During the first week of school, many mothers were already rather tired of washing and ironing school uniforms for boys and girls, primary school students and teenagers. Does your child also have a uniform at school? And how do you feel about this? The arguments "for" and "against" school uniforms are expressed by psychologist Lyudmila Petranovskaya.

School uniform, who is in favor?

There are usually three arguments "for" a school uniform.

1. Form creates equality, levels the difference in the wealth of families... Very funny.

First, the difference in the wealth of families has long existed not so much between children in the same class, but between different schools. The likelihood of the neighborhood at the desk of the son of a cleaner and the son of a deputy / prosecutor / businessman / showman is close to zero. It is already too late to drink Borjomi. And in those schools where abilities are important, where there is no corruption in admission and such a neighborhood is quite possible, the form usually does not bother children, as well as teachers, purple, whose parents are richer.

Secondly, the difference in wealth will still be visible. In addition to uniforms, there are shoes, sneakers and a suit for physical education, outerwear, a watch, a phone, a way to spend holidays and a lot more. Shall we equalize everything?

On the other hand, the difference between expensive and cheap clothes is now very small in appearance. This is not the difference between velvet with pearls and torn bast shoes, but just nonsense like brands and "latest collections". The jeans that I bought for my daughter in the summer at a sale in some chain store like "New Yorker" for 10 euros do not differ in appearance from jeans for 1000 euros just completely (and half the price of the most lousy synthetic shiny and hanging uniform school pants, and not lousy - five times). What such a huge difference in appearance are we talking about?

Thirdly, who even said that the solution to the problem by sweeping garbage under the carpet is the best way? Social inequality exists. The task of parents and teachers is to teach children to cope with this circumstance with dignity, without equalizing the value of a person with the value of his rags.

2. The second argument also delights in its hypocrisy. Form, they say, supports a sense of belonging to the school, corporate pride, it is not for nothing that the best private schools in Europe have it. Wonderful. That is, we have any schools, there is absolutely nothing to be proud of, the children do not like them and, to put it mildly, do not value their belonging to them - but the form will IMAGE that we have, as in Europe.

It would be interesting to make a correlation - how the quality of the school, including the students' love for it, relates to the degree of zeal in demanding form from its administration. Something tells me that addiction will be very telling. Not to mention the fact that in those "best schools in Europe" the autonomy of the school operates, and if there is a form, this is the decision of the school itself, its personal tradition, and not a consequence of something said and imposed from above.

3. Well, and about the fact that school teaches to wear a suit... This is no comment at all. And where did someone get the idea that a child will certainly need an office suit in his future? I now live without him and do not complain. And the daughter, I hope, will manage. And the son gladly wears it on occasion, although he wore jeans at school. Can't my children be pre-programmed on how to dress and how to live?

This was the end of the pros. At least I haven't heard others.

Arguments against school uniforms

Now let's see what we have to say against the school uniform.

1. Form is above all bullying moms... Because a normal second-grader boy (and many girls) has an average of three sets of clothes per school week. And either mom has to wash, dry and iron the arrows at night, or spend on three sets to wash and dry all weekend.

The fabrics and styles of school uniforms are usually impractical: either it wrinkles, and there are all these folds, tucks, buttons, you are tortured to iron, or it has a high percentage of synthetics, and these are puffs, spools and a very short service life. Quite often the label states that washing in the machine is prohibited. How is it? To hire a maid for the sake of external social equality?

2. Form is expensive. For example, on weekends I often have work, or even business trips. Therefore, I always buy my daughter a lot of clothes, with a margin for those cases when I cannot help her with school fees on weekends. To buy four jeans and a dozen blouses, T-shirts, sweaters is much cheaper than four uniform sets. And besides, these same jeans and T-shirts are suitable to go to visit, to the section, walk, go on vacation on vacation.

3. Form is discrimination against children with a non-standard figure. The difference in physique, which jeans and knitwear hide, is emphasized by the uniform. It is in the advertising photos that we always see slender girls who look like pleated skirts, ruffles on blouses and sarafans at the waist. And the suffering of girls who are not so slender or, on the contrary, very thin, forced to fit in sarafans or walk in something like a bag with buttons, the discomfort of tall and short children, or adolescents, whose size is still a child's width, in length - quite an adult and everything sticks out from everywhere, is not taken into account.

4. The form is inconvenient. Shirts tucked into trousers, jackets with stiff shoulders, skirts that are bulging or sticking to tights, buttons that come off easily. It crushes, bumps and crushes, it must be constantly corrected and pulled, and for a child with sensitive skin, a typical uniform is just torture. What a study here.

