? for anyone whose kids wear school uniforms

[Where'sPiglet?]

We have a uniform policy but if the students don't follow it, there are really no consequences. We were even told, in front of the children, that WE (the teachers) are responsible for making sure the children are wearing their uniforms. I'm not sure HOW I'm supposed to dress the children each morning before they come to school, but that's getting off topic.

I can tell you, the students that actually follow the uniform policy tend to be better behaved and also tend to be higher academically than the children who wear whatever they want. I suspect this is less about the clothes and more about the parents of those children who are demonstrating that they care about the school's policies and are involved enough to make sure their children are dressed appropriately for school. Those same parents are the ones who are helping with homework and staying involved in their children's education.

 

[punkin]

I do not like school uniforms personally, but my DD9 has to wear one in her school. It is a polo shirt (from lands end) in Navy, Royal, Red or White (either long or short sleeved) and a solid colored skirt below the knee. Last year I spent about $300 per year on school clothes for her and that is only because she has been growing like a weed. The clothes last a lot longer than they fit.

 

[MrsPete]

Our school system has just voted to require school uniforms next year and there has been a lot of negativity (from parents more so than from students ). What have been your experiences?

My girls wore uniforms for years, and I LOVED THEM.

Positives:
The year that our school started wearing uniforms, the cost was high because we had to start from scratch -- no one had any of last year's jeans that still fit or any hand-me-down sweaters; however, it wasn't long before PLENTY of outgrown uniforms were available. The school hosted a twice-a-year uniform sale, which worked out very well for both buyers and sellers. The summer after that first year, used uniforms were easy to find in consignment shops and even at yard sales. When we left the school and no longer needed uniforms, I actually had trouble giving them away; I put them out at a GS meeting, and I couldn't get anyone to take them -- everyone had plenty. Bottom line: After that first year, uniforms were widely available and cost WAY LESS than other clothing.

The "I've gotta buy two wardrobes" excuse isn't realistic. Because there's no pressure to wear something new/different every day, kids who wear uniforms to school have a very small school wardrobe. They can wear the same shirt twice in one week and no one knows -- or cares. My girls always had one red/white/blue jumper and two pairs of khaki pants (or shorts/skorts) at any given time. They had long sleeved and short sleeved shirts to go with these items. With three "bottom pieces" per child -- they always had more shirts -- I could do wash once a week. Actually, my goal was to have FIVE bottom pieces per child per year: one jumper, 2 pairs of long pants, 2 pairs of shorts/skorts; in our weather, our kids wear shorts August-early October, then they wear shorts again starting in late March. I bought mostly short sleeved shirts and they'd wear red/navy school sweatshirts or navy cardigan sweaters over them in our few colder months -- for our weather, it was a perfect plan.

Likewise, since kids are wearing uniforms to school every day, they don't need extensive after-school and weekend wardrobes -- my kids would come home from school and put on sweat suits, which could be worn two days because they weren't getting a full day's wear. Of course, my girls were in elementary school; teens would be out and about more after school, and they'd care more about their after-school wardrobe.

For girls, the most versitile piece of clothing is the jumper. It can be worn in the fall with a short-sleeved white blouse and sandals, then it can be worn with a turtleneck and tights in the winter. We had the choice of white blouses and red, white, or blue polo shirts. Buy as many colored shirts as possible; they don't look dingy as soon. We had the choice of navy blue or khaki pants, shorts, or skorts; always choose khaki -- it can usually make it two "wears" before being washed, while navy always picks up light dirt.

I figured out quickly that you need to buy good quality stuff, and it'll last. I bought what I could from consignment stores, accepted hand-me-downs from friends, etc. . . . but when I needed to buy items new, I bought them from Lands' End. Their stuff is expensive, but it lasts. With two girls three years apart, I found it most economical to buy something a little big for the first daughter, who'd then get about two years wear out of it . . . then the second daughter'd get two years' wear out of it. By purchasing Lands' End things from Sears, I could take advantage of the KidVantage program -- as long as you have the receipts, they'll trade in your worn out items for NEW ONES. It worked out well for my family.

I also bought things from ebay (loads of Lands End there), and I liked the French Toast brand from Sears. Kohls' used to have a pretty good selection of uniform items too; once I bought a whole rack of uniform shorts on their clearance (less than a dollar per pair) and put them out at the next uniform sale -- I made a killing.

