On another post anon1 wrote:
"Another thing to take a look at is the possibility of uniforms. Waiting until new configurations are established to allow parents to vote on the topic should not be necessary. I am sorry to say Mrs. Colaizzi's objections to uniforms is all wet and has gotten old. Can't somebody convince her it is okay to lose a battle once in a while? I may have a faulty memory but I believe Mr. Brentley and Mrs. Colaizzi are in the same camp on the subject. You need only to watch the Excellence for All TV show and see the poise students in uniform project to know it is a good idea. Isn't there some data on the value somewhere?"
5 comments:
Personally I hate uniforms! After a year in a school with uniforms my daughter never wants to see navy pants or skirts again. Also students benefit from the experience of learning to dress themselves on a daily basis. In many colleges students do not shlub around in sweatpants like the old days. Males especially are much more conscious than in the past of the impression they project through their clothing.
I do see your points. Is you kid a good student? I honestly have seen how kids behavior improves while in uniform. We have buildings where we can ask staff what they think (I already have at Allegheny and Carmalt). My daughter wore them for 6 years and while she didn't like it she didn't make a super-sized fuss. I think the school was a good "fit" even if the uniform was not. I was at a college campus in a rural area of PA in early May and I asked one kid "when was the last time you had a shower?" Apparently I gotta improve my college picks. LOL
Maybe in some settings behavior will improve... but there may be a tradeoff if kids are unhappy. We already require them to get up much earlier than their biological clocks would indicate, and in some cases attend schools where they eat lunch as early as 10:30 in buildings that are windowless or have problems with temperature control. Bathrooms may be dirty... they have to jump in pools for swimming in the dead of winter with little time to get ready for the next class... they spend a lot of time filling in bubbles... If there is something that can make their days a little more pleasant, like wearing what they want to (within reason) I would give them that.
Here we go with the uniform issue yet again. If there is a problem with what kids are wearing to school, then perhaps the issue needs to be how to enforce a dress code. Do we need administrators time to be wasted enforcing hemlines and sagging pants? If the issue is how to get kids to take school as seriously as they can, then a semi professional dress code may help. Uniforms make me think of uniformity...all the same...
It depends on what age group you are talking about. In the elementary years, kids who dress up for school may take it more seriously and behave better, but middle and high school kids chafe at the restrictions. A sensible dress code (such as City Charter High uses) with a business casual focus seems reasonable to me.
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