"Once the preserve of secondary, private or religious schools, primary schools are increasingly using uniforms to mask the disparity between social classes at primary level."
The idea that schools are using uniforms to mask economic disparities is pretty damn awful. It recalls a recent conversation I had with a neighbour. My daughter attends a non-uniform wearing secondary school and the neighbour remarked upon it. "[Uniforms] are a great leveller though, " she said. Here's the thing. I don't send my children to school to be levelled. I send them to school to hopefully learn useful things and above all, to think.
But addressing the issue from a practical point of view, clothes have become cheaper and cheaper.
"....a core reason for many primary schools making the switch was to remove the distinction between rich kids and poor kids, which could be a distraction from children's learning. "It is distracting to see other kids with Nike shoes and changing clothes every day and all these lovely things they have, and you coming in wearing the same pants two or three days. Children can notice those things."
With the advent of recycled clothing nobody needs to wear the same pants two or three days (in any case, do you ever wear the same pair of jeans two or three days? I do). A parent with any nous can pick up good , even branded (if you care) clothes and shoes for next to nothing. Just like you can give your kids breakfast for next to nothing. What is lacking is some effort and imagination. Slapping them all in uniforms might just compound those particular short-comings.
I mean what is so appealing about all looking the same? Well, actually, they don't all look the same. Fat is still fat, short is still short and uniforms amplify physical differences.
Whereas allowed to dress how they want, kids will quickly learn what clothes mean to them. Do they dress for comfort, to conform, to stand apart, to suit their activities and environment, to maximise their best attributes? It gets them thinking. But no. Instead schools opt for this easy, literal dumbing-down of dress sense and, worse, individualism.
Hell. Why don't we pass a law to make uniform wearing compulsory for life if it's such a great thing?
11 comments:
Uniforms are easy and cheaper. I've spent most of my life in one kind or another :-)
As for affordable clothes- between trademe and Savemart, good clothes have never been cheaper, but no- the 'poor' prefer to buy new labels of the usury trucks...
I am ok with other reasons for uniforms if that's what people want. I don't like this particular one.
Clearly a story spun and released to highlight that there is child poverty.
Be careful about everybody wearing uniforms, it could be next on the govts agenda.
Yep, we just escaped that one. Huluns gone.
Uniforms are not cheaper if your children otherwise wear hand me downs like mine. Purchasing school uniforms can put a huge strain on families' budgets. Thank goodness my children’s criterion for choosing a high school was one without a uniform. You only need to look at the lost property accumulated over a term in a supposedly low decile school to see that clothing is not a big issue for these families. Not one piece of clothing is named and able to be returned to the owner, so when not claimed, boxes and boxes are given to charity each term.
I am told that many children, particulaly at primary level, without uniform compete with others in their designer clothes every day - little girls particular reflecting, not necessarily, the children's wishes but those of their parents (again eg. mothers).
Lindsay - you love your children and that's why you send them to private schools.
Most Kiwi parents hate their children, and so are forced by law to send them to state schools for which they never spend a cent --- certainly not on uniforms, let alone fees! --- and which teach nothing but inculcate socialism.
Labours "free school meals" plan just incorporates schools in to NZ's all-encompassing socialist framework all the more.
The truth is simple: if you love your children, you won't send them to state schools.
Personally i don't agree with the arguments that uniforms are too expensive or take away from your individuality. When buying a few uniforms it is cheeper than going out and buying a bunch of new name brand outfits.
Personally i don't agree with the arguments that uniforms are too expensive or take away from your individuality. When buying a few uniforms it is cheeper than going out and buying a bunch of new name brand outfits.
Personally i don't agree with the arguments that uniforms are too expensive or take away from your individuality. When buying a few uniforms it is cheeper than going out and buying a bunch of new name brand outfits.
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