Try playing hopscotch in these
As kids head back to school, we get all the usual reports on the rising costs of private and even public education. More than the Dora the Explorer lunchbox, Smiggle pencil case and BPA-free water bottle, what hits hardest is the steep price of school uniforms.
I’ve always been bemused by the trend toward dressing kindergartners in clothing that’s more formal than what most adults wear to work. Which is why it’s great news that a lot of schools are moving toward a sportier look.
Of course, naysayers are afraid that a return to more practical clothing might lead to discipline issues. I agree that a more professional look is appropriate for high schoolers. Indeed, in senior years I enjoyed the grown-up feeling of wearing a blazer.
But back when I was five, all jackets looked pretty much the same. I had better things to be thinking about, like capture the flag, hanging upside down, and making patterns out of woodchips and flowers.
All of which would have been difficult if I’d had to perfect my leap onto the third monkey bar while wearing a miniature business suit.
The price of this clothing is only the start. Then there’s the worry – and probable conflict – resulting from the fact that, at some point, your first grader is going to lose one of those priceless uniform items. Exasperation over scuffed shoes and rips in expensive dresses doesn’t do much to encourage kids to get active.
Kids this age should be coming home in dirty clothes. We live in an obesity epidemic. We spend thousands of dollars on school sports supplies and beautiful play equipment, and then expect kids to be physically active while dressed in uncomfortable clothing that costs fifty bucks to dry-clean. We force their growing feet into hot, stiff leather shoes that provide little incentive to run around or walk to school.
The fit and most physically capable I was as a child was after my primary school installed a new playground. None of this “try to get your kids off the Wii” — we’d bolt down lunch and wait for the halftime bell to signal the opening of the equipment.
While girls had to wear shorts under their tunics, overall the uniform was one that didn’t hinder us from engaging in normal, active play. And there were no motherly cries of “Don’t you dare dirty that $200 blazer” ringing in our ears.
For primary school kids, a less formal outfit meets all the requirements of discipline and uniformity. Kids need comfortable, washable uniforms that allow healthy, active play.
What they don’t need is to play dress-up five days a week in a shrunken version of mummy’s business suit.
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Sources
Students drop uniforms to conform to a new reality (news.com.au)
Education is costing us a fortune (Daily Telegraph)
