Actually, the term "uniform" is somewhat of a misnomer in this case; it's not the plaid skirts and shirts-and-ties of some private schools, but rather something known as "standardized dress." Most places that use this idea require khaki or navy pants, shorts or skirts and an un-logoed polo-type shirt in a solid color such as red, white or blue. Proponents say that this policy helps minimize the socioeconomic differences between students, eliminate gang colors in schools, and promote a more disciplined learning environment. Opponents say that it stifles the students' individuality and creativity and note the expense ($3.8 million) that the DISD would have to incur to provide a uniform apiece for 123,000 needy students. (I also thought it was interesting that one article noted that the recommended style of dress might cause overweight students to look "frumpy and unfashionable.")
So this is another one I'm throwing out to the commenters: Good idea? Bad idea? I tend to side with the opposition on this one, just because I'm not even a really big fan of strict dress codes (but that's another post). I teach at one school that does this (and nine that don't), and I can't say that I really see that much difference in the way the kids act. It is a little visually jarring the first day; walking down a hallway where a whole bunch of kids had the red polo/khaki pants combination, I felt like I was awash in a sea of Super Target employees. And if Dallas does this, I really can't imagine it at Booker T., which tends to allow its artist/musician/dancer students to have things like blue hair, Mohawks, and so on; one Booker T. parent said that "uniforms teach our kids not to think."
Anyway, let me know your thoughts in the comments. Oh yeah, and if the title of this post confuses you, please try to watch this at your earliest convenience during this upcoming holiday weekend.
Here comes Peter Cottontail, hopping down the
UPDATE: It gets worse; a 13-year-old kid assaulted the Easter Bunny at a mall in Michigan and gave him a bloody nose. (via Dave Barry's Blog)
Gassed, part 3: My gas challenge from Monday (trying to pay less than $2 a gallon) may end with my next fill-up; even though I found some for $1.99 (and three cents off that with the club card) at a Tom Thumb yesterday, even the QT stations in the area are above two bucks today. *sigh*
2 comments:
I understand why uniforms may be needed, but I don't think they're the right solution. How can you tell the difference between the jocks, the nerds, the goths and the invisibles? Seriously, since school is a simulated microcosm of the outside world, do we really think that everybody wearing the same thing is the way to educate kids? Eventually kids will have to realize that people wear different clothes to express his/her personality. The more you repress in the educational infastructure, the more things are shocking when one is out of the infastructure (ie, graduates and gets a job).
As for gas, I filled up at one of the cheapest places I drive by on a regular basis: $2.05. My car is filthy and is screaming for a car wash, but I didn't want to pay more out of my nose. I hope some rain falls down this weekend . . .
"How can you tell the difference between the jocks, the nerds, the goths and the invisibles?"
I know that was said tongue-in-cheek, but Benjamin Dover brought that up the other day--making everyone look alike actually hinders administrators in keeping an eye on the Trench Coat Mafia and so on. Granted, you can't always judge someone by their appearance, but sometimes it's a good start in situations like that.
Those who support uniforms probably hope that changing the outside appearance of the kids will somehow change them on the inside, but it just seems like they're putting a pretty face on certain problems in the hope that they'll go away.
"My response is to set and enforce a dress code with some minimum standards of decency, but not to punish the 95% of familes who are involved and don't create the problem. "
I couldn't have said that better myself. That's one of the reasons that I never became a traditional classroom teacher--I can't fathom punishing an entire group for the misdeeds of the few.
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