Middle School Dress Code

[Eeyores Butterfly]

I am all for dress codes, would prefer school uniforms. I felt the same way when I was in middle school. Not only does it help combat gangs at least a little bit (It won't solve every problem but it is a start), but it also eliminates some of the distractions in the learning environment. At the middle school where I am student teaching summer school right now, many of our issues and distractions have been directly related to inappropriate clothing (shirts with inappropriate text, tanks where you could see the person's ribs, one kid even wore spurs to school one day.) How you dress/look absolutely affects your thinking and your actions as well as how others perceive you. The middle school I want to teach at is a public charter school and they have a school uniform.

 

[BoyLovesBuzz]

You guys are all thinking about his from the perspective of, "my kid would never be in a gang, so he should be able to wear a red shirt." A big part of this is for the safety. I think if your kid got his butt kicked becuase he was in a place he had every right to be in, but was wearing gang colors, you may not think its so stupid.

 

[DVCLiz]

You also need to know this area and this school. The general population of this school is pretty lower middle class and there have been a lot of disciplinary issues over the years. The dress code is an attempt to address some of the larger social issues at this school - and some others in our town. I say bravo to the administration for trying to get these students to be respectful and thrive in a learning environment instead of falling into some behavior that is non-productive.

 

[cruisnfamily]

My kids can only wear white, red and blue shirts.

Same at our middle school.

 

[DVCLiz]

I read this thread to DD19, who said, "Bloods and Crips, duh!" She said Latin Kings are a growing problem in Greensboro, too - they wear purple, so that will be out next.


I think most towns have some sort of gang activity, even if it's not well publicized.

Oh, and I have been laughing about the "surfer gang:" comments. The OP has a pirate name but Greensboro is NOT on the coast - we're smack in the middle of the state!!

 

[BoyLovesBuzz]

You also need to know this area and this school. The general population of this school is pretty lower middle class and there have been a lot of disciplinary issues over the years. The dress code is an attempt to address some of the larger social issues at this school - and some others in our town. I say bravo to the administration for trying to get these students to be respectful and thrive in a learning environment instead of falling into some behavior that is non-productive.

I agree with your point here, but we are up the road in Raleigh, and gangs are getting bad, without regard to economic boundries. Especially in middle schools where you also have a lot of posers or wannabe's that can be just as dangerous.

 

[DVCLiz]

I agree with your point here, but we are up the road in Raleigh, and gangs are getting bad, without regard to economic boundries. Especially in middle schools where you also have a lot of posers or wannabe's that can be just as dangerous.

Hi, Raleigh!! Sorry to hear the problem seems to be everywhere, doesn't it?

 

[NotUrsula]

Oh, and I have been laughing about the "surfer gang:" comments. The OP has a pirate name but Greensboro is NOT on the coast - we're smack in the middle of the state!!

The reference isn't about being on the coast, it's about Polo shirts. They tend to be popular with surfers/beach bum types because they have that sort of nautical association. Same deal with boat shoes being your dress shoes.

 

[Hollister]

My school was thinking about putting us in dress code next year because of gang activity. It's RIDICULOUS, I wore a purple shirt to school last year and was accused of being in a gang by a few students.
O_O

 

[StitchfansJr]

That stupid, IMHO.
Did you get in any trouble, Tyler?

 

[Hollister]

That stupid, IMHO.
Did you get in any trouble, Tyler?

No, I walked into geometry and all of a sudden I hear someone say "is he in the kripz? he's wearing purple!"
Then on my way to second block I was asked by a kid if I was in the kripz.

 

[The_Horned_King]

I am in Greensboro also and we do have gangs here. Even the smaller schools. I don't think changing the dress code is helping at all. It just seems silly to me. How does making everyone dress the same solve anything? Wouldn't it be better to teach these kids to be individuals and make good decisions?
At my daughter's school a boy was arrested for having a gun and drugs, but he sure looked nice in his SMOD. (That is what the Greensboro schools call the standard mode of dress)

So true...but our conservative roots in this country would rather us tell the kids they should be individuals and not conform to evil things like gangs, teen sex, drugs, body image, yet tell them the MUST CONFORM to what we adults(some of us anyway) think is propper.

Just wait when you take away someones ability to be self dependent, espically a middle school aged child, they will find other ways to become an "individual"..they will act out in ways we can't see and therefore it will make it ok, because these same adults will just turn the other way.

I am all for dress codes, would prefer school uniforms. I felt the same way when I was in middle school. Not only does it help combat gangs at least a little bit (It won't solve every problem but it is a start), but it also eliminates some of the distractions in the learning environment. At the middle school where I am student teaching summer school right now, many of our issues and distractions have been directly related to inappropriate clothing (shirts with inappropriate text, tanks where you could see the person's ribs, one kid even wore spurs to school one day.) How you dress/look absolutely affects your thinking and your actions as well as how others perceive you. The middle school I want to teach at is a public charter school and they have a school uniform.

Not sure where you are at...but I'm pretty much teaching in a low income middle school, split pretty evenly between white, black, and hispanic..and we Have very little problem with dress....however I'm expecting big problems next year when we switch to our new dress code. The only "problems" we seem to have now with dress seem to be with problems between teachers and students...the students are not distracted nor do they seem to even make referance to eachothers dress much more then "that's a sweet hoodie" or "nice kicks".

