and introduced the wonderul tradition of progress reports. I sent short letters to parents, which either students had to translate or our TA wrote up in Chinese for us, letting parents know how wonderfully their students are doing, and where I was concerned that they education was suffering because of XYZ. It worked like a charm. Some students came to school with new pens and markers, or stickers even, and some others, whether out of jealousy of their classmates or because of parental influence, shaped up.

Ultimately, I feel this boy needs to learn that while individuality is a great thing, it should never prevent you from taking part in everyday life. If you stand alone in your individuality, you will not have anyone to look special next to.

If, as suggested, the kid is trying to establish his class by having long nails, perhaps suggest that he purchase those thick rings which look like napkin holders and were formerly worn by archers and later the elite, as they pretty much make it impossible to do anything, proving that you have money to afford leisure.

[kchnn1984]

Hi All

AMELIASJ- Your school sounds very strict on appearance. Just as a matter of curiosity

- what is the punishment for having long nails? caning? hitting?

- what is defined as too long (1mm, 2mm, 5mm)?

- are you made to cut ur fingernails in front the whole class?

- are there different standards for girl/boy?

- Haha.. do you have long fingernails now in uni?

Doumeizhen - Although i dont teach there anymore i take your point for it. During the time since then i have seen so many Chinese people with long nails in China, particularly pinky nails.

I personally think long fingernails should be banned from schools. They make the child's life very ineffective and gives everyone an extra weapon to use in fights. Furthermore they are typically very ugly unless they are well manicured. And i think long nails stops the child from doing a lot of things properly (i have long nails myself, so i know how much long nails can affect life).

Cheers All

[ameliasj]

AMELIASJ- Your school sounds very strict on appearance. Just as a matter of curiosity

- what is the punishment for having long nails? caning? hitting?

- what is defined as too long (1mm, 2mm, 5mm)?

- are you made to cut ur fingernails in front the whole class?

- are there different standards for girl/boy?

- Haha.. do you have long fingernails now in uni?

Seems that you are quite interested of what I said before.

Well, to answer your question, first of all, I want to inform you that I'm in Shanghai. And punishment like caning or hitting is not allowed in China.

Actually, each student will have a score measuring his or her behaviour in school, and so does each classes. The scores will be taken into consideration when the school reward "三好学生"（to be good at study, physics, and also in moral espect.）And the school also select one or two classes as the "先进集体" (The Best class) by these scores.

So when a student have long fingernails, he or she may lose some point, and so does the class he or she belongs to.

And he or she will be asked to cut it at once, sitting on his or her own seat.

To define as too long is not by the exact number, and I don't think it has a standard.

Some one once suggested that you just turn your palm up, and if you can still see your fingernails that means too long.

And of course, boys and girls are treated as the same.

All the schools in Shanghai has such rules, and it will be looser and looser when you get to High School from Middle School, but the rules still exist.

And last question, yes, I have long fingernails but not for every finger since I use contact lens.

[marquette]

I have just moved to Shanghai and I find it strange that men grow their fingernails so long.

Just this afternoon a computer repair technician came to replace my laptop and all his fingernails were long. Bad for typing maybe. But he seemed to find them very useful for prying the monitor out.

Hygiene might be a bit of a challenge too. But I have to admit these long nails look immaculate.

In Canada long fingernails ( on a man) , even if an Asian, would be a no no. Only drug dealers and heavy drug users have long fingernails.