View Full Version : First day of the new dress code....
At Brit's middle school. Not a uniform per se, but a uniform dress code. Black, navy or khaki slacks/capris/skirts/shorts, white, navy or black top with a collar, no stripes or little alligators or stuff like that.
So she gets home from school today and I asked her how it went, her words "Pretty good, I looked better than everyone else did"
racer2c
10-31-06, 12:23 AM
My wife and I were just talking about how we wish our daughters high school went with uniforms. It's a constant fasion show from Ab&Fitch and Hollister.
Andrew Longman
10-31-06, 05:09 AM
I head my kid's school board and a dress code such as that has been talked about for years. It seems a lot of schools are doing it and it works very well. Also helps with issues of showing a little too much cleavage and thong as well as cutting down on the clothing that gets stolen.
Depsite all that the parents overwhelmingly hate the idea. They seem to want to have this battle with their kids and spend the money to help them keep up the Joneses
My last one's a senior in high school this year so I don't care anymore. If I had younger ones the dresscode seems like a pretty good idea to me. Some of the stuff I've seen those girls in at my sons high school was pretty risque. I'll never forget my Sophmore year in high school when Pam McDonald came to school with NO BRA ON!! :eek: Oh baby. 16 years old and she could fill a halter top to overflowing. W00t !
WickerBill
10-31-06, 05:51 AM
First off, that's a hilarious story, rocket.
I'm one of those "fight it to the death" parents, albeit for elementary school. I was chair of the school board at my kids last school and was able to successfully shoot down the "vocal minority" who were demanding uniforms. Now, my kids are at a new school which just introduced a new principal who said uniforms are a must. I'm 9/10ths of the way to getting that one shot down too, by rallying the more sane parents to my side. Here are my reasons (keep in mind... this is K-5th):
1. Their main goal is to reduce peer pressure -- peer pressure will be there no matter what. If it isn't clothes it will be ipods or backpacks or how new mom's Hummer H2 is that she dropped the kid off in.
2. Their second stated goal is to improve self-esteem -- my retort is that I would rather my children learn that they aren't the richest kid in school when they are in first grade rather than when they go to junior high. Unless my smarm-o-gram* really takes off and sells a million units, my kids will never look like rich kids, and that's fine with me. But I would rather my daughter come home and say "Dad, Susie Secondgrader has a $90 pair of jeans that I want" so I can explain to her the value of money and how different people make different amounts and choose to spend differently -- than to have her walk into her first day of sixth grade, a terribly uncomfortable time for girls anyway, and realize that not everyone is "on her level", and have to deal with it then.
3. They finally say this will be "easier on the staff" -- so the real reason comes out! They don't want to enforce what they have in place, they would rather the parents fork out a ton of money to replace entire wardrobes of young children so it is easier on the staff. You know what? Suck it up, enforce what you've got; the school uniforms they want us to buy are $30 for pants, $36 for skirts, $18 for shirts, and I'll be a monkey's uncle if I'm letting my kid go play on your muddy playground in khaki pants that cost me $30 a pop just so a teacher or office lady doesn't have to confront a kid in "swishy pants". GRRRR. Call me cheap if you want, but this is a private school and I'm already dropping well over $700 a month for my kids to go there; I don't need to quadruple my clothing bill as well. Lazy.
* That's not the real name of my invention that's going to make me millions.
Spicoli
10-31-06, 08:51 AM
I was in college before i was out of uniforms in school.
My kids - the same route.:thumbup:
TrueBrit
10-31-06, 08:58 AM
K-5 fair enough...the little dirt devils can get their lovely new uniforms messed up in a hurry, but after that, it's uniforms all the way, baby...Much, much cheaper in the long run, no last minute panics as to 'what to wear', and it gets the little darlings to focus on education rather then the latest fashion statements...
