Wednesday, May 16

Madeleine, Lee, and School Uniforms?

All I have to say about this is - WTF where the parents thinking leaving their kids alone in a hotel room while they go out to dinner?!?!?! You can see from the map at the bottom of the article that the restaurant was not really close to the apt - I don't think that checking up on them every hour or half hour is a wise decision - it takes just a few minutes for a child to drown themselves in a few inches of water!

Have any of you read the book, Where Have All the Leaders Gone by Lee Iacocca with Catherine Whitney? I'm intrigued, I enjoyed reading the expert, in particular his 9C's of leadership & agree with em, but don't know if the book is something that I really would enjoy reading - ya know what I mean?

Okay, back to my original post idea, school uniforms . . .

In walking to catch the bus this morning a boy passed me dressed in his school uniform (which goes for all schools over here - not like in the US where it's primarily catholic or private schools) and I my mind immediately thought I think they're a good idea. I know this can be quite a controversial issue at least with schools in the US. Here are some of the reasons I think they're a good idea:

  • A possible increase in school pride - wearing jeans & a t-shirt does nothing for school pride at all
  • I reckon that a child in a school uniform is more likely to take school seriously - it's like how adults have to wear "business attire" to work & it also helps prep them for the real world where you can't necessarily wear jeans & trainers on a daily basis
  • Lessens the likelihood of arguments over fashionable clothes & even just self esteem issues for those kids who can't afford the trendy new outfits.
  • Uniforms are much more appropriate clothing than some of the fads that are overly revealing & can cause distractions in the classroom. I remember even back 10 years ago how students thought school was more of a fashion show.
  • Uniforms make students follow directions, which in my mind is a good thing b/c recently I've noticed that kids don't seem to listen to anybody - which some might think is a con as far as "conformity"
  • No worry about what to wear in the morning since there would be no making up their minds - added bonus for kids & parents
  • For security issues, uniforms make it easy to identify kids who belong in the school and those that don't
Maybe the reason I think they are good is because I never had to wear one when I was growing up & now that I'm old, they look like a good idea . . . what are your thoughts?

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posted by Sara @ 11:45 am

2 Comments:

At 16 May, 2007 13:01, Blogger jen said...

i can't believe all the news articles are so supportive of the parents and none criticized them for leaving the 4 year old alone! that MUST be a british thing because the US press would be all over the parents.

the US tends to be hypercritical of parenting skills and judgmental of parents, but in this case, i think the US reaction would be more appropriate.

re: uniforms... i wish i had to wear a uniform to work every day, as long as it was comfortable. i'd love to not have to pick out an outfit every morning.

 
At 16 May, 2007 17:19, Anonymous Anonymous said...

I'm all for school uniforms. I agree with you on all your points. Smarty pants!

Every time I read about that little girl I wonder what they were thinking. Now, I have no idea what that place is like but I still don't understand. Kids wake up and wander all the time. And she was the oldest at 4! WTF indeed. Plus her last name really freaks me out! :)

 

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