Yea.... But cute clothes. Because kids are totally going to school to show off cute clothes. Stop.
Sadly it was that way in my school. Having the cutest clothes and the latest fashion contributed very strongly to a hierarchy.
This wasn't directed to you.
I get that clothes create a hierarchy. Lots of things create social separation and hierarchy. Are the shoes they wear going to be one certain plain style of shoe, too? I'm not on board with blanket uniforms for high school.
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jsillyfun I also grew up in an area where uniforms were pretty restricted to a few uber religious private schools, so I get where you're coming from on that front, but that's absolutely not the case everywhere. A lot of the public schools here are uniform only.
However, I find the but cute clothes!/what about self expression? argument to be an overtly ridiculous benefit of the privileged. Uniforms level the playing field for everyone, and turn the focus toward school. A financial inability to "fit in" in terms of clothing can be devastating for kids, both socially and academically. Removing that hurdle can only benefit the majority.
Self-expression versus "cute clothes" really isn't equatable, in my eyes. Clothing absolutely is a form of self-expression and it doesn't just involve being privileged.
ETA: My parents didn't have much money at all when I was growing up. I remember it being a big deal to go to WalMart with my dad because I could talk him into buying me a sweat suit outfit and a cheap scarf . I would turn into my own creation to wear to school.
Not everyone has your self confidence. The kids in my town knew what was from Kmart and what was from The Buckle (lol ... Is that even around anymore?).
I get that clothes create a hierarchy. Lots of things create social separation and hierarchy. Are the shoes they wear going to be one certain plain style of shoe, too? I'm not on board with blanket uniforms for high school.
True. I guess all things can and will contribute. When I think back on it though, not having to wear the Kmart jeans while everyone else had Gap would have helped me a lot. The self conscious feelings I had over my clothes was pretty intense at times and kids were definitely mean about them.
I remember being so embarrassed about my cheap ass clothes.
Dorothy Zbornak That's assuming in middle and high school I had self confidence- that I was never made fun of, no one ever threatened to beat me up, no one threw acid on my car, no one wrote a poem about me and threw thousands of copies of it all over the school grounds and that I was never called names on a daily basis.
Dorothy Zbornak That's assuming in middle and high school I had self confidence- that I was never made fun of, no one ever threatened to beat me up, no one threw acid on my car, no one wrote a poem about me and threw thousands of copies of it all over the school grounds and that I was never called names on a daily basis.
Dorothy Zbornak That's assuming in middle and high school I had self confidence- that I was never made fun of, no one ever threatened to beat me up, no one threw acid on my car, no one wrote a poem about me and threw thousands of copies of it all over the school grounds and that I was never called names on a daily basis.
I would like to go back in time and punch them. Repeatedly. Disgusting human beings.
How to school uniforms work? Is it a very specific THING you have to buy? Or do you get to choose your khaki pants, for example, to fit your body type?
I just realized I always said I'd never be a mail carrier because the pants look HELLA UNCOMFORTABLE.
I'd like my kids to be comfortable.
It's different everywhere, but from what I understand in this case, it's guidelines. Khakis or jeans, no holes or designs. Choice of 4 colored polo shirts, no logos. And a belt. There's discussion on whether shirts should be tucked in. Shorts would also have to be fingertip length. So they can but the necessary gear anywhere. Just has to fit the parameters
Dorothy Zbornak That's assuming in middle and high school I had self confidence- that I was never made fun of, no one ever threatened to beat me up, no one threw acid on my car, no one wrote a poem about me and threw thousands of copies of it all over the school grounds and that I was never called names on a daily basis.
Well, those fuckers can rot in hell.
Yea... It took me awhile, but I forgive them. I have had two apologize. I still don't know if I will ever attend a high school reunion. If alcohol were involved I might not be able to keep my mouth shut to some. LOL
My boys (and DD will too, when she gets to PreK) both wear uniforms to school. We are permitted to purchase anywhere, they just have to fit certain parameters. No logos (not enforced, DS1's first year, I ripped all the brand name tags off of the pants, then said to hell with it.), no holes, appropriate in length, no shorts between November 1 and March 31. They have the choice of navy, light blue, and white for shirts. Every shirt has to have a collar (no tees), but can be turtleneck, polo, or button up, any style is accepted. Pants have to be in good repair (no holes, no excessive fraying at the hem), shorts have to be acceptable in length, and both shorts and pants can be khaki or navy. Girls are allowed to wear polo dresses, jumpers, skorts, skirts, as well as the same allowable pants and shorts that the boys have. They can wear whatever shoes, as long as they are not slip-ons. Socks, hair accessories, belts (required for 3rd grade and up), tights, all of that is whatever you want to wear as long as it has nothing offensive on it. (I would assume this would include foul language, liquor slogans, tobacco slogans, etc.)