TKGAngel
10-31-06, 09:22 AM
K-5 fair enough...the little dirt devils can get their lovely new uniforms messed up in a hurry, but after that, it's uniforms all the way, baby...Much, much cheaper in the long run, no last minute panics as to 'what to wear', and it gets the little darlings to focus on education rather then the latest fashion statements...
I agree with TrueBrit. Uniforms for school work great. Granted I'm coming from a Catholic school background where uniforms were mandatory, but having a uniform simplified my morning clothing decision down to whether to wear the grey or blue tights or the white/grey/blue polo shirt with the oh-so-fashionable polyester grey skirt.
Of course, once school was over, most everyone transformed themselves into McSkanky (rolling skirts, heavy eye make-up, etc) since there were boys on the bus ride home. :)
chop456
10-31-06, 09:33 AM
Sigh.
I don't have a problem with it, because it's not a uniform, it's just a little more strict than they had before. Of course that being the case, it almost begs you to ask why do it?
Really I have bigger fish to fry and I've sat there and listened to a few parents bitch about the dress code. Right now Brit is in something called SWAS, School Within A School. She is pretty much with the same group of kids since 4th grade when she started the program. They are learning at an accelerated rate from the rest of the kids her age, and most of these kids are scoring in the 97th +/- 2 percentile group on the cogat, isat and iowa tests they take. My issue is I pay 2.5 times more to register her for this and there is still a higher level of challenged math she could be in. I need to know why I am paying more to have my daughter in this program, but it's not as advanced in every subject as it could be. It was explained that they took the lower scores and averaged them to figure the math part of the program last year. I mean when it comes down to it, she is only a semester behind the other group, she will be starting algebra in the 3rd semester this year and by the end of 8th grade they will be into geometry. In the testing she is at 99%.
God knows where she got the math talent from. I just finally gave up trying to put square pegs in round holes:D Take note of that Chop...it doesn't work;)
She was originally bummed about the dress code thing, but luckily dad has a pretty good fashion sense and the creative thinking to make something that is more restrictive not so bad, I look well beyond the basics boundries they have set up.
Andrew Longman
10-31-06, 10:27 AM
Cart7: For me it was Susan Levy in 9th grade. She could fill out a Danskin top quite well, but he was best known for short skirts an no underwear.:eek:
WB: Congrats to you for your school board work. Thankless but important, hard work. And I sympathize with your reasons.
I'll add the complication of not having a clean uniform on school morning but having a drawer full of otherwise acceptable clothes. Our morning routine doesn't need another obstacle.
But I'll also say I am sympathetic with teachers who would rather not fight a daily battle over dress. Having seen adults push dresscode issues in the workplace and having heard stories from my kids and their teachers I know people will try to get away with anything. The more specific the code is the more they will nitpick it and look for loopholes. All of which has nothing to do with education or what should be going on in a school day.
For now I'm just glad that people on both sides of the issue in my school are onto other things. That way, as board president, I don't have to pick a side.
WickerBill
10-31-06, 10:48 AM
And really, the issue for me all centers on the fact that my kids are in 4th, 3rd, and K, and the school doesn't even go up to the middle school. Peer pressure, seriously? At this age, over half of them wouldn't think twice about it if you sent them in pajamas. On top of that, mandating the incredibly overpriced stuff from schoolbelles.com (or wherever it was) makes me wonder if this new guy has a kickback system in place....
racer2c
10-31-06, 10:57 AM
I don't have a problem with it, because it's not a uniform, it's just a little more strict than they had before. Of course that being the case, it almost begs you to ask why do it?
Really I have bigger fish to fry and I've sat there and listened to a few parents bitch about the dress code. Right now Brit is in something called SWAS, School Within A School. She is pretty much with the same group of kids since 4th grade when she started the program. They are learning at an accelerated rate from the rest of the kids her age, and most of these kids are scoring in the 97th +/- 2 percentile group on the cogat, isat and iowa tests they take. My issue is I pay 2.5 times more to register her for this and there is still a higher level of challenged math she could be in. I need to know why I am paying more to have my daughter in this program, but it's not as advanced in every subject as it could be. It was explained that they took the lower scores and averaged them to figure the math part of the program last year. I mean when it comes down to it, she is only a semester behind the other group, she will be starting algebra in the 3rd semester this year and by the end of 8th grade they will be into geometry. In the testing she is at 99%.
