My school has a HUGE anti-hat / hoodie issue as a means of respect for the school. Personally, I don't care too much, especially if a student is using a hoodie to hide the effects of homelessness, but I still try to enforce the rules. I tell my students, "Take your hat / hoodie off and stay a while!" In that way, I'm asking them to shed their shields and trust my care for a few hours. Additionally, if I see that a student is using that hoodie to hide abuse or something else, I can gently escalate my advocacy and see how I can help.
My school has similar policy. Finding ways to nurture students while supporting the intent of the school rule is tricky at times, but we need to make sure that rules are there for the right reasons.
My school last year never cared about hoods or hats as long as they weren’t distracting/disrespectful and with all the mask drama, I stopped caring about hoods. I think my school this year is probably more standard in its approach to hoods/hats (ie, not inside) but I’ve not heard a specific school policy and I haven’t had too many issues so far so I just leave it alone. I do have a couple kids that like to hide in their hoods as an avoidance tactic though so I need to address that soon.
I never paid much attention to hats and hoods inside my classroom when I taught high school. When I taught middle school, it was more of an issue. Middle school kids were more likely to hide earbuds inside hoodies or try to avoid being recognized in the hallway.
Personally, I've always been a fan of rocking hoods and hats in the classroom. Not only do they add a touch of personal style, but they can also be practical in unpredictable weather or when you're having one of those bad hair days (we've all been there, right?). Plus, they can be a great conversation starter! I recently got myself a custom-fitted hat from Matohash (check it out here: https://matohash.com/collections/custom-fitted-hats, and let me tell you, it's become my go-to accessory. So yeah, count me in as a supporter of classroom headwear!