They attend private Catholic school, and I think that it has been a great experience for them. They still have an extensive wardrobe, but that's because I enjoy dressing them, and claim it as my hobby. DD's closet will likely become MUCH more manageable once she gets to PreK. (I'm sure my H can't wait, lol.) Our school offers "trade in" for uniforms, basically, you can drop off your old uniform clothes, and pick up new ones in whatever size you need. I haven't participated yet, since I save whatever is salvageable from DS1 for DS2, but will likely begin when DS2 starts outgrowing things.
As far as the saving money aspect goes, yeah, no. It does NOT save us money. I find the material of the pants to be horrific when paired with two active boys on a playground. Jeans would be so much easier to manage, since they would hold up better. I feel like I'm searching for slim cut pants every other month to replace the ones they ripped up. The good part is, I have my mom cut the ripped ones off into shorts and hem them so I never have to buy shorts. Silver Lining!
Uniforms in public school would be met with wailing and gnashing of teeth here. It just wouldn't fly, because it isn't what has always been done. I can see both sides in public school. As a parent it is my responsibility to ensure that they arrive daily in appropriate clothing. I can see why it would feel an infringement on my parenting for someone to tell me what my kid HAS to wear if I didn't knowingly choose that in a school. I don't know how I would react, honestly. I would have hated it as a kid. I also see the very important benefit it can have to the school as a whole, and support that as well.
I'm in favor of a simple, affordable uniform. It makes it so much easier to not have to think about or discuss clothes and really lets kids focus on school.
Dorothy Zbornak That's assuming in middle and high school I had self confidence- that I was never made fun of, no one ever threatened to beat me up, no one threw acid on my car, no one wrote a poem about me and threw thousands of copies of it all over the school grounds and that I was never called names on a daily basis.
I would like to go back in time and punch them. Repeatedly. Disgusting human beings.
It sucked. I'm actually about to cry thinking about it all. LOL
It really blows my mind because I went to a high school that focused on the arts so we were all pretty much either extremely intelligent or very artistically gifted. I feel like creative people are usually super sensitive to each other, but apparently not at 14-18.
My dad got special permission to come eat lunch with me at school for 9th and 10th grade. We used to either eat in his car or sometimes he would take me to this Chinese place down the street. I don't regret getting that time with him.
I dressed as " Carrie" my senior year for Halloween. LOL
High school is terrible. I will do everything in my power to make sure my kids are kind and sensitive to their peers. With things I see in the news I am truly terrified sometimes.... Sometimes, I get scared the level of empathy in this age group has become even worse.
How to school uniforms work? Is it a very specific THING you have to buy? Or do you get to choose your khaki pants, for example, to fit your body type?
I just realized I always said I'd never be a mail carrier because the pants look HELLA UNCOMFORTABLE.
I'd like my kids to be comfortable.
It's different everywhere, but from what I understand in this case, it's guidelines. Khakis or jeans, no holes or designs. Choice of 4 colored polo shirts, no logos. And a belt. There's discussion on whether shirts should be tucked in. Shorts would also have to be fingertip length. So they can but the necessary gear anywhere. Just has to fit the parameters
Our code requires tucked in and belt beginning in 3rd grade. I believe the thought was that the younger students would have a tough time in the bathroom, keeping their shirts tucked in, etc. Might be an option in your school.
Post by monkeybabe on Apr 17, 2015 10:39:44 GMT -5
This stuff makes me sort of glad that I lived in a community where 90% of people were very poor, everyone got their clothes at walmart. Yeah, the super popular kids wore nicer clothes, but they were such a minority it was basically whatever. I'm all for uniforms, however. We now live in an area where, by the time Zoe's in HS, there will definitely be huge gaps. As long as no one forces my kid to wear skirts, just because she has a vagina, I'm a-okay with a strict code for clothing.
I would like to go back in time and punch them. Repeatedly. Disgusting human beings.
It sucked. I'm actually about to cry thinking about it all. LOL
It really blows my mind because I went to a high school that focused on the arts so we were all pretty much either extremely intelligent or very artistically gifted. I feel like creative people are usually super sensitive to each other, but apparently not at 14-18.
My dad got special permission to come eat lunch with me at school for 9th and 10th grade. We used to either eat in his car or sometimes he would take me to this Chinese place down the street. I don't regret getting that time with him.
