School uniforms

Just curious as to what others thought about school uniforms. AFAIK the
plusses are that there's no social stratification and nobody worries about
what they're wearing to school, so it relieves a lot of social pressure.
The downside, IMO, is that it represses the individualism which is natural
to teenagers.

Do any of you have kids who have to wear uniforms to school? What do you
think of them?

Other comments?
--
ColoradoSkiBum

"ColoradoSkiBum" wrote in message
...
Just curious as to what others thought about school uniforms. AFAIK the
plusses are that there's no social stratification and nobody worries about
what they're wearing to school, so it relieves a lot of social pressure.
The downside, IMO, is that it represses the individualism which is natural
to teenagers.

Do any of you have kids who have to wear uniforms to school? What do you
think of them?

Other comments?
--
ColoradoSkiBum


I went to school in England and loved wearing a uniform. I didn't have to
worry about what I was wearing, I liked my after school clothes better too
cos I didn't wear them all the time, they lasted longer, kids can express
themselves through those clothes. Even still, there was competition among
girls with the uniform - who had a shorter skirt, tighter shirt, etc...Lol.

My kids do not have a school uniform, wish they did. They do go to a
Department of Defense school so mom or dad (or both) is military and the
kids have to get past them first anyway - lol. My husband wears a uniform
and I like that - less laundry

In article , ColoradoSkiBum says...

Just curious as to what others thought about school uniforms. AFAIK the
plusses are that there's no social stratification and nobody worries about
what they're wearing to school, so it relieves a lot of social pressure.
The downside, IMO, is that it represses the individualism which is natural
to teenagers.

Individualism isn't natural to teenagers.

Banty

: My husband wears a uniform
: and I like that - less laundry


ROFLMAO!!!
--
ColoradoSkiBum

: Individualism isn't natural to teenagers.

Yet I see more expressions of individualism in the public high schools where
I've taught. Wonder why that is.
--
ColoradoSkiBum

ColoradoSkiBum wrote:

Yet I see more expressions of individualism in the public high
schools where I've taught.

As opposed to what/where?

--
iphigenia
www.tristyn.net
"i have heard the mermaids singing, each to each.
i do not think that they will sing to me."

"iphigenia" wrote in message
...
: ColoradoSkiBum wrote:
:
: Yet I see more expressions of individualism in the public high
: schools where I've taught.
:
: As opposed to what/where?

Sorry, that should have been "many" expressions of individualism. When a
kid comes to school with an entire deck of playing cards stapled to the
front of his shirt, that's pretty individual (ized? istic?)...then again we
did think he was a bit nuts.... G
--
ColoradoSkiBum

In article , ColoradoSkiBum says...

: Individualism isn't natural to teenagers.

Yet I see more expressions of individualism in the public high schools where
I've taught. Wonder why that is.

But how much of that is really group identification?

Like, the umpteenth Goth that tells you she's expressing her individuality.

Shyaaah, right, like she came up with black lipstick thang.

It's really rebellion that's being expressed. The clothing styles are really
about which crowd they're identifying with. *Conformity* Sure, you'll see some
true originality with some truly creative kids, but by and large there's not
that much actual individuality and creativity to be lost by going to school
uniforms. And true creativity will out in other modes of expression.

Not that I think school uniforms are a panacea either. I just dont' buy the
'suppressed individual expression' argument against it.

Banty

On Mon, 6 Oct 2003 19:30:12 -0600, "ColoradoSkiBum"
wrote:

Just curious as to what others thought about school uniforms. AFAIK the
plusses are that there's no social stratification and nobody worries about
what they're wearing to school, so it relieves a lot of social pressure.
The downside, IMO, is that it represses the individualism which is natural
to teenagers.

Do any of you have kids who have to wear uniforms to school? What do you
think of them?

School uniforms are pretty much compulsory in most schools in
Australia. When I went to school the restrictions were pretty tight
(only certain styles of shirts and pants, stockings or socks but not
both, etc) but they seem to have loosened off a lot now. The only
things that are definite are that shoes have to be made of leather for
science, wood/metal work and home science classes, and that the
individual pieces of clothing have to be uniform colour. Generally
there is plenty of scope for individualism (or herd mentality) with
the shoes alone, then you have the wide variety of types of school
coloured shirts, school coloured pants, jumpers and socks etc to
factor in too.

I love uniforms, when DS#1 started preschool this year I bought what
amounted to a uniform for him so that I didn't have to label every
piece of clothing he has, so he couldn't argue with me about what
clothes to wear to preschool, and so he would always have _some_
clothes that weren't covered in paint or starting to wear in spots
from playing in the sandpit. When my children are all in school my
life will be much easier, I'll be the only person in the house who
doesn't wear a uniform


--
Cheryl
Mum to DS#1 (11 Mar 99), DS#2 (4 Oct 00)
and DD (30 Jul 02)

Banty wrote:

Not that I think school uniforms are a panacea either. I just dont' buy the
'suppressed individual expression' argument against it.

The "individual expression" argument is only ever voiced by
people who have never been in a school uniform situation.
Kids express their individuality through their personalities
and their interactions with other kids. My kids have had it
both ways, and I have found that there is ZERO loss of
individual expression when going to school uniforms. If
anything, school uniforms force kids to be more genuine and
more creative in their individual expressions.