.
That sounds like a secret development of super intelligent children that will soon take over the universe! Muwahhahah. I watch too many movies.:(
My daughter only cares about two things anymore...the telephone and clothes oh and boys...so three things.
She has been an honor roll stundent since 4rth grade and this year in 10th grade she is taking Advanced Algerbra 2, Latin 3, Advanced Biology, Advanced English and some fillers. She never comes home with any homework, ever, but she always makes nothing below a B so I don't question it.
The other night we were playing one of those DVD game thingys. the TV showed I had 50 points and she had 25 so she proclaimed, "I just need 20 points to tie you!". I said, "well, I don't know what they are teaching you in Advanced Algerbra 2 but in my world you would need 25 points to tie." Boy her face got red! :laugh:
It makes me wonder about their grading curve. :confused:
racer2c
10-31-06, 11:07 AM
And really, the issue for me all centers on the fact that my kids are in 4th, 3rd, and K, and the school doesn't even go up to the middle school. Peer pressure, seriously? At this age, over half of them wouldn't think twice about it if you sent them in pajamas. On top of that, mandating the incredibly overpriced stuff from schoolbelles.com (or wherever it was) makes me wonder if this new guy has a kickback system in place....
I wish my daughter's school had uniforms because like I said above, her clothing is practically a daily point of centention. That said, I think it would do more harm than good to change them now.
Warlock!
10-31-06, 11:17 AM
Dress codes? How do ya tell the stoners from the preppies from the jocks from the nerds from the wallflowers?
My kids are barely smart enuf to keep from eating their boogers, much less put together a dress ensemble for school.
TKGAngel
10-31-06, 11:25 AM
And really, the issue for me all centers on the fact that my kids are in 4th, 3rd, and K, and the school doesn't even go up to the middle school. Peer pressure, seriously? At this age, over half of them wouldn't think twice about it if you sent them in pajamas. On top of that, mandating the incredibly overpriced stuff from schoolbelles.com (or wherever it was) makes me wonder if this new guy has a kickback system in place....
I know my 'rents would buy the skirt and sweater for my uniform from the uniform people, then go to the mall and get me the polo shirts at JCPenney or something. We lucked out in that the polos didn't have to have the school logo on them, otherwise that wouldn't have worked so well.
My daughter is in first grade. The school requires uniforms. We are finding that the uniforms are much cheaper in the long run then other clothes. My daughter thinks it's pretty cool that everyone wears the same clothes.
Dr. Corkski
10-31-06, 01:31 PM
Dress codes and uniforms are going to stop your kids from becoming complete douchebags. Proper parenting, OTOH, just might.
racer2c
10-31-06, 01:58 PM
Dress codes and uniforms are going to stop your kids from becoming complete douchebags. Proper parenting, OTOH, just might.
I think you forgot a 'not'.
My daughter went to the homecoming dance two weeks ago (a whole 'nother rant! Why do they insist on turning homecoming in the 9th, 10th, and 11th frade into senior prom! Grrr. She had to buy a new dress, her and her 'group' had to go out to dinner...grrrr.) All of the boys wore black suits, black shirts and pink ties. Douchebag uniforms I guess. :D
extramundane
10-31-06, 02:23 PM
I work for a fairly small, secular, K-12 independent school and uniforms have become quite the hot topic of late. There's a "dress code" for grades 6-12 which state that 2 days each week are "dress up" days- jackets, ties, dresses, etc- 2 days are "casual" days- i.e. khakis, polo shirts, etc- and Fridays are jeans days. There are also the usual guidelines about bare midriff, cleavage, skirt length, etc. Looks great on paper, 'til you walk on campus.
