School Uniforms

[aniT]

UGG!!! Culotte (sp) Skirts?? COME ON!!! There was an article in the paper today about how they were looking into having school uniforms. That in itself is bad enough but what were they suggesting the girls wear? CULOTTE SKIRTS!!!

Ok, I had to ask my mother what these were. She told me and I laughed and laughed and laughed. I have never in my life seen anyone under the age of 70 wear these. (no offense to anyone who may wear them but it is true that I have never seen anyone under this age wear them.) I am SO not on board with this and will fight the school if they try to enforce something of this nature.

The morality police at it again. I guess it fits right in with them trying to make my 8th grader promise to save sex until marriage.

Teach academics and leave morals to the parents.

[daylily]

I wore a uniform to school and I loved it. You didn't need to fuss over what to wear in the morning. There was less pressure to look cool. Uniforms are a great equalizer and create less morning hassle.
I don't think the schools are trying to influence your morals, just present a neat appearance. And I've read that discipline problems are fewer in schools where kids wear uniforms.

[fireant]

can the girls wear pants if they want or are they forced into coullots?

[Houdini]

Originally Posted by Marlow's mom

can the girls wear pants if they want or are they forced into coullots?

:

The schools here don't have uniforms, unless you go private.

The uniforms for the girls at those schools though have the choice of pants, shorts, or skirts.

[fireant]

Originally Posted by Houdini

:

The schools here don't have uniforms, unless you go private.

The uniforms for the girls at those schools though have the choice of pants, shorts, or skirts.

The uniforms only make me mad if they make one gender "weaker". I only say weaker because when I was a kid a skirt meant I couldn't play rough like I wanted. I had to sit out and be proper...blah!

[aniT]

Originally Posted by Houdini

:

The schools here don't have uniforms, unless you go private.

The uniforms for the girls at those schools though have the choice of pants, shorts, or skirts.

Right now they are just exploring the option. The girls will have the choice to wear slacks or culotte skirts.

It is not because of the uniforms that I say they are trying to influence morals but rather the choice of cloths they want to give the girls to wear. No normal skirts, just very ugly slacks or culotte skirts which is what my 70+ year old aunt wears. I have never even seen my 50+ year old mother wear them so I would say they are something people who grew up in the 40's/50's wear.

I don't agree with school uniforms but I would not be as opposed to them if they were giving the girls a reasonable choice in cloths.

[fireant]

I feel mixed about uniforms. I was really poor as a kid and teased about my clothes. I'm not sure if uniforms would have helped. But also I guess they kind of creap me out in the way that other uniforms creap me out...no individuality.

I definitely am against the whole girls in skirty things or any forced gender assigning.

I think I wore a pair of coulottes in the 1st or 2nd grade. It was a little plade suit with a blazer....but this was in '84 or '85. I don't think people still wear them on purpose.

[Cassandra M.]

Our daughter is in kindergarden at a charter school, and she wears uniforms. She has a choice between pants, shorts, skirt, jumpers, etc. No jeans, and navy in color. And their shirts have to have collars and be white, red, or light blue.
I really love it! I watch my 8 yr old neice, who is in public school, and she says she has already been teased for wearing certain clothing, comes home and asks her mom for certain brand name clothing....there's already attention to dress with kids at that age. I feel glad to avoid all that.
I think uniforms help keep the emphasis on learning and connecting with others, instead of focusing on differences and being cool. JMO.

[bdavis337]

Personally, I love the idea of uniforms and I wish my son's school did them. 2 of the 10 public elementaries in town use uniforms. It would save me from hearing "Mummy no please let me wear Spiderman to school today", and I do think that it helps keep the focus on what's important and off what they're wearing.

However, I do think that if the boys are given the option to wear shorts that girls should also have that option.

[fireant]

I wish I had a uniform to wear to work!

Then no one would be keeping track at how often I wear the same outfit.

[USAmma]

I love my dd's charter school and chose it in part because of the uniform policy. However they do have choices with the uniform. Cullottes (sp?) are soooo out of date.

At my dd's school they have a choice of red or white shirt, polo or blouse, slacks, shorts, skorts, or jumpers. Also black or white shoes. In the winter, red, blue, or white tights for skirts, skorts, and jumpers. The kids all look great and stylish. My dd has 3 outfits with winter/summer variations. It's great to have her know exactly what to wear, and that her friends are going to be wearing it too. So it's no big deal for her.

I'm glad they have uniforms at dd's school because it really cuts down on the disparity of rich and poor. Kids of all income levels go there and you don't know who belongs to which kind of family. With the older kids, I'm glad to not see them wearing sexualized clothing like I do at the elementary school down the street. But yeah, making them wear something out of Little House on the Praire is a little extreme.

[kewb]

School uniforms don't bother me. Forced skirt wearing would bother me.

I loved my Culottes when I was a kid.

[crazy_eights]

Culottes are actually back in style. I went shopping for my dd and had a problem finding a real skirt b/c so many of the dressier outfits were culottes. I think that coulottes are supposed to be an alternative to slacks that don't restrict play and make girls have to sit on the side b/c they are wearing a skirt.

My kids went to a school with a uniform and everyone loved it for all the reasons mentioned above. I wish the school they were in now would get with the program, but there is a very vocal minority that is opposed b/c 'it will suppress their creativity'. I find it interesting that all the parents opposed are wealthy and have kids who are setting the trends. Think Abercrombie and American Eagle. Gee, isn't that 'creative' and 'original' .