5. Form provokes conflicts. Where there is arbitrariness, there will be a protest. Teenagers will fight for their right to walk without a uniform, violating the requirements without prior arrangement. They will be scolded for this at school and at home. They answer - to snap. Parents will bully children or make trouble with the school. And for what, can you find out, create a notorious point of tension? Little stress in life?

6. Sometimes parents say: but you don't have to think about what to wear on him (her), otherwise he will start to sort out the whole morning. There is such a thing, some start. But isn't it one of the tasks of childhood - learn how to manage your appearance as well? Learning to dress appropriately, comfortably, and to enjoy yourself? Why not set requirements that help you learn to think and decide what to wear?

For example, the requirement for modesty and severity of clothing is of high quality, reasonable and developmental. There is an opportunity to think and evaluate: jeans with holes and rhinestones - is this suitable? And the inscription on the shirt - can it be any? And again, there may be different traditions in different schools. OWN traditions, and it’s okay to come somewhere in a T-shirt with the inscription: “I’m kind of strange today”, but somewhere it’s not worth it, and you need to be guided in this. No, of course, if the goal is to talk less with children in general, and only give instructions, then, of course, the form is better.

7. In this place, psychologists usually talk about the harm of leveling and leveling of individuality, about the fact that the form prepares for the role of "cog" or "office plankton"but I won't. It is not so easy to level out individuality with clothes. The children will fight back. Their eyes, smiles, characters cannot be leveled by sarafans.

It seems to me that the harm from violence is much stronger. The same clothes for all are generally characteristic of places that were not created for joy: an army, a prison, a hospital. If the form is not about love for your school and not about pride that you study here, then it is about the fact that the state has you as it wants, and teachers and parents, instead of protecting you from it, help it in this ... However, maybe this is precisely the true deep message of the innovation.

In short, the only one school uniformwhich I can admit is reasonable - these are jeans (skirts) without frills with T-shirts-sweaters-sweatshirts in the color of the school or with the emblem-school motto, which children themselves want to wear and wear when the school council decided. And if someone for some reason does not wear, then it is also possible.

First, do not exaggerate the possibilities of school tyranny. No one has the right to restrict your child's access to education or bully him because of his uniform. Regardless of the rulings and decisions, the law is stronger, and the law speaks of your child's right to education. It is your responsibility as a parent to provide him with the conditions - suitable for going to school. CLOTHES. Not a shape.

The school can decide on the compulsory form - it has the right. The Parents' Committee of the school can appeal this decision - it also has the right. If the parent committee sags or wants to be equalized, it is very easy to re-elect it at the next meeting.

If obvious nagging begins about the stripes-width of pants, if the child is kicked out of school and class on the day when for some reason he is not in shape (did not have time to dry), do not run to buy other shirt-pants and do not start making excuses.

Say that you and your child respect school choices in terms of form and that you will follow ASAP. No, you will not smooth out the arrows on your trousers, you have no time and you do not like it. And no, you won't get up at 6 in the morning in order to have time to dry the only correct vest with a hairdryer. And if your child has sensitive skin, he will not wear a jacket with a chafing collar and cutting armpits, but you promise - when you can - buy a matching knitted jacket.

Finally, you can always write a statement addressed to the director that, for financial reasons, you cannot provide your child with a school uniform of the required sample and very much hope that this will not affect the attitude of teachers and administration towards him. Are we all for the sake of equality between the poor and the rich?

It doesn't matter what your circumstances really are. After all, you are in control of the budget and you may think it is better to spend the money on a child's England vacation or diving activities than on a form. And for that and for another you do not have. In some cases, this may sound derisive, but who was the first to mock? Submit a statement on record, and after the first case of taking out the child's brain because of the form, write up a complaint about the fact that your child is being bullied because the family is not rich enough. Of course, this is an option for teenagers who themselves do not want to wear a uniform so much that they are ready to withstand some pressure and are confident in the support of their classmates.

It is not necessary to artificially put the child in the role of an outcast, then it is easier to change the school. Well, and the clothes in which the child walks instead of uniform should look decent - not defiant, not very worn out, dirty, obviously not in size. Otherwise you will have problems with custody.

You can also write a statement about a child with sensitive skin. Only prepare the child himself what to answer if "begins". The best way: "Marya Petrovna, I put on what my mom (dad) tells me. All questions are for my parents."

In short, I very much sympathize with everyone who "got", even if it poisons the life of you and your children less. Don't be offended by them.

