School uniforms?
 

Just wondering where you all stand on the issue of school uniforms.

I was having this discussion with my mother yesterday. She is very much in favor of school uniforms, for some good reasons: they ensure that kids are dressed appropriately (no baggy jeans, sneakers, etc), and they hide the fact that some kids can't afford the latest fashions or name brands because everyone's wearing the same thing.

I am not in favor of school uniforms. I attended Catholic school through fifth grade, and had to wear a heavy wool pinafore even in 90-degree heat (and of course, the school did not have A/C). I feel that uniforms stifle kids' creativity and freedom to choose clothes that actually look good on them and that they're comfortable in.

However, I am in favor of stricter dress codes. Blouses and skirts or slacks for girls, shirts and slacks for boys. No jeans, sneakers, or printed t-shirts. Kids get to wear colors they look good in and choose fabrics that are appropriate for the day's weather, but at the same time they're dressed appropriately for school.

On a side note, I wonder who will be first - cashmoney, Rudey, or Imthachamp - to make a comment about naughty Catholic schoolgirls... ;)

I would say OK to uniforms, but have a summer and winter one for the kids' comfort.

What I'm NOT in favor of: the semi-uniform dress codes that say you have to wear navy/white/khaki polos & pants. You just end up hating those colors. If you are going to hate something it might as well be something you will never wear again (i.e. a uniform). Plus, uniforms all come from the same place. You know who has on the Kmart pants and who has the Ralph Lauren ones. That defeats the purpose.

I blame this on parents who can't say no to their kids when they walk out of the house looking like hookers. :p

I agree with uniforms. I went to public schools, but attended Catholic school (with uniforms) one year. Wearing a uniform does not rob a student of self expression. If you honestly want to express yourself, there are certainly many other ways to do so. I'm now watching my little brother and sister (12 and 13 years old) attend public school, and deal with kids treating each other differently because of what they wear. It breaks my heart that kids are so superficial, they can't get past appearance. While uniforms wouldn't change that all together, it would be a step towards it.

I attended Catholic school for 13 years and I didn't have a problem with my uniform. Sure, it was ugly and mostly itchy, but it saved a lot of money for my mom, and it meant I could sleep in an extra 5-10 minutes each morning because I didn't have to worry about what I was about to wear to school.

I don't believe one second that school uniforms prevent students from expressing their individuality. There are far more avenues to do so than when I was going to school.

Right now I can name at least five PUBLIC schools in my area that enforce a school uniform policy. This policy was brought about in response to the amount of "wrestling" paraphenalia that was running rampant throughout the school. No plaid skirts and crisp blouses here, though. Parents and the faculty/staff of the schools unanimously voted to enforce the uniforms: t-shirts and polo shirts with the school logo and khaki shorts. The kids seem to like it too.

Many other public schools are catching on to the trend too. :)

My daughter's school have both winter and spring/summer uniforms. I think that definitely makes the students a lot more comfortable knowing that they have the option of wearing a short-sleeve polo shirt and walking shorts when it's like May and 75-80 degrees outside. :)

Most public elementary schools in NYC have adopted the uniform system. Kids here begin wearing uniforms from the time that they enter day-care (most day-care/developmental centers have long adopted the uniform system).

I wore a uniform for 8 years in Catholic school.
We had navy shorts until Nov.1 and after April 1....all year round we wore pleated plaid skirts,and either a v neck sweater or a white polo. All had to come from the uniform store, which made it so easy to get dressed every day. I loved it. My only complaint was when it was literally 40 below in winter, and we had to wear skirts and BARE legs....any tights or anything and it was detention time. :mad:

As far as hiding who could afford nicer clothes, you forget that kids still wear Nikes to school on gym day and carry North Face backpacks....it was nice for the money issue to not be so obvious but trust me, its something that always sneaks in....

When I was in grade school I went to a private school which had uniforms. I hated them then, but now I wish I still had them. At least then I didn't have to worry about picking out an outfit to wear every day. It really was more of a convience to me. Plus I didn't have to worry about buying the expensive clothes to fit in with everyone.

Here's a Friday laugh for all y'all!
 

I think I had the ugliest uniform out of all of you! Picture the berets on our heads on the days we had Catholic mass. My school was established by French priests and nuns if you couldn't tell.

http://www.seemesmile.com/photos4/2519157a.jpg

It's so true about what you said about the shoes. You could tell who had the Nike/Adidas vs. the Sketchers and the Keds. And don't even get me started on the backpacks. It wasn't North Face at my school... it was Roxy/Quiksilver/Billabong. If you had an el cheapo Jansport...you didn't amount to anything. :rolleyes:

my high school had uniorms. it sucked. that was mainly because the school told us to wear khaki skirts (girls), slacks (boys) and almost any color polo or oxford shirts. i thought the uniforms were pointless, cause some students got to wear tommy hilfiger, ralph lauren, and abercrombie while other students wore kmart and target.

uniforms are a great idea. i think you should be free to choose between shorts, skirts and pants any day, regardless of the season. that way kids can be comfortable.

yes, some kids will still have expensive backpacks and sneakers but that's much better than having all that AND expensive clothing. at least the clothing will be the same.