The term "whore chic" was coined to describe the way most of the girls dress. The boys usually do OK until jeans days, at which point all they all turn into wannabe street thugs, so the whole student body has either pants so loose that the crotch scrapes the ground or skirts so short they barely qualify as headbands, let alone skirts. On the occasions the dress code is enforced, the reaction from parents is typically of the "I spend $15K every year to send my child to your school and she's flunking Government! You'd better worry more about why your teachers aren't doing their job than what my daughter's wearing!" variety. Administrators don't tend to push things when challenged, lest they lose they lose that precious tuition money. It's a vicious cycle of jackassery.
So uniforms have been proposed, because that will solve everything! It saves administrators from having to grow the necessary balls to confront parents, and it keeps parents from confronting the fact that Little Jenny leaves the house looking like a hobag. :shakehead
WickerBill
10-31-06, 02:25 PM
Kinda surprised at the love for uniforms here... when I started this place, nobody liked the spec series.
;)
If we had signatures, this would be mune.
It's a vicious cycle of jackassery.:rofl: :laugh:
what WB said, also are kids going to wear the comrade outfit when they go out to the movies? on dates? then there's who has the coolest or biggest car/truck/house/ranch, etc. it's not going to stop just because 8 hours a day they all look similar.
kids need to learn to deal and move on.
racer2c
10-31-06, 03:09 PM
what WB said, also are kids going to wear the comrade outfit when they go out to the movies? on dates? then there's who has the coolest or biggest car/truck/house/ranch, etc. it's not going to stop just because 8 hours a day they all look similar.
kids need to learn to deal and move on.
Easier said than done. My wife and I have tried to raise our girl with a sense of self respect, integrity and class. We still fight with her on a weekly, sometimes daily basis on what is appropriate school attire. She has the pressure (and she doesn't even see it as pressure but simply as "this is what we wear") to keep up with her friends with who looks most like an MTV hoochi mamma.
Her mother and I look like the bad guys because many of her friends parents absolutely do not care what their kids are wearing. Along those lines, it never ceases to amaze me when it comes to how many of today's 16 year old girls I've seen first hand control their parents instead of the other way around. Back talking, snide/sarcastic remarks, daily drama. Sugar and spice they are not.
Even for kids clothes (4-8 years) there are a lot of slut outfits out there. Another thing about our daughter, she doesn't like clothes like that either. Hopefully she doesn't change her mind at 12.
oddlycalm
10-31-06, 03:55 PM
It saves administrators from having to grow the necessary balls to confront parents Ever consider what the body count would be if they did....? :laugh:
There are some serious nut jobs on both sides of that equation, with plenty of both real and imagined issues to disagree on. They're just looking to take one variable / point of contention / distraction off a very full table. Unfortunately, everyone is asked to pay a price in order to avoid confrontation with the nut jobs for whom common sense isn't on the menu.
oc
Andrew Longman
10-31-06, 04:31 PM
Kinda surprised at the love for uniforms here... when I started this place, nobody liked the spec series.
;)
:rofl: Post of the day IMO :rofl:
Andrew Longman
10-31-06, 04:36 PM
My daughter went to the homecoming dance two weeks ago (a whole 'nother rant! Why do they insist on turning homecoming in the 9th, 10th, and 11th frade into senior prom! Grrr. She had to buy a new dress, her and her 'group' had to go out to dinner...grrrr.) All of the boys wore black suits, black shirts and pink ties. Douchebag uniforms I guess. :D
On the other hand, there was a picture in the local paper of the homecoming king and queen from the PA high school across the river from me (I swear, north of Philly Appalachia runs all the way to the Delaware River) The king was wearing a black t shirt and jeans. The queen wore a sun dress and no shoes. Half the other kids in the picture were in either streetwalking clothes or shorts.
I'm not much for proms and formality, but they didn't seem to treat the event with much more respect than lunch period.