I dressed as " Carrie" my senior year for Halloween. LOL
High school is terrible. I will do everything in my power to make sure my kids are kind and sensitive to their peers. With things I see in the news I am truly terrified sometimes.... Sometimes, I get scared the level of empathy in this age group has become even worse.
I love that your dad did that. That's something my dad would have done too
We were forced to wear skirts. At first they were short skirts (to the knee) but people kept rolling them up higher and higher, including me (self expression lol?) and then we had to wear these hideous ankle length skirts even in summer! But it doesn't get very warm in ireland usually.
they've since become less sexist and my little sister is able to wear pants as part of her uniform.
I don't really want my kids to wear the uniform I wore, it wasn't very comfortable. I mean thinking about wearing that to work now is HORRIFYING becuase of the long skirt but also the button down long sleeved shirt. I hate button down shirts. but I'd love if there was a uniform that was comfortable and affordable
I am terrified of bullying. I was bullied my fair share but it was more... "ok" bullying where everyone kind of had a bit of it. the targeted truly evil behavior I hear about sometimes is appalling to me. It makes me fear for my kids going to school. Public, private, uniforms or no I don't know that I can save them from this.
I wasn't very popular I had a few friends, just was sort of nobody/blended in which was cool really. At least I didn't fear coming to school each day
I'm a fan of uniforms in general, as long as they are affordable, easily obtainable, and not sexist (i.e. boys can wear shorts but girls MUST wear skirts, etc). DD's preschool overseas will require them and I'm kind of psyched. I remember wishing we had them back in high school because some of my friends got majorly teased for their clothes (and I honestly don't know why I didn't - I wore a lot of the same stuff and wasn't particularly "stylish", maybe just lucky that my biggest bullied days were behind me and I DGAF by then?). I get the self-expression argument but would prefer to work with my kids to find another outlet (weekends? jewlery? hair?).
That said, uniforms don't eliminate clothing-based teasing either. Kids will know whose shoes are from Payless and who is wearing Tory Burch flats. I do think it overall evens the playing field though.
I'm sorry that happened @therealmc. It's baffling how kids can be so cruel to each other. (((((((Hugs))))))) The meanness people have had to endure breaks my heart.
Maybe the uniform debate solution is to have a free wear what you want day once a month or something.
are there dress codes in most schools though? Having grown up somewhere where uniforms were just what everyone wore, my only reference is TV/movies where girls dress kind of sluttishly and such. Does that actually happen?
so if my high school daughter came to school wearing a pair of short shorts and a spagetti strap top that showed cleavage would that be allowed?
I do see girls around who look to be early teens/tweens dressed as I would consider "not appropriately" but I'm not sure if they change into that after school...
Also, if a school is going to go with uniforms, they need to go all the way with it. The whole "any shorts as long as they are this length and any polo as long as it's one of these 3 colors" is basically the worst of both worlds.
I guess I'm not following here? How is it different to get a navy polo shirt from Target, or from JCPenney? They're both navy....neither has a logo? How is that a problem?
are there dress codes in most schools though? Having grown up somewhere where uniforms were just what everyone wore, my only reference is TV/movies where girls dress kind of sluttishly and such. Does that actually happen?
so if my high school daughter came to school wearing a pair of short shorts and a spagetti strap top that showed cleavage would that be allowed?
I do see girls around who look to be early teens/tweens dressed as I would consider "not appropriately" but I'm not sure if they change into that after school...
I actually would never send my kid to a school with uniforms. I think they aren't cute and I want to have my kid in clothes that are more fun. (I'm thinking the ones that are just like white polos and blue pants). Boring! The catholic schools have cute uniforms but we would never do religious school. I also in general (at least in my area) see a correlation between uniforms and other strict comportment guidelines. Like the schools with uniforms make you do weird things like keep your hands folded at all times or whatever. I'm more of a damn the man kind of girl.
I see a correlation between this post and nonsense (at least in my area).
I guess I'm not following here? How is it different to get a navy polo shirt from Target, or from JCPenney? They're both navy....neither has a logo? How is that a problem?
Because some kids are going to get clothes from more expensive stores and some kids are going to get used Kmart polos from Goodwill? I think kids will notice the difference.
Huh. This is how it works at our school, and I really feel like you can't tell. Yes, obviously some kids have more worn items, but that's unavoidable. They're not supposed to have any logo on them, but most stores that sell "uniform" clothing don't put logos on them for that purpose. Admittedly, we do send the boys in pants that might have a label above the pocket, but I'm not cutting that shit off every time, since that isn't enforced. (Per the principal)