Village Shepherd

It wasn't until the early summer of his first year that Jason Court felt really fed up with his new school. Until then he'd rather enjoyed it, even with all its rules and regulations, but in the unexpected heatwave of early summer, his patience cracked.

The school rules clearly stated that school blazers must be worn at all times, unless permission was given to remove them, by a member of staff. One day, when all the classroom windows were open but the temperature was nearing 80 degrees, Jason took off his blazer and hung it carefully on the back of his chair.

It was unfortunate that he chose Mr Hobbs' lesson. "Court!" thundered Mr Hobbs. "What do you think you're doing? Put that blazer on immediately!"

"But Sir," protested Jason, "it's so hot. I'm afraid I might faint if I keep it on."

The class tittered appreciatively, but Mr Hobbs was not amused. His face turned very red. He stood over Jason, very close to him, and hissed at him, "Don't you cheek me, boy! Get that blazer on. How dare you break the school rules!"

Jason wasn't sure what made him do it, but he said loudly and clearly, "No."

The class gasped, and waited in excited anticipation to see what would happen next.

Mr Hobbs seethed. "Get out, and take your blazer with you. I'll see you after school for an hour's detention. We'll see if that'll cool you down."

Jason got out, and lay on the school field in the sun until break, when half the school crowded round him clearly regarding him as something of a hero. He was determined not to wear his blazer again that day. But as it happened, it was so hot that the rest of the staff invited all the class to remove their blazers anyway.

Jason suffered his detention, and next morning spoke to his form tutor. "It's not fair," he complained. "It's a stupid rule. Why can't I take my blazer off if I'm too hot?"

Miss Himpson sighed sympathetically. "I know it's hard, Jason," she said, "but rules are rules. They're made for your protection. You can't just go around breaking them whenever you feel like it. If everyone did that, the school would cease to function. We'd have anarchy."

Jason wasn't sure what anarchy was, but he wasn't about to ask. "You mean we all have to keep the rules even if they're totally stupid?"

"Rules can be changed," explained Miss Himpson, "but you must go through the proper channels. You write to the school council and ask them to consider a change in the rules. That way you'll get a fair hearing. As you know, there are two people from every class on the council, as well as some teachers."

"So if the school council says it's stupid too, the rules will be changed?"

Miss Himpson looked a little sheepish. "Well, not exactly. The council will make a recommendation to the Deputy Head, who will decide whether or not to take the issue further. If he does decide to take it further, the school governors will discuss it, and make the final decision."

Jason was aghast. "But that could take years! I only want to take off my blazer when I'm too hot."

"Sorry Jason, that's the procedure. You'll see the sense of rules and procedure when you're a little older."

That evening, Jason carefully wrote his request to the school council. He handed it to his class representative, but promptly forgot all about it, as the weather changed.

After three weeks of cold weather, when Jason was glad to wear his blazer, the sun shone once again. Jason sought out his class representative. The girl told him the council had supported him, and his application had gone to the Deputy Head.

"Who's that?" asked Jason.

"Mr Hobbs," replied the girl.

"It's a waste of time, then," said Jason, and the girl nodded. "Actually," she confided, "hardly anything gets changed. It all goes to Mr Hobbs, then it gets stuck. He just sits on it."

Jason spent the rest of that summer taking off his blazer and hanging it neatly on the back of his chair, whenever he felt like it. The staff grew more and more furious with him. He had detentions by the score, but he refused to give up. Eventually a letter was sent to his parents. Jason explained his position to them.

His father nodded. "Well, Jason," he said. "You are breaking the rules, and you must accept the punishment for that. But I think you have a reasonable case, and you might want to take your protest further by approaching the governors. If that doesn't work, ask to see the Head. And as a final resort, you could write to the Press. But sometimes, you have to go on breaking unfair rules to get them changed. Only you ought to be aware that you may find yourself standing alone. Although the whole school treats you like a hero at the moment, you may well find nobody will stand with you if it means they'll get into trouble too. So you need to be very strong. You may be threatened with expulsion, and even if you win, you'll probably find your reputation has become that of a troublemaker, and it will dog you all your schooldays."

Jason felt very troubled. He was sure he was right, but he didn't want all the hassle his father had described. He wasn't a natural rebel, and it was very hard to stand up under all the pressure to conform. At the moment he was boosted by the adoration he received from the others youngsters, but if that stopped.

Then he suddenly made up his mind. "I'm going ahead, Dad," he said, "because I'm sure I'm right, and it would help everyone if the rules were changed. But what if I get slung out of school? Where would I go?"

His father patted him on the shoulder. "Don't worry about that, son. We'll sort something out if it ever becomes necessary. And Jason," he added, "I'm proud of you."

It continued to be an uncomfortable summer for Jason. But he wrote to the governors, and the rules were eventually changed, and Jason was delighted. The other children all cheered Jason, and some of the teachers looked kind of pleased too. There was a continuing cost, for he suffered at the hands of Mr Hobbs for the rest of his time at the school. But Jason knew it was worth it.