Andrew Longman
10-31-06, 04:46 PM
The term "whore chic" was coined to describe the way most of the girls dress. :shakehead
I was at a funeral last month at a church across the street from a Catholic school (in Albany).
When school dismissed there was a parade of girls crossing the street, all in proper uniforms. Nice white shirts (a little too small), and plaid skirts (a little too short), black dress shoes (with 3" heels) and stockings (with a hint of garters showing) or knee high white socks.
I know places where people pay good money to see that:eek:
Spicoli
10-31-06, 05:04 PM
http://www.njguido.com/forum/index.php?showforum=2
:rofl:
\
be glad you aren't raising guidos and guido-ettes.
racer2c
10-31-06, 05:04 PM
I was at a funeral last month at a church across the street from a Catholic school (in Albany).
When school dismissed there was a parade of girls crossing the street, all in proper uniforms. Nice white shirts (a little too small), and plaid skirts (a little too short), black dress shoes (with 3" heels) and stockings (with a hint of garters showing) or knee high white socks.
I know places where people pay good money to see that:eek:
I'm gonna hafta call BS on that...3" heels with a school uniform? Garters? My daughter hasn't even heard of a 'garter'. :rofl:
my hs didn't allow girls to wear heels, we had no uniforms, just the standard dress code
Garters? My daughter hasn't even heard of a 'garter'. denial is a powerful drug :p
TKGAngel
10-31-06, 05:54 PM
I'm gonna hafta call BS on that...3" heels with a school uniform? Garters? My daughter hasn't even heard of a 'garter'. :rofl:
I'm calling BS on the garters, but not on the three inch heels (and besides, they were probably the chunkier heels at that, not like 3" stilettos).
racer2c
10-31-06, 06:39 PM
I'm calling BS on the garters, but not on the three inch heels (and besides, they were probably the chunkier heels at that, not like 3" stilettos).
True...that's my dirty old man imagination at work.:(
Sean O'Gorman
10-31-06, 07:08 PM
Dress codes and uniforms are going to stop your kids from becoming complete douchebags. Proper parenting, OTOH, just might.
Not true. I went to a Catholic school with uniforms and I'm not a douchebag.
O'Gorman borrowed the "not" that cork forgot to use.
eiregosod
10-31-06, 07:40 PM
chicks look hotter in catholic schiool uniform :D
Warlock!
11-01-06, 10:11 AM
When school dismissed there was a parade of girls crossing the street, all in proper uniforms. Nice white shirts (a little too small), and plaid skirts (a little too short), black dress shoes (with 3" heels) and stockings (with a hint of garters showing) or knee high white socks.
I'm out!
[/Kramer]
racer2c
11-01-06, 10:18 AM
I'm out!
[/Kramer]
:rofl:
Andrew Longman
11-01-06, 11:20 AM
Call BS if you like. I was with the wife and kids and at a funeral, so I even more than usual I was not about to study them.
But my wife looked at me and asked, "Did I just see what I think I saw? Are they filming something over there"
But no, from across the street, I don't think they were stillettos. But a pretty tall heel nevertheless. And no not every girl, but enough.
Maybe its an Albany thing. Actually Schnectady. It was First Reformed Church of Schenectady on Church St. The school is somewhere down the block. Class gets out just before 3. Join Kramer and check it out if you like.;)
http://local.google.com/local?q=First%20Reformed%20Church%20of%20Schenecta dy&near=42.81656000000000261707,-73.94750000000000511591
racer2c
11-01-06, 11:47 AM
I like saying "Schenectady.":)
WickerBill
11-01-06, 11:52 AM
I like saying "Schenectady.":)
I like saying "smock"!
http://www.ocf.berkeley.edu/~dhsu/for_you/Comics/calvin_and_hobbes-smock.png
RaceGrrl
11-01-06, 12:33 PM
:laugh:
"Off Camber - smock smock smock"
Calvin and Hobbes- one of the best comic strips ever
Andrew Longman
11-01-06, 12:36 PM
I like saying "Schenectady.":)
It's quite an accomplishment. You SHOULD like it.
