News-Record.com

I wish that I could sit around and debate what my child wears to his/her "neighborhood" school.

It must be nice.

I use to disagree with the idea of uniforms. However, as I have have seen more discipline problems due to clothing (Offensive T-shirt messages, shirts and pants that show cleavage, etc.), I realize that uniforms are not a bad idea after all. Students will always find a way to express themselves through haircuts, shoes, and other means, but uniforms would cause less of a disruption to the school day. I have also noticed that when my seniors have had to dress up for special field trips or presentations that they behave differently--more grown up. Just as adults are expected to dress a certain way for their jobs, students should be expected to dress in an appropriate way for school.

As a professional counselor, I have to say, (sorry kids) I absolutely endorse uniforms for MIDDLE SCHOOL kids.

There are many things unique to this age group.

When I began my internship in Counseling, and I was counseling ADULTS, I observed many of the "hard wired" programs that were running in people's heads were from things that happened to them during adolescence, in regard to, "I didn't fit in" or "I wasn't cool" or " I was too chubby to wear the latest fashions" or "I felt bad asking my parents to buy expensive clothes/shoes but if I didn't have them, I was shunned by my peers" or "I know my Mom did without because she wanted to buy me stuff" or, "I am what I wear, and I do not exist beyond my appearance". Then there is intimidation and power and control issues.

I observed that the price adults were paying for things that happened during adolescence was so high, that I decided to work with kids at this age stage as a PREVENTIVE MEASURE!!

Without going into a discertation, I support uniforms for MIDDLE SCHOOL. This is the age when children are the most taxed in ALL areas of development, and they are at the height of immaturity for what we are asking them to balance in their consciousness.

A prior discussion is at Hogg's Blog => http://radio.weblogs.com/0128341/2005/04/13.html#a1056

Here is a forwarded E-mail from my friend.

My response from Oak Hollow Mall:

Sandy:
Hi. Thank you for your thoughts and concerns on this issue. Oak Hollow Mall
does not want to engage in any partnership that will make our beloved
shoppers feel uncomfortable. The talks OHM had with the G.C. schools were
honestly blown way out of proportion by the media. Mall management held two
brief meetings hearing the school boards ideas (which were not posed to us
as a school for disruptive children, but more of a co-op situation), and
the school officials asked permission from the school board to continue
discussions. The media made it sound like the school board voted on this in
a final stage. This idea will more than likely "die on the vine," because
mall management does not want a group of disruptive students here either.
Again thank you for your concerns and thank you for your loyal shopping of
Oak Hollow Mall.

The mall management company in Chattanooga was not enthused about a middle college coming to their mall either when the citizens of Guilford County contacted them.

off the subject - where is Bruce and Jen - did they quit on us - or are they on "double secret probation" - some new strands needed - I could think of quite a few

remember to contact Bruce/Jen with ideas you want to hear - I am thinking bus safety and the new mega buses and who is watching the kids while the bus driver drives; all those secrect diverstiy meetings by Crossroads Ministries; now how about some feedback on all those speakers who came out against GLESN and those folks asking for equal time.

They must be really busy working on a super story for N & R - no school news today or yesterday - must be something big coming up???

Buckmtn:

I wonder if that email was to Sandy Allen - Andrews parent?

Of course there are a lot of Sandys out there. It would seem odd though that someone who supports the HP "Choice" plan would inquire about the Mall Program. She did mentioned I think in a past post though about speading certain kids around and getting them out of Andrews.

Just curious.

Barbara Ann:

Perhaps Sandy was a little confused and thought there would be further magnet program expansion such as:

1. Retail management
2. Criminal investigation of teenage shoplifting
3. Culinary skills for mall food courts.

As long as we are chatting under the school uniform section I would also like to propose the use of uniforms for these 3 high schools. I believe all kids that are bused out of their neighborhood school district should wear the colors of their old school. By doing so it will be easy for homeowners to determine which kids do not belong in a particular neighborhood.

Just saw in the paper where Dr. Grier threw out the first pitch at the Grasshoppers Baseball game last week in front of a couple thousand 2nd graders.

Dr. Grier picks his audiences well.Anybody else would have BOOED this Ass off the mound.

This ceremony is ussually reserved for dignitaries, I guess they could not find one that day.

Baseball has enough problems dealing with the steroid use by the players,without letting a Scumbag like Grier stain the sacred ground of a Baseball Diamond.

Top of the 1st,

I don't get it. Were all the little grade schoolers supposed to be impressed that Grier can throw a ball?

Did he announce to them before the pitch that he just ruined their AL program? That he just took teacher's assistants from their schools? That he is spending their money on more buses? That he's buying more trailers? Or did he just smile his 'lying rat bastard' grin? (This is not my quote, I borrowed that from an earlier post.)

Maybe he's thinking of a new career in baseball? I would strongly encourage that. He would hear that all too familiar phrase that he's very familiar with by now, "OUTTA HERE!"