Every school has its own set of rules to keep students disciplined (遵守纪律的). The rules change from one school to another. Some schools are much stricter than others. There are also some rules that look strange or funny to us. Here are some funny school rules.

In Japan, most schools demand that students wear uniforms, such as sports suits or skirts. But many Japanese schools even regulate (规定) the colour of underwear! They also demand that girls’ white socks be folded in a certain way and boys’ heads be shaved (剃掉). And Japanese schools also tell students that they may not date (约会), go to movies, leave home after sunset or play video games without permission from the school.

In America, for safety at some schools, students must have a pair of indoor shoes to change into at school every day. This makes sure students won’t fall over on the wet floors and keeps the schools clean. Gum chewing is not allowed in many US school buildings, as it is difficult to clean up.

In Britain, strange hairstyles are not allowed in some schools. But they might allow students to wear certain hairstyles during the World Cup years. Two students had a special design shaved into their hair during 2014 World Cup. But they were not accepted by their school after that because the school said the rules had changed since then.

I’m Jill and I’m a student of the Huaxin Middle School. There are many rules at my school and at my home, I must follow them. I think some of them are good, but others are not so good and they are too strict.

We have to wear our school uniforms. I think it’s good. If we don’t have this rule, some students will wear expensive clothes. They will think more about clothes, but not study. We have to keep our hair short. We can’t be late for school and we have to keep quiet in class. These rules are good for my study and I like them. At my home, I have to finish my homework first, I must clean my room on weekends.

We can’t take mobile phones to school. I don’t think it’s a good idea. Sometimes our parents are busy and can’t get home on time. They need to tell us about that. If we don’t take phones, how can they tell us? Also, we can’t go to the movies on weekends. At home, I have to read a book for 30 minutes before I can watch TV. I can’t go out to meet my friends on weekends. I think they are not good. I know we should study hard, but we need to relax, too.

Best ways to stay apart

To stop the spread of COVID-19, many countries are practicing social distancing (社交隔离). This means people should stay at home as much as possible, as well as stay at least 2 meters away from other people when in public, according to the US Centers for Disease Control and Prevention.

Social distancing also refers to other ways of preventing the spread of the virus. These include studying online instead of going to school and canceling (取消) public activities.   

Many countries have set strict rules for social distancing. In Australia, for example, people who meet indoors must follow the “one person per four square meters” rule. This means that if a room has an area of 40 square meters, there should be no more than ten people in the room. In Singapore, people who don’t keep a distance of 1 meter in public areas may need to pay a fine of up to $10,000 (50,000 yuan) or up to six months in prison (监狱).

There are also some more creative rules. In Panama, for example, men and women must leave their homes on different days, two hours at a time. In some Colombian towns, people can only go outside at certain times based on (基于) the last number of their national ID number. For example, people with an ID number ending in 0, 7 or 4 can leave the house on Monday, while those with an ID number ending in 1, 8 or 5 can go outside on Tuesday.