No Shirt, No Shoes, No Playground?

Well, today while I was on playground duty, I noticed one of the little Pre-K students running barefoot towards the playground.  For me, this is a total “no, no.”  So, I proceeded to take this little boy back to his classroom to get his shoes.

This little boy is the cutest little blond thing that you have ever seen.  And, he has the cutest smile.  I had noticed him the past couple of days, because he had lined up in my line to go inside.  I tried talking to him and telling him to go to his class line.  He just got this huge smile on his face.  He didn’t understand me at all!!  This boy is from South Africa, and only speaks Africana.

When I saw him without his shoes, I knew that he had just probably taken them off to go play.  Thus, I picked him up and we went back to class.  In his class, the teacher assistant informed me that he had NO SHOES!  He told his parents that he didn’t want to wear shoes, or didn’t have any shoes, and thus proceeded to school with no shoes or socks!

I immediately took him to the office.  In my thinking, there is no way that this little boy can play outside on the playground barefoot.  Our playground is covered with sticks and rocks.  Of course he would get hurt!

Well, on the way to the office we passed one of the South African teachers.  She spoke to him in Africana and just laughed saying of course he can play on the playground!  He is an African!  No shoes, no problem.  None of the South Africans wear them!

Well, while I listened to her, I was still not detoured.  I proceeded to the office, where the office manager is another South African.  She said it was fine as well, but that she would call his parents.  At the same time some other American teachers walked in and immediately noticed the shoeless boy.  They exclaimed that “Of course, he can’t play on the playground!”

So, there we were . . .  cultural differences had emerged!  I just never expected it to be in such an unusual way!

So, here is a picture of the little cutie (who I let go and play on the playground!)  You know, what can a little bit of rocks and sticks do if the parents let him come to school like that ?!

Well, if you hate wearing shoes, than I invite you to Africa . . . where here the rule is: “No shirt, No shoes, NO PROBLEM!”