Antistress for parents [Your child goes to school] Tsarenko Natalya

Why do you need a school uniform?

Why do you need a school uniform?

Many parents, bringing their child to the first grade, are faced with the need to acquire a school uniform for their child. And, despite the fact that most moms and dads at one time and themselves wore it, their attitude to the form is completely ambiguous. Someone does not like the very idea of \u200b\u200b"leveling", someone is not satisfied with the design or convenience of a particular form of a particular school (although globally they have nothing against it), someone, on the contrary, happily agrees, since they see the form as a way out for your child due to the financial situation of the family ... In short, as many parents, so many opinions.

And children ... children are excellent barometers and sensitively catch our adult moods. And if the mother herself could not stand the uniform in her school years and, gritting her teeth, puts it on her own child, it is difficult to expect from him a positive and respectful attitude towards uniforms (especially if the mother expresses her opinion out loud).

So what are the pros and cons of a school uniform? Is it necessary, is it expedient, what problems does it solve, which is not, and which, on the contrary, does it generate?

Let's start with the bad ones.

First, form is, indeed, an equalization. Children have completely different figures, height, physique. Finally, they have different type appearance. Thus, what goes to one will look completely ugly on the other. To avoid this, you should be given the opportunity to choose a style within, say, a single fabric, color scheme and a set of items (suits, skirts, vests - from the same fabric but with cut variations for different figures). However, where has it been seen, where has it been heard, where is it done, who can afford it? You can count such schools on your fingers, alas.

Secondly, the form should ideally only be comfortable and beautiful. However, reality often makes its own adjustments: in many schools the color scheme and fabric are not coordinated with the parents, but are done according to the principle "it happened." For example, they introduce a form of absolutely monstrous colors (in a red-green checker) only because such fabric was purchased cheaply "through the channels" of the director.

Thirdly, the form oppresses children with its monotony. Every day is the same! This is really boring, especially from the age when children become partial to their appearance and they want to please their classmates and classmates. True, here inventive schoolchildren (and especially schoolgirls) will always find a way out - how to stand out and how to excel. It's good if they think of doing this with the help of clothing details. I remember what we did not do within the bounds of what was permitted: the uniform was decorated with unusual collars, and cuffs, and beautiful aprons were sewn. Girls will always find a way to decorate themselves. And the length! And the boys could always put on an unusual shirt, suspenders, belt - who in what way. It is much worse if other methods - behavioral ones - are used to attract attention.

And lastly, some schools make a disciplinary lever out of the form, a way to control the behavior of children. If the position of the administration in matters of observance of the form is excessively tough, this should alert you as parents: the main function of the school is to teach children, and not to discipline, and if the emphasis is not on that, then it will not be easy to study there, because paying attention is most likely will be primarily not on the quality of study, but on loyalty and "obedience".

Now - about the good. So, the school uniform allows you to solve the following tasks.

First: thanks to the introduction of the form, children at school cannot impress each other with their clothes. This is a big plus for the educational process, because this is not why they go to school, after all ... I would like both children and parents to remember this. Children will find something to stand out with, and it's good (just great!) If it is personal achievements and talents. Much more often these are just banal phones, bags, writing utensils, outerwear, conversations about “who has which house, which car”, visits to each other and joint leisure - children will have a place to “turn around” and in addition to the clothing industry. The social and material situation of different families is not a secret for any of the children in the class, and now they talk about this freely, and the children know just as much (or even better) of us what it costs. So, alas, the form will not be able to “solve the problem of social inequality”. However, income inequality is much more easily tolerated when, at least during the educational process (and this is the main school function), everyone has the same clothes. Just put yourself in their place: someone in a smart suit is having an important conversation with you, having caught you in unsuitable clothes - a casual home T-shirt or an old sweater ... How will you feel? Now imagine the same conversation when you are in a business suit, not even so expensive. When will it be more comfortable?

Second: 15-20 years ago, the financial situation was very tense for the overwhelming majority of the population, and the form was a good way out of the situation for many. Our times - taking into account the crisis - promise to be no better, so the form can again be considered a good material help: nevertheless, one set of clothes is cheaper than several. True, some schools manage to do business on this, and the form turns out to be quite expensive, but this is on the conscience of the administration.

Third: children do not look like a motley mass, but a kind of integrity, this is useful both in the sense of aesthetics and in the sense of psychology - an additional moment that unites the group into a team, allowing them to raise the so-called “ corporate culture". For example, the daughter of my friends is studying in Great Britain, in her educational institution the uniform is obligatory (