Once everyone got past the idea that they were being FORCED to wear uniforms -- honestly, that's usually the biggest objection; people just don't like to be told what to do -- no one paid any attention to them anymore. It just became a part of school life. I also teach high school, and I waste time just about every day on sagging pants and low-cut blouses; I wish we had uniforms at our school! Typical uniform items don't lend themselves to dress code problems.

Negatives:
The high cost of the first year's uniforms; however, honestly, it's not any more than most people spend on school clothes anyway. It just SEEMS like more because you tend to buy uniforms at one fell swoop, while street clothes tend to be bought a little here and a little there.

I'm so glad to see someone else say this. I think it's an excellent point. There are so many other ways to show your individuality. I would much prefer that my kids express themselves in ways that showcase their intellect or a creative talent rather than through their clothing choices. Anyone can do that. And I still maintain that most people who make the individuality argument are actually more concerned with vanity. It's hard to show off your cleavage in a properly fitting polo shirt and shapely thighs don't get much viewing time when all hemlines must be no more than 2 inches above the knee. What a shame - everyone might have to develop some conversational skills rather than relying on their "style" to get them some attention.

Yep, it's a generalization, but many of my low-ability students are the same ones who come to school in attention-seeking clothing (see-through blouses, pants belted below their buttocks). We need to encourage students to BE something, not just to LOOK a certain way.

 

[juliana_sd]

I wore uniforms (Catholic school) from K through high school. We had plaid skirts and oxford shirts. Although I never would have admitted it at the time, I liked wearing them. It definitely did make mornings easier. When I went to college it was a big adjustment, having to find "cool" stuff to wear every day.

It was still easy to tell who the "rich" kids were, they had the expensive shoes, jewelry, and bookbags (and cars in hs) but I think it was a LOT less pressure on a daily basis.

One of the schools I considered for DS had a very strict uniform policy, restricted to one or two companies with mandatory embroidery (at like $7 per piece!). I'm not a fan of that; this was a public charter school and I felt it should have been more budget-friendly.

His school has no uniforms, but I wish it did!

 

[GreatDaneMom]

...

 

[MrsPete]

It was still easy to tell who the "rich" kids were, they had the expensive shoes, jewelry, and bookbags (and cars in hs) but I think it was a LOT less pressure on a daily basis.

I grew up a "have not" during the 80s when it seemed that EVERYONE wore an alligator or a polo man on his shirt and a designer's name on his jeans. Even though the "extras" still would've been evident, I would've loved for some part of my wardrobe to be able to "fit in" just a little. High school's tough enough without the pressure of trying to look cool.

 

[eh24fan]

Erin, sorry to hear you had such a bad experience but thank you for sharing it. You illustrate a good point - a lot of the success or failure of a uniform code lies in how well it is written to begin with so that it allows some flexibility but is still easy to enforce. What ours says so far is that students may wear khaki or navy pants or shorts (with the addition of skirts, jumpers, and skorts for the girls) and white or navy shirts with collars. They are allowing them to wear tennis shoes in any color but other shoes must be enclosed and in brown, black, navy, grey, tan or white. The same color choices (black, brown, etc) apply to socks and outerwear and undershirts must be navy or white. I don't think they are going to be picky about things like stripes on the collars but I feel sure we will have to make the girls button their blouses with or without a cami underneath. And as a teacher, I'm expecting to have to deal with a lot of the pushing the limits stuff. I also agree that ultimately the kids will know who has money and who doesn't. No dress code is going to solve all problems. But I do think that if it is well-written it could do a lot of good.

It's not ALL bad. It is nice to know what he's wearing each day. But they allowed too much IMO. I was happy the kids can wear any shoes, as long as they are closed toe and heel. But again, that opens up the whole "you can still tell who has $$ and who doesn't" issue they claimed the uniform code would change. Part of my bitterness came from the fact that they announced this whole thing less than a month before school started. Nice huh? An entire district (4 elementary schools, a middle school and a high school), that encompasses 3 towns and a LARGE rural area, had about 3 weeks to outfit the kids. It was madness!

 

[vickyBaby]

"? for anyone whose kids wear school uniforms"

My goats don't wear clothes... they go naked!

