(no subject)

[pantryslut]

Back to Sequoia for the school tour this morning. It would be easy to get to via public transportation, I'll say that much. (And that's a big thing!) Otherwise I am keeping my cards close to my chest if you don't mind, until I fill out the paperwork at least. Ask me in person.

Now I'm done with school visits for this week; next week, three more school events. Then I get a break for Thanksgiving. Then, back to the grind. School forms available in December and due in January.

One question for the masses, that I also posed to FB and Twitter: What do you think of school uniforms at the elementary level? (Sequoia doesn't have them; Glenview does. Other schools vary.) I have Opinions but they are informed by biases that may actually be blind spots, so.

Comments

[oyceter]

I went to school in Taiwan, where everyone has uniforms and some people pick schools partially based on what uniform them have.

My department was a weird mix, so we only wore uniforms in middle and high school 2 days a week. I know a lot of people there complained, but I also didn't mind that much. Okay, the bright pink shirt was super ugly but sometimes it was nice to not think about what you had to wear. (Also I was not a "cool" dresser and I knew it.) That said, we also had binary gendered uniforms in that the girls (using binary gendered nouns here since that was what the schools assumed) had the option of skirts or pants (skirts as a summer thing). I know there used to be hair regulations (boys got a military-esque cut, girls had to have a bob that didn't go past chin length), but they were looser in my generation than my mom's.

We also got our uniforms from a place that made school uniforms, so often the tailoring was terrible, as was the material (polyester in summer ick), as opposed to some US school dress codes I've seen, where you basically get your kid a white polo shirt and black pants or something? I think the latter provides more options for sizes and/or material and etc. whereas the former is obviously better for uniformity, heh.

YMMV?

[lucia]

I wore uniforms from first grade through the end of high school. I liked it.

Some people complain that it suppresses creativity and individuality. I didn't think so. I care a whole lot about my clothes. My fashion choices are a big part of how I present myself to the world, so I might not sound like the kind of person who liked wearing a uniform, but it eliminated the early-morning arguments with myself and/or my parents about what to wear. For all other events in life, I was free to create unique and perfect outfits, but for school, I didn't have to spend any time or energy thinking about it. It gave me a few extra minutes in the morning, because I never had to think about what to wear.

[wild_irises]

I have a personal tweak against school uniforms, never having worn them and finding them a little paramilitary in feel. That being said, they are very good for making income inequality less visible, and that's a huge thing.

[badgerbag]

I wore uniforms in 1st grade (plaid jumper with pleated skirt, white shirts) and kind of liked them. Because even though they were skirts it felt sort of military and butch to me and I liked pretending I was a soldier.

A. wore white shirt/black pants (sweaters had to be black or green to avoid gang colors) at her school for K-3 (this year she is in 4th) and it wasn't soul killing or particularly social-class-obscuring, but it also didn't feel cheaper to me than having her wear other clothes. IN fact, less cheap since I was rarely able to find thrift store uniform clothes but always able to find something awesome for her non-school clothes. the kmart "french toast" brand is not very nice feeling cloth though it was reasonably durable. I did a lot of scrounging of taller kids' uniforms and also made sure to pass down A.'s uniforms. The school PTA sometimes facilitated a clothes swap. The girls could wear skirts or pants, but A. was the only one who refused to wear skirts (past kindergarten) and I think she took some flak for always "dressing like a boy". A. prefers non-uniforms. We lay out clothes the night before, usually, and it's not a big decision process.

[malka]

I am not a parent and none of my schools required uniforms (although my high school's dress code required solid color polo shirts for a while), so take my opinion for what it's worth.

Provided they make adequate allowances for gender flexibility and for kids being kids, I don't think they're a problem. I'm sad to see little kids, especially little girls, being given day-to-day wear that doesn't support running around, hanging upside down, playing in the mud, and climbing trees.