But doesn't sound like mild but persistant orthopedic condition? As in, "Darn this weather. I need a break from my Schenectady. It's really acting up this week"
oddlycalm
11-01-06, 03:05 PM
Maybe its an Albany thing. Actually Schnectady. It was First Reformed Church of Schenectady on Church St. The school is somewhere down the block. Um, First Reformed is pretty far from Catholic on the Christian spectrum (women pastors, etc.), but it sounds like they know how to do school uniforms right.:cool: Must be awful hard on any male staff though...:eek: :gomer:
Maybe the drama club was doing a production of "Pole Dancer" or sumthin?
oc
RHR_Fan
11-01-06, 06:32 PM
I like saying "smock"!
http://www.ocf.berkeley.edu/~dhsu/for_you/Comics/calvin_and_hobbes-smock.png
I remember "smocks!"
I don't have a problem with school uniforms; I'm just glad my schools never had them. One of my good friends went to a Catholic school for most of K-8 and I remember her telling me that they could only wear shorts during certain times of the year (early in the school year and at the end when it'd be warm). I remember thinking that I'd go nuts if I could only wear shorts during "allowed" times.
~Nicole
Andrew Longman
11-01-06, 07:37 PM
Um, First Reformed is pretty far from Catholic on the Christian spectrum (women pastors, etc.), but it sounds like they know how to do school uniforms right.:cool: Must be awful hard on any male staff though...:eek: :gomer:
Maybe the drama club was doing a production of "Pole Dancer" or sumthin?
oc
The church is on Church St. About a dozen churches up and down the block. I don't know where the school was exactly. Just witnessed the parade as the coffin was being loaded up in front of the church. Actually a pretty bizzare surreal scene. Maybe the whole thing was staged and someone was filming it.:gomer:
As for male staff, I thought Catholic schools were run by nuns and priests. Not exactly the type to be interested in sexed up teenage girls, no?
Running now. INCOMING!
TKGAngel
11-01-06, 07:53 PM
As for male staff, I thought Catholic schools were run by nuns and priests. Not exactly the type to be interested in sexed up teenage girls, no?
Running now. INCOMING!
With the decline in people taking up religious vocations, there's fewer and fewer nuns and priests teaching in the schools these days.
There's a Catholic school here that's been in the news, as the head of the English department was caught with a 15 year old girl, kissing and canoodling in the car at a local mall. Now mind you, this teacher is married and lives in Canada with the wife and three kids.
Our DA gets the bright idea to allow him to serve his probation in Canada, so that the girl could be spared testifying in court. Well (with good reason), the Canadians aren't too happy about this, with Chretien (apologies if I mispelled) even weighing in. So that plan was scrapped and he's now back in the USA.
The stupid thing is, this girl probably would have gotten away with the relationship with the teacher, except she bragged about it to her friends! Not that I'm condoning, I'm just saying...
racer2c
11-01-06, 09:05 PM
With the decline in people taking up religious vocations, there's fewer and fewer nuns and priests teaching in the schools these days.
There's a Catholic school here that's been in the news, as the head of the English department was caught with a 15 year old girl, kissing and canoodling in the car at a local mall. Now mind you, this teacher is married and lives in Canada with the wife and three kids.
Our DA gets the bright idea to allow him to serve his probation in Canada, so that the girl could be spared testifying in court. Well (with good reason), the Canadians aren't too happy about this, with Chretien (apologies if I mispelled) even weighing in. So that plan was scrapped and he's now back in the USA.
The stupid thing is, this girl probably would have gotten away with the relationship with the teacher, except she bragged about it to her friends! Not that I'm condoning, I'm just saying...
Canoodling? Noooo, that bastard!!!!!!!!:flame: Wait a second, I think I'm canoodling right now....I think. :)
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