 

[dizneychik]

I can certainly understand each side of the arguement. I am having the same issue with my princess' school. It is a Christian School.
The way I feel is if something so small as a uniform is going to dictate whether or not a child should attend the school then a school with no uniform would be the way to go.
I don't think individuality is a major point (its just my opinion-please dont beat me up) but there are more important things to worry about besides what they wear. I believe students can still be individuals wearing uniforms and it will shine through their work, extracurricular activities and community service efforts that they produce. If clothing is a large part of why a student is going to a certain school then their focus is not school but the latest fashions.
I think its great that children dare to be different and that can be done whether they are in school or out on the weekend with their friends.

 

[tinytink]

My children wear uniforms everyday, in their Catholic school hand book it list the dress code for each season, i.e. summer boys-blue chino shorts, white polo, black socks and shoes, winter boys-white oxford, blue tie, blue sweater vest, blue chino pants, black socks and shoes. The gym uniform for everyone on their assigned gym days are either green sweat pant/shirt, white polo with green school logo or sweat shorts/shirt and white polo with logo and any type of sneakers. All sock must cover their ankles and the uniform code is spelled out so there is no "gray area". We also have a uniform swap twice a year where families can come and shop for items they need in the fall/spring. That helps a great deal on the cost and the only thing the school requires to be purchased from the uniform shop is the gym clothes because it has the school logo on it and perhaps the girls plaid jumpers and skirts unless you can find the same color print somewhere else but since I only have boys at the school right now I don't know.

I love the uniforms because there is no searching for something to wear in the morning because it's the same thing everyday. Every child has the same thing for their gender so there is no fashion competition. Each child can still shine their personality though their back packs, lunch boxes, hair styles, and showing how good they are on the inside by treating other with kindness and humility.

On a side note the school also has the occassional dress down day where children can come dressed in civilian clothes on special days like Christmas, Thanksgiving, Mardi Gras, Valentines Day.

Hope that helps.

 

[gaelic grace]

I wore uniforms in school and now my daughter does. We found plenty of ways to be "creative" with our uniforms and let our personal style show through. My daughter just finished first grade and we used almost all the uniform pieces for two years. We have to buy ours from a uniform company. It is a little pricey- $30 for a polo, 42.00 for the plaid skort, 28.00 for the khaki and so on. However one month out of the year everything is 20% off and another month it's 10%. Shipping is free over 75.00. Once you are fitted you may not ever have to go back to the store. I can order everything online and have at my front door in 3-4 days. I have about 350.00 in clothes for two years and most of it is in good enough condition to pass down to a friend. I could trade it at the exchange and stretch my dollar a little farther. My husband is an administrator in a local public school system. They went to uniforms as a school safety issue. My best friends kids wear uniforms in the public school but they can buy them anywhere. She actually spent more money than I did over the two years because the pants and shirts she bought ripped or got stained really bad. She is now buying from the uniform store because of the quality.

 

[asmit4]

Wore uniforms my entire life practically in school!

Jumpers thru 4th grade, then 5th-8th, plaid skirts and button down skirts. Then 10/11, navy skirts and button down shirts, 11, and 12th, navy skirts and polos that had the school emblem on them.

All in all, in the entire 12 years, I owned 8 skirts. Each skirt had 'extenders' so you could add/subtract waist sizes. I would have 2 skirts for every few years growing up and then move to the next size up. I wore the same HS skirts for 4 years. I had 2 and I wore them every day.

Those 8 skirts ran about 60 bucks each so under 500 for bottoms in total for 12 years. Shirts, we'd buy 5 or 6 each year at JCP or Sears for a cost of perhaps 20 a shirt.

I bet you my mom had shoes, socks, underwear, skirts and shirts for under 3000 for 12 years of school in total!

My niece goes to public school, no uniforms, and I bet my sister spends close to 1500 A YEAR in school clothes for her- a COMPLETE waste of $$$ IMO. I'm probably kidding myself too- as I just saw my 16yo niece after school sporting designer jeans, shoes and multiple abercrombie layering pieces, all with the obligatory labels splashed across her chest. I bet her outfit that day was over 300 bucks ALONE.

IMO- school should be about learning, not outfits, not labels, not butts, ****s or any other bodypart. It's crazy what some of these kids can wear to school- my mom wouldn't have let me out of the house!

