Originally published October
2004
by Adam Zurn
Well, this is not other places.
The simplest reason why not is that the student handbook prohibits it. I realize that this reasoning rarely satisfies a student, as the handbook to many is merely a collection of rules designed to prevent high school students from having fun. I assure the student body that this isn’t the case (Mr. Staub, that check had better be in the mail). Furthermore, this particular rule wasn’t pulled from thin air for some underlying sadistic purpose.
Believe it or not, there are historic reasons for removing one’s hat when entering a building. Removing your hat is a sign of respect that dates back to ancient times. While the actual date is unknown the earliest stories do date back to the days of chivalry.
A knight would remove his helmet in the presence of the king or even an enemy to demonstrate his trust. A knight would also remove his helmet in church because he felt protected there. Since medieval times, the removal of one’s hat has been a gesture of respect.
Hats are worn less today than they once were. For centuries, all adults wore hats whenever they left home. Wearing a hat was considered a matter of good hygiene, since they were used as protection from the elements. These “elements” may have included human waste thrown from second floor windows in the days before indoor plumbing.
Perhaps, a more important reason might be that when you step foot inside the school, you are stepping onto holy ground. When I say “holy ground,” I mean that in the secular sense of the word.
Think back to your first day of school, whether it was here at L-S or some other school district. Think of how little you knew—perhaps you could count to ten. Now think of what you know now.
This is a place of reverence and respect. These are hallowed halls where young children enter knowing little and leave as soon-to-be-adults with the foundation of knowledge to make a great future for themselves.
This place is a temple to education, a cathedral for learning, a sanctuary dedicated to scholarship. Just as one would never wear a hat in a temple, cathedral, or sanctuary, one does not wear a hat in school. It is disrespectful to all that location represents.
Next time you cross the threshold entering the school, remember it is holy ground upon which you walk—remove you hat as a sign of respect for all you have learned and will learn.
