School Year off to a Great Start!

regdog

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When I was in school, we had an assignment our parents had to sign. Only three of us had it signed, myself included/ The teacher pinned the assignment to the front of each student who didn't and made them wear it for the day.

Nothing like humiliation as a motivator.

Stupid asshats.
 

Vince524

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But that's the thing about dress codes...why does it only have to be about what is "revealing"? That's not the focus of dress codes in the workplace. So why should it be in a school?

It doesn't but that's what we're talking about in regards to what girls were as opposed to guys with their pants hanging down. Also wearing what I might consider a cool t shirt with a zombie eating someone might be considered against code.
 

clintl

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But that's the thing about dress codes...why does it only have to be about what is "revealing"? That's not the focus of dress codes in the workplace. So why should it be in a school?

In schools, it's usually not just about that. For example, at our school, they're not allowed to wear anything promoting alcohol, tobacco, or drugs. A lot of schools don't allow certain colors because they're associated with gangs. (Our school only prohibits known gang members from wearing gang colors.) The school where I did my student teaching didn't allow kids to wear hats or hoods, and were pretty strict about it. The school where I teach now doesn't care. There's a pretty wide variety of policies from school to school.
 

shaldna

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This is why I'm in favour of school uniforms - no one breaks the dress code, even accidentally, and uniforms are a great equalizer.

Our school was pretty strict and before starting each school year we were all issued with a copy of the rules for dress - they covered the length of skirts, the amount of jewellery -a watch or subtle bracelet, a subtle ring and one pair of earrings - either small studs or hoops that were no larger than a 5 pence piece. Necklaces had to be worn under your shirt and no be visible. No makeup was allowed at all, nor nailpolish. Hair longer than chin length had to be tied back - male and female and be of a 'reasonably natural' colour - and if someone turned up with makeup they were sent to wash it off.

Sounds extreme, but it meant everyone was the same and it prepared us for those sort of dress codes etc when we went to get jobs. Incidently, the first university I went to had a uniform too (agricultural college FTW)

I appreciate that she was new and probably wasn't fully aware that she was committing a violation, but I would have assumed that as a new student the school would have issued her a copy of the dress code on enrollment?

Personally her outfit looks fine to me - but it's an odd angle that makes it hard to tell exactly how short the skirt is (which is what I assume the problem was).

I think forcing her to wear that suit was too much. Taking her to one side, given that she is a new student and still finding her feet, and explaining things to her and ensuring that she understood the dress code and had a copy of it, and then letting it go on the understanding that she follow the code from then on would have been a more appropriate course of action.
 

clintl

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Honestly, I despise the very notion of school uniforms. As far as I'm concerned, they're less an equalizer than they are a symbol of coerced conformity. I want my students to be individuals, and to feel comfortable expressing their individuality.

The reason workplaces have dress codes is primarily to present an image to customers. For students in schools, that's not an issue.
 

Celia Cyanide

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Honestly, I despise the very notion of school uniforms. As far as I'm concerned, they're less an equalizer than they are a symbol of coerced conformity. I want my students to be individuals, and to feel comfortable expressing their individuality.

They usually don't, though. Most teenagers dress like each other, or certain groups they want to fit into. Coerced conformity, IMO, is no better or worse then conformity they choose.

I agree that uniforms don't work, though. I went to Catholic school, and people most certainly broke the dress code, even accidently, because they hemmed their skirt too short, pinned their pants, or didn't tuck their shirt in far enough. I got made fun of for the way I dressed, even though I was wearing the same thing as everyone else.
 

Larry M

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But that's the thing about dress codes...why does it only have to be about what is "revealing"? That's not the focus of dress codes in the workplace. So why should it be in a school?

Maybe not so much 'revealing' as 'distracting' (a broader definition that also covers hair, jewelry, etc.). That's how it is worded in the dress code at the elementary school where I teach.
 

Vince524

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How are we talking about that?
Well, because of the OP. And it what was brought up about girls wearing this and getting in trouble for it.

If a girl came to school with a t shirt that had a graphic picture of a zombie eating someone's brains, even if the school made her change, it would be a different discusion.
 

Celia Cyanide

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Well, because of the OP. And it what was brought up about girls wearing this and getting in trouble for it.

Ok, so I'm trying to understand. What were you asking about boys? If they ever wear clothes that are considered revealing? I think they do. They wear tank tops and shorts.
 

clintl

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Ok, so I'm trying to understand. What were you asking about boys? If they ever wear clothes that are considered revealing? I think they do. They wear tank tops and shorts.

There's also a current male fashion trend among teens where they wear their pants sagging down almost to their thighs, exposing their boxers.
 

backslashbaby

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Honestly, I despise the very notion of school uniforms. As far as I'm concerned, they're less an equalizer than they are a symbol of coerced conformity. I want my students to be individuals, and to feel comfortable expressing their individuality.

The reason workplaces have dress codes is primarily to present an image to customers. For students in schools, that's not an issue.

I hate school uniforms for the same reasons. I think high school, and middle school to a great extent, is a great time to be free and able to have crazy looks that you won't be able to when older (if in a 'professional' atmosphere).

