“Alright then, Mr. Moore, can you please show the boys what they’ll be wearing?”

John now walked down the aisle, between the two rows of boys and stood next to me. John had with him a sample set of gym clothes that we keep in the office for demonstrations like this. I stood to one side to allow John to have everyone’s undivided attention.

“Boys, as Miss Evans said, my name is John Moore and I will be assisting her every day in class. Right now, I want to go over the P.E. uniform that you’ll all be wearing, I have a sample of it right here. No street clothes whatsoever are permitted in class -- you must wear the P.E. uniform that I’m about to show you. For starters, you’ll all wear a dark green cotton T-shirt like this one.”

I watched as John held up the T-shirt imprinted with “St. Bartholomew’s Physical Education” on the chest.

“Secondly, you’ll wear a pair of white cotton gym shorts like this.”

John now held up the shorts and showed them to the boys. The shorts were plain white, but they had the St. Bart’s school emblem and cross on the lower left side. The boys at St. Bart’s have worn the same P.E. uniform for years now. I know many of the boys didn’t like wearing these shorts because the cotton material was very thin. And being white, they didn’t leave much to the imagination, especially after they were soaked with sweat. But I never felt the need to change them, even though I had control over the P.E. department and could have any time I wanted. Being so thin, it actually simplified my job since I could easily see when a boy wasn’t wearing the required kind of underwear. And one group that never complained about them was the girls. On some occasions, we would have mixed co-ed activities with the girls and boys P.E. classes all together. I know the girls enjoyed seeing the boys in their thin, almost see-thru white shorts, and I was happy to oblige them.

“Now, the shorts and T-shirt can both be purchased at McCalisters Sporting Goods, just down the street. Just tell them you need the standard St. Bart’s P.E. uniform and they’ll make sure you get the right thing. You have to wear the official P.E. shorts and T-shirt. If you wear something else, it won’t count and you won’t get credit for dressing out that day. In addition, you’ll need some white cotton tube socks and some gym shoes with non-marking soles. If the socks have strips on them, that’s ok, it really doesn’t matter. And the shoes really need to be a second pair that you don’t wear to school. We don’t want our nice gym floor scratched up with dirt and debris from the street. Clear so far?” John waited to see if any of the boys had a question. After a few seconds, one boy raised his hand.

“Yes, what’s your question?” John said.

“Are we allowed to wear a sweat shirt and pants on colder days?” asked the boy.

“Good question. The answer is no. We will be going outside when the weather permits, but we only do so when the temperature is warm enough for you boys to wear your T-shirt and shorts. Any time it’s colder than around 50 degrees, we stay inside. So there’s no need for sweats, you’ll always be wearing your T-shirt and shorts.”

“Allow me to elaborate, Mr. Moore,” I interrupted. “Boys, what Mr. Moore means is that you will always change into your T-shirt and shorts when you are getting ready for class. But there will be times in class when you will wear less than the full uniform. For example, when you play basketball, we typically divide you into two teams, shirts and skins, where one group of boys removes their shirts. And most of the time when you’re running laps, that will also be shirtless. And there might be other times where you won’t wear your complete outfit because we need to observe your muscle movement and see your development. The wrestling unit is a good example – your shorts just get in the way for that. But when you report to class and get changed, you will always wear the full uniform. Please continue Mr. Moore.”

“Yes, that’s right, thank you for clarifying that Miss Evans. Now, underneath your shorts you will all wear an athletic supporter, no exceptions. In just a few minutes, you’ll all be issued one of those in your size. But I’d suggest you buy a couple more at McCalisters and swap them out so you don’t wear the same one each day. As Miss Evans already said, you boys will be working up quite a sweat.” John held up a supporter and showed the boys what one looks like. Immediately, two boys raised their hands with questions.

“Yes, you over there, what’s your question?” John said.

“I heard that we had to wear a jockstrap. Are you saying we don’t have to do that?” the boy asked.

“A jockstrap is an athletic supporter,” John answered with a laugh. Some of the other boys also chuckled with laughter as soon as the boy asked his question. “You see, an athletic supporter is the proper name, and jockstrap is the slang term. You can call it by either name, but it’s the same thing. Whenever we’re in mixed company with females present, we call it an athletic supporter. What did you think a jockstrap was?”

“Um, never mind, I guess I was confused,” the boy replied with an embarrassed look on his face.

“Alright, then did you still have a question,” John said to the second boy. While the boy prepared to ask his question, I checked my class roster and saw that it was Jim Johnson again.

“Yes, Mr. Moore, does the athletic supporter just go on top of our briefs, or does it have to be underneath them?”

“Good question. The answer is neither. I guess I didn’t make myself clear earlier,” John answered. “When I said that no street clothes are permitted in class that includes every bit of clothing that you wore to school that day. When you’re changing for class, you will first remove all of your clothing, including your underwear, then you will put on your P.E. uniform. The athletic supporter -- the jockstrap -- is in place of your briefs, not over or under them. It is the only acceptable type of underwear that you are allowed to wear in class. Is that clear?”

The boys reluctantly nodded.

“I said is that clear?” John repeated.

“Yes, Mr. Moore,” the group answered.

“Alright, so while we’re on the subject of changing and clothing let’s go over a couple of additional things,” John continued. “As you probably noticed, there are two sizes of lockers. All of you have been assigned a small locker. That is where you will keep your gym clothes locked up when you are not wearing them. The larger locker is where you put your street clothes when you are changing for class. And speaking of lockers, you will all need to buy yourself a combination lock. Don’t buy a keyed lock, since you won’t have anywhere to keep the key during class.”

“And boys, normally this is a boys-only class. But on some occasions, we will have a combined co-ed class along with the girls. When that happens, you especially need to make sure you wear your complete P.E. uniform, otherwise it might be embarrassing for you. And finally, washing your gym clothes. Everyone needs to take their P.E. uniform home each Friday, wash it, and then bring it back the following Monday. We don’t want any of you wearing a bunch of stinky gym clothes week after week.” John paused again to see if there were any questions.

“You all need to have your full uniform and combination lock by this Wednesday at the latest. If you don’t have it by tomorrow, that’s OK. But if you don’t have it by Wednesday, then you won’t be receiving credit for that day. Understood?” John waited to make sure that all of the boys understood the situation.

I looked at the group of boys as John finished with his part of the presentation. I could see that this was exactly what many of them had feared, that they would have to completely undress when getting changed for class. But there was no time to address their concerns or fears. I still had more rules to cover with them.