 

[Eeyores Butterfly]

My school was thinking about putting us in dress code next year because of gang activity. It's RIDICULOUS, I wore a purple shirt to school last year and was accused of being in a gang by a few students.
O_O

This is precisely the reason many schools are instituting dress codes or full out uniforms. Innocent kids are getting caught in the crossfire so to speak, and it becomes a distraction.

 

[miss missy]

Oh there is much more to come for you in these years! The middle school years have been brutal! I am thanking the good lord I am done with that age.

The stories, the things that go on, or that kids try to do that age... Best wishes!

I do remember DD having rules about gang dress, I think it was bandanas and such tho

 

[The_Horned_King]

No, I walked into geometry and all of a sudden I hear someone say "is he in the kripz? he's wearing purple!"
Then on my way to second block I was asked by a kid if I was in the kripz.

FUNNY thing is the Crips(not with a k or z) wear navy blue not purple.

 

[Eeyores Butterfly]

So true...but our conservative roots in this country would rather us tell the kids they should be individuals and not conform to evil things like gangs, teen sex, drugs, body image, yet tell them the MUST CONFORM to what we adults(some of us anyway) think is propper.

Just wait when you take away someones ability to be self dependent, espically a middle school aged child, they will find other ways to become an "individual"..they will act out in ways we can't see and therefore it will make it ok, because these same adults will just turn the other way.





Not sure where you are at...but I'm pretty much teaching in a low income middle school, split pretty evenly between white, black, and hispanic..and we Have very little problem with dress....however I'm expecting big problems next year when we switch to our new dress code. The only "problems" we seem to have now with dress seem to be with problems between teachers and students...the students are not distracted nor do they seem to even make referance to eachothers dress much more then "that's a sweet hoodie" or "nice kicks".

Uniforms are the norm for schools in the majority of countries. It is also the norm for many private schools. There's a reason for that. If dress were not important, why do most companies have dress codes for their employees?

I am currently in a rural school. We have very little ethnic diversity to speak of, and no gangs, but clothes can still cause problems. Even without uniforms, school still have to maintain a minimal standard. Many kids are coming to school with inappropriate clothing. In the last four weeks of sixth grade summer school I have seen:

-shirts with logos for beer companies
-heelies
-spurs
-Those t-shirt style tanks with the hole down to the waist, the kid might as well have not been wearing a shirt at all.

Half of our little girls seem more inclined to talk to eachother about what they are wearing (and to tease others about their clothes- this is a very low income area with lots of farm kids) than to pay attention to the lessons. Would a uniform solve every problem? No. But it would certainly help.

 

[Liberty Belle]

FUNNY thing is the Crips(not with a k or z) wear navy blue not purple.

Huh. Weird.

 

[barkley]

Uniforms are the norm for schools in the majority of countries. It is also the norm for many private schools. There's a reason for that. If dress were not important, why do most companies have dress codes for their employees?

I am currently in a rural school. We have very little ethnic diversity to speak of, and no gangs, but clothes can still cause problems. Even without uniforms, school still have to maintain a minimal standard. Many kids are coming to school with inappropriate clothing. In the last four weeks of sixth grade summer school I have seen:

-shirts with logos for beer companies
-heelies
-spurs
-Those t-shirt style tanks with the hole down to the waist, the kid might as well have not been wearing a shirt at all.

Half of our little girls seem more inclined to talk to eachother about what they are wearing (and to tease others about their clothes- this is a very low income area with lots of farm kids) than to pay attention to the lessons. Would a uniform solve every problem? No. But it would certainly help.

the situation with the girls is somewhat the basis for a school district near where i lived trying to enact and enforce a new dress code a few years ago. the issue was'nt so much regarding gangs (although that was a concern as well) it was more that certain cliques of students had decided among themselves to identify their groups by virtue of wearing a particular identifier in their clothing. kids not in the group who even unknowingly wore what a particular group had chosen were subjected to harrassment, bullying and in some cases outright physical abuse. the school came down hard and institued a dress code with particular colors and absolutly no logos or imprinting. the poop hit the fan one day when a girl wore a pair of winnie the pooh decorated socks (clearly visable) and she was sent by her teacher to the principal for a dress code violation. her parents enjoined with a bunch of others who brought the aclu in to fight for the kid's rights to freedom of choice in their clothing. it was a god awful mess, cost the already financialy strapped school district a ton of money...all the time the parents were ridiculing the school for assuming that any gang affiliation could be associated with winnie the pooh-the sad thing was that the school was able to present evidence that only a year or so prior a group of girls had indeed selected pooh as their group's 'mascot', and there were documented incidents where other girls not in group, who wore or carried anything with pooh on it were terribly harrassed and in at least one case jumped

 

[disneydance]

Wow...

I could see this happening in my district as we seem to be seeing more and more gangs. Currently we are not aloud to wear bandanas because its thought to be gang affiliation. But I know some districts in the area are starting to get up tight about those colors also. All we had for our middle school dress code was no shirt under 4 fingers and no tank tops

 

[Hollister]

FUNNY thing is the Crips(not with a k or z) wear navy blue not purple.

I'm sorry, I saw them spelled as "kripz" before.
Well i'm not sure what gang wears purple but that's what I was accused of.