Even showing more skin than when older makes a lot of sense to me, especially for young kids. They shouldn't have to worry pre-puberty about how their bodies look in things, imho. It would be nice if we didn't have to worry about that when older :)

I got one rule put in my Episcopal school's dress code, and I consider it a badge of honor :D :D I dislike conformity very much.

I did feel conflicted in a professional environment about a dress code issue. At the French restaurant where I worked, the owner's American husband wondered if my skirt was too short (I wore matching tights and flats, too, btw, so it wasn't a skin issue). The French owner said "No! She looks fine! She's thin enough, you see!" Oy. Not cool. But it worked out that large young women wore similar outfits after I did, and that looked great, too. Score one for fashionable choices for all body sizes :)

OTOH, there are lines that are probably too far. I'm just pretty darned liberal on them. Women's bodies are not a problem to be solved.
 

shaldna

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Honestly, I despise the very notion of school uniforms. As far as I'm concerned, they're less an equalizer than they are a symbol of coerced conformity. I want my students to be individuals, and to feel comfortable expressing their individuality.

The reason workplaces have dress codes is primarily to present an image to customers. For students in schools, that's not an issue.

Perhaps it's a cultural thing, but pretty much every school here has a uniform - I can only think of one off the top of my head that I know which doesn't. Students aren't just seen as individuals, but they are also seen to be representing their schools at all times. Uniforms work because everyone wears the same thing - especially in areas of highly mixed social classes - not every student can afford designer jeans, for instance, so you take away that factor.

It doesn't stop students being individuals. I really don't think that your individuality should be pinned on something you wear for five hours a day.
 

backslashbaby

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Ok, so I'm trying to understand. What were you asking about boys? If they ever wear clothes that are considered revealing? I think they do. They wear tank tops and shorts.

Back in my day, they wore long boxers under their shorts. Then you could see straight up the boxers when they sat across the room from you. It was more than movies showed back then, lol :D
 

Lillith1991

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In my district, oddly colored hair, or a Mohawk, for example, are considered by admin to be 'distracting' to other students. I don't agree, however, they didn't ask me.

I'm with you, I wouldn't care about this rule if it didn't also apply to very long hair on males, dreadlocks, or long kinky-curly hair. Too many students, most often minorities, get shafted by people trying to use that rule as an excuse for their prejudice.

Native American Child Reportedly Sent Home From Kindergarten Because Of Long Hair
 

CassandraW

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I'm with you, I wouldn't care about this rule if it didn't also apply to very long hair on males, dreadlocks, or long kinky-curly hair. Too many students, most often minorities, get shafted by people trying to use that rule as an excuse for their prejudice.

Native American Child Reportedly Sent Home From Kindergarten Because Of Long Hair

Or this story. http://www.huffingtonpost.com/2013/09/25/school-dreadlock-bans_n_3990920.html

And the little girl's dreads were totally adorable (and very neat, too). Poor little thing!
 

Hapax Legomenon

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It doesn't stop students being individuals. I really don't think that your individuality should be pinned on something you wear for five hours a day.

Five hours? Where does that number come from?
 

shaldna

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I'm with you, I wouldn't care about this rule if it didn't also apply to very long hair on males, dreadlocks, or long kinky-curly hair. Too many students, most often minorities, get shafted by people trying to use that rule as an excuse for their prejudice.

Native American Child Reportedly Sent Home From Kindergarten Because Of Long Hair

There was a bit of a kickup a couple of years back when some of the schools in my area tried to bring this sort of policy in. Needless to say it didn't go down terribly well - it's a pretty mixed community, and as you said, it applies mostly to minorities, which was the argument used to stamp out the policy. At my daughters school they don't mind styles so long as it's neat. My daughter is 7 and has never had her hair cut - so you can imagine how long it is.


Five hours? Where does that number come from?

Here it's 5 hours for most of primary school and 6 for secondary/high school.

Edit - sometimes six and a half depending on the school and how they schedule breaks etc - at my daughter's school she has just started staying in from 9-3, except for Fridays when they whole school finishes at 2pm.
 
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jennontheisland

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I don't recall my school having a dress code. I wore tank dresses that barely covered my ass, and regularly showed midriff in jr. high, and wore some wacky stuff in high school. Pretty sure the closest thing we had was "no hats" and I think even that was ignored a lot of the time. I do recall hearing that someone got sent home once for wearing a shirt that said "Fuck Frankie", but that's it. Friend of mine regularly wore his blue mohawk up to his school, too.

Other than my step-dad talking about school uniforms in the UK, I don't think I'd ever even considered a written "Dress Code" for school until I heard about it here.
 

KimJo

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When I was in high school (a long, long time ago), our school had a rule against students wearing shorts of any length.

We had a heat wave one year. This was the late 1980s; pretty much every female student owned at least one miniskirt, and we all wore them to school because it was too hot for pants. Our skirts weren't in violation of the dress code; I don't remember if our dress code even had a length requirement for skirts.

The boys got ticked off that girls could wear miniskirts but the boys had to suffer in long pants or jeans because of the no-shorts rule...so a group of them borrowed miniskirts from sisters or girlfriends and wore them to school one day.

Naturally they were all sent home... but the school rescinded the no-shorts rule the next day.