 

[asmit4]

One more thing- gotta laugh about the individuality too- b/c for my niece's 15th b-day last year, my mom held the party at her house. EVERY girl looked like a CARBON copy of the other. dark blonde hair, with highlights, same brand name clothes, same braces, same style shoes....
NOTHING individual about any of these girls!

 

[cajunbaby1]

I agree that uniforms make for less disruption at school. The kids make gripe and complain for a few weeks; but after a while they get over it. Where we live in Louisiana most of the walmarts carry at least the polo type shirts (long and short sleeved) year round. During the fall they will put out more long sleeved shirts and also they carry the "approved" colored sweaters both pullover types and button up. Windbreakers too. Another place that sells uniforms like shirts and pants/shorts is the sporting good stores or a scrubs store.

 

[cinmell]

I wore a uniform from Kindergarten all the way thru my senior year in high school. My mother loved and now I know why. My daughter wears a uniform and it's great b/c it saves money and most importantly, it eliminates the clothes battles we would be having in the morning about what to wear to school.

 

[crusoe2]

I just wanted to again say thank you to everyone who has posted. All of your responses have given me information and tips that I'm sure will help me immensely both as a mom and a teacher. (Well, except maybe the goat comment. ) Seriously, you have all been very helpful and I appreciate your input and the fact that this did not turn into a nasty debate. (I was somewhat leery of even starting the thread for fear that it could get contentious which was definitely not my intention.) Thanks again.

 

[stm61]

One more thing- gotta laugh about the individuality too- b/c for my niece's 15th b-day last year, my mom held the party at her house. EVERY girl looked like a CARBON copy of the other. dark blonde hair, with highlights, same brand name clothes, same braces, same style shoes....
NOTHING individual about any of these girls!

I'll second this! The biggest reason for going to uniforms, behind the inappropriate sizing/designs, was the teasing over who had the "right" clothes and who didn't. They all want the same brand/style, not all different ones.

I wish my kids wore uniforms, I ask the schools every year is they're considering it yet. I've worked in several districts, all public schools, where uniform's are required. From my experience it works fine as long as the schools mandate NO BRAND/LOGO may be seen. One district started uniforms and listed their preferred brand- French Toast- but allowed parents to buy any brand that met the requirements. End result: rich kids wore name brands and every one else wore French Toast or similar brands. The teasing and name calling still went on. The next year the district specifically stated no brand/logo could be visable and the situation improved drastically. From what I've heard from parents, they mostly love uniforms since there's no fighting over what's appropriate, costs are less since less items are needed, and the competition over who's got the best outfits has ended.

 

[timzagain]

In Barbados, virtually all schools, public or private, wear uniforms. I am so glad - I could not imagine outfitting 4 kids for school in regular clothes. Good quality clothes are not cheap here!

As for expressing individuality - there's plenty of time to do that in the weekend in my humble opinion. There are enough challenges in the school system without having to worry about wearing "the right brands" and who looks better than whom!

 

[happycampers]

Love, love love school uniforms! DD has been in two different schools, each requiring uniforms. School one chose pricier uniforms and were much stricter about only using that one particular company. School two has a few companies from which to choose and have a used uniform store in a room at the school.

There are no arguements about what to wear. She knows what she can pick from. We set out clothes the night before which makes the morning even easier. I don't have to hear the arguement about what someone else's mom lets her wear since they are all wearing the same thing.

It's been less expensive for us to have uniforms. Five polos (or less if I wash often) can get us through the same week and be worn again the next week and the week after that.

If you have a choice, I've found that pique knit polos last better and pill up less than the other (jersey?) knit. We've gotten through this year with cheap ($6 or $7) French Toast pique knit polos that still look fine. Also, white can be a bit of a problem with pit stains, so I like to get the darker colors.

 

[Pigeon]

I had to wear uniforms at the catholic school I attended. Hated them then, hate them now.

I've got two girls in public school without uniforms. We have no fights on what to wear. It's just not a source of controversy.

If there wasn't an opt out clause in the policy, and it was a public school, I would give the adminstration no end of grief, all the way up to legal action. I would simply refuse to comply, and would not allow my kids to wear the uniforms. The school could suspend the kids till the cows come home, but they are obligated to provide an alternative education, which generally costs the school considerably more per pupil than standard classroom instruction.