[crazy_eights]

OK, I stand corrected - "gauchos" or "split skirts" are in. But they are basically the same thing. From Macy's and Dillard's.

[menudo]

The only part of wearing unifroms I hated asa kid in Catholic school was the flimsy make they used! The wrap around skirts whose buttons never stayed on right (wore shorts under daily). And the see thru button up shirts-hell for girls in puberty. I always said they'd be great if they were confortable and realistic. I hated worrying everyday when I went to public school!

The uniforms have improved and many schools allow pants for girls. Oh and when we had to wear skirts back we were told we could bring sweats in the winter and such to wear during recess.

I think people over think the reasons uniforms on many occasions. In Catholic and public schools I have never seen them stop individuality. Accesories, purses, hair, shoes, etc. definately showed individuality. and in HS at least one day a week wasa casual day (ie. no uniform).

And my DD has been teased for her clothes already-last year at age 8!

[ashleyhaugh]

they put my middle school in uniforms in 8th grade, and i HATED it... with a passion. my mom hated them too- they went crazy and tried to control everything from socks to shoes to hair bands to earrings, but thankfully my mom is a parent who has no problem going up to the school and talking to the principal. a story- the summer before 8th grade the letter went out stating what was allowed and what wasnt. my mom bought me a cool pair of nice sandals (we're from houston, so they're good for most of the year, lol) i got to school on the first day, they did uniform check in 1st period, and i got sent to the office!! appearantly they sent out another note saying sandals werent allowed, but it didnt make it to everyone for some reason. my mom went and talked to the principal, and basically said she paid for these for school, she got nothing saying i couldnt wear them, so i was gonna wear them, lol... the principla gave me a note to keep with my stuff saying it was ok, lol

our school had a choice between navy blue and a very ugly plaid bottoms- skirt, pants, shorts that were all the way to the knee and looked really bad (and im not one to wear shorts at all, i dont think i have in years aside from pjs, so im not advicating daisy dukes or anything, lol) and jumpers like this that i think are ugly. shirts could only be white and had to be collared polo's or button down, also with a collar

it didnt change the "clothes wars" people could still tell if you were poorer, like we were. you could tell the difference in quality of the clothes.

i HATE uniforms, and im gonna be hard pressed to find a school without them when we have kids, because i dont know how it is in the rest of the country, but in houston nearly all of the public elementary and middle schools are in uniforms

[Ruthla]

Originally Posted by Marlow's mom

The uniforms only make me mad if they make one gender "weaker". I only say weaker because when I was a kid a skirt meant I couldn't play rough like I wanted. I had to sit out and be proper...blah!

Originally Posted by mom2seven

Culottes are actually back in style. I went shopping for my dd and had a problem finding a real skirt b/c so many of the dressier outfits were culottes. I think that coulottes are supposed to be an alternative to slacks that don't restrict play and make girls have to sit on the side b/c they are wearing a skirt.

My girls have worn skirts quite a bit since they were walking, and I know plenty of families who put girls in skirts/jumpers/dresses exclusively from age 3 on or from age 5 on.

I've seen these skirt-clad little girls climbing all over the playground, running, etc- the skirts don't slow them down! A lot of them do wear shorts, capris, or very thick tights under the skirts for modesty when they're hanging upside down from the jungle gym or doing cartwheels.

If you're OK with the general idea of uniforms but object to the "girls can't wear pants" part of the rule, and it's not yet been implemented at your DD's school, then let your voice be heard! This sounds like it's not a religious school where there might be a religious reason for girls to not wear pants, so there's no reason the uniform policy can't include nice slacks in the approriate colors as another option for the girls.

[Nickarolaberry]

Originally Posted by mom2seven

OK, I stand corrected - "gauchos" or "split skirts" are in. But they are basically the same thing. From Macy's and Dillard's.

Oy. Those are seriously ugly.

Anyway, dd goes to a school with a uniform. It's a private religious girls' school and the choices are....navy blue jumper or navy blue skirt with white, light blue, or grey long sleeve top. Skirts are at least 2" below the knee. Tights or knee socks (non-specified) and shoes have to have closed toes and heels (no high heels). So dd has very colorful tights and sparkly pink sneakers.

I : the uniform thing. Makes my mornings WAY easier. Everything goes with everything else.

None of the girls in dd's school (or any of the others around here, that I can see) have any troubles romping around/playing in skirts. Anyway most of them wear skirts from age 5 on all the time. They wear tights or shorts underneath if they're hanging from the junglegym, etc. for reasons of modesty, but they are plenty athletic even with the skirts. They play a mean game of machanayim (dodge ball, sort of) etc.

Regardless, if that's not an issue at the school then the girls should get the same choices the boys do. But those culottes, man, they are a serious fashion mistake.

[angelpie545]

I think school uniforms are a bad idea, through and through. They discourage individuality and take the kid's choices of what to wear away. What the kids wear needs to be up to the parents/kids. There are some benefits to the uniforms, but it's not enough to convince me.

[lab]

My ds is in a public middle school and wears uniforms. Or a very strict dress code - whatever you want to call it

I LOVE IT!

Khaki pants or capris. No pockets, cargos etc. White, green or blue shirts. That's it. Shirts must be tucked in at all times.

You actually get suspended if your shirt is not tucked in. Your winter coat must be blue green or white as well. Very strict.

Interestingly enough, the principal used to allow jeans on Friday for kids who paid $1. She cancelled it because on those Fridays only; in school suspensions, out of school suspension, lunch detention, belligerent behavior etc increased.