Does Hooters have a place in school?

NOVEMBER 18, 2011

Our colleague Ron Matus has a story today about a mom upset because a Hooters waitress talked to her son's sixth grade class for the Great American Teach In. She was wearing sweatpants instead of those tiny orange shorts, but the mom still didn't like the idea. Other schools have had similar dustups, such as fundraisers at Hooters, that have been frowned on as an inappropriate venue. Earlier this year parenting blogs were debating a Baltimore school that took 8th graders to a Hooter's for lunch while on a field trip.

Interim Pinellas superintendent John Stewart said being a waitress was "an honorable way to make a living." He said he worked as a 50-cent-an-hour soda jerk between high school and college, so he didn't see a problem with the Teach-In. But I'm not sure "being a waitress" is the issue. The place is called Hooters, after all. The waitresses wear tight T-shirts and skimpy shorts. Some parents dislike exposing their children to the stereotypes the restaurant invokes. Is that a valid concern?

Would you have a problem with a Hooters waitress doing the Teach-In or your school having a fundraiser there?

--Sharon Kennedy Wynne

Posted by Sharon Wynne at 2:56:54 pm on November 18, 2011 in

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Sharon Kennedy Wynne has sunscreen in her blood. She may have been born in Buffalo but she got here as fast as she could, in time for kindergarten. She grew up in St. Petersburg, graduated from the University of Florida journalism school, and even got married at Sunken Gardens. She's one of the few adults we know who actually loves taking her kids to the beach. She has two sons and with 10 years of parenting under her belt, she's starting to feel a little less out of her league. She comes from a large family and loves to debate, so brace yourself when the hot topics come up.

E-mail Sharon Kennedy Wynne:
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After six long years of trying to have a baby, Kate Brassfield was finally able to have one. And then, two minutes later, another one. Suddenly the lady who had never been around babies before was juggling two! Just as Kate felt she was getting pretty good with babies, the girls became toddlers, and now Kate is back to Square One, learning about the care and feeding of these strange, wonderful creatures. She spends her days working part-time from home and trying to keep up with the Twinosaurus Wrecks.

E-mail Kate Brassfield:
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Freelance writer Courtney Cairns Pastor wasn’t so sure about having kids and how she would balance child-rearing with her journalism career. It turned out that her journalism training went to good use. As the mom to a funny, active toddler, she learned to handle him like she did her sources. Never ask yes or no questions (the answer will always be no), get him to be specific (are you crying because you’re wet or your tooth hurts?) and be prepared for anything because no two days are the same. When she’s not playing trucks, Courtney crams for her book club, trains for races and occasionally bursts into showtunes. E-mail her at courtneyblogs@gmail.com.

Suzannah DiMarzio has it bad for the Mouse. Although she grew up outside of Boston, she took her degree in tourism management down to Orlando just to work at Disney and the travel industry. Of course, when she married her high school sweetheart, the reception was at Disney. She’s now a seasoned stay-at-home mom to two tweens and a toddler – and yes, that is as crazy as it sounds. Suzannah has her own blog, ZannaLand.com , and she's a member of the Walt Disney World Moms Panel in addition to being addicted to Twitter, iced coffee, and watching way too much Yo, Gabba Gabba.

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