I didn't care for uniforms, but those of you who favor them bring up some great points.

Re: Here's a Friday laugh for all y'all!
 

OH MA GAWWWWWWWWWWWWWWWWWWWD.

I mean, those are hot:rolleyes:
LMAO OTW I'm sure they were cute....but it's one of those things, by the time you get to your preteen stage, not so much.

I think school uniforms are a great idea. I also don't agree that they stiffle kids' creativity. There's nothing creative about coming to school looking like a dime store hooker or wearing a shirt that says "Jesus is a C***" (yeah there was a guy at my highschool that wore that shirt quite frequently).

I think that uniforms are a good idea. I believe this only because parents aren't monitoring what their kids wear. My parents are both teachers and when I see what kids are wearing to school it is absolutely disgusting.It is amazing how many times they have sent kids to the office for wearing pants below their ass or shirts that show their misdrif. They are 4th graders!!! Parents need to take responsiblity for what their children wear.
When was younger I remember my parents not always letting me wear what I wanted to wear but I realize it was for the better.

Re: Re: Here's a Friday laugh for all y'all!
 

Yeah girl. Those ties used to get hooked onto doorknobs and desks and when that happened...it was not fun.

My niece attends the Academy now, and it pisses me off to know that they have so many "free dress days" during the year. The school enforced uniform SOCKS my senior year because no one listened when we were told to cuff our socks. If the Board approves of it, it looks like the girls will soon have uniform SHOES. Long live the Academy.

i only think uniforms are a good idea cause i am not in grade school anymore. i am going to be an elementary teacher, so i am not sure if i want to teach at an uniform wearing school.

Is that our very own Sandy in the front row? ;)

My district didn't have a uniform plan, but now it does. Monday-Thursday, my niece wears a school shirt (they have a lot of different ones that they can order, all abour $6 a piece) with khakis. They have clear backpacks, so you don't see any problems with backpack brand, either. Friday, they can wear whatever they want as long as it fits in with the county dress cose.

As for me, I don't really care, but this is probably because I don't have children yet. :)

WOW that's cheap.
My skirt was 45, and then 65 when I got into adult sizes.
The polos were 23 a piece.
V neck sweater- 41.50.

Keep in mind you have to have more than one of everything.

You all bring up a lot of valid points in favor of uniforms.

I was actually exposed to both extremes - uniforms in Catholic school, then I transferred to a public school where there was no dress code at all (at least, not one that was enforced). People did show up dressed like hookers :rolleyes: and in some circles you had to have the "right" clothes to be accepted.

This is why I favor dress codes - a middle-of-the-road approach. The kids can be comfortable while also being dressed appropriately for school. You might even take it a step further and get more specific on the brands of acceptable clothes - sort of a "uniform" with more options - which would address the income issue, at least somewhat.

At a bare minimum, the outfits should be nicely designed, and there should be a warm-weather and cool-weather option. Sitting in a green-and-brown-plaid wool pinafore, blouse, tie, and wool knee-high socks in an un-airconditioned classroom in 90-degree heat is NOT FUN - especially when you have to look at your teacher who is wearing a nice lightweight cotton dress or suit!

I work in a private high school where we have uniforms. I think they are cute! Our students have more options than most other schools around us, but everything has to be bought through a central store.

Basically, guys can wear khaki or navy blue pants. Girls can wear khaki, navy blue or a plaid skirt. We even added this cute little plaid sarong/skort thing this year. Everyone wears polos in different colors or button down oxford shirts in plain white or blue striped.

I can honestly tell you that I would much rather have gone to a school that had uniforms than mine that subjectively enforced the dress code. My senior year we were supposed to only wear shorts that were two inches above our knees. :rolleyes:

You can't complain until you're a six foot tall female who has to follow a rule like that. :) I basically had to hang it up on nthe shorts, since I could never find ones long enough.

I like the idea of uniforms from a central supplier. Just any old khakis gets too complicated, IMHO.

I agree! I can look around the hallway anytime and know if someone is not supposed to be there because everyone wears the same thing. It's great, from a teacher's perspective.

Well, it's a public school and they're in elementary school. I guess they want to level the playing field for everyone so some kids aren't prohibited from having more than 2 or 3 based on price. I think the more you buy, the less they are, which is good for families with lots of kids.

If my son doesn't go to an exclusive school wear he has a cool crest on his blazer, I think I'd be upset.

-Rudey

Actually OTW those are kind of soccer-y looking. :)

I think a lot of the dress-code enforcement depends on where you go to school as well. I'm from a small town/small high school and even if I would have snuck a miniskirt to school and changed, all the teachers who knew my parents (which was most of them) would have let them know. But now if the teachers say anything they'll more than likely get their asses handed to them by the parents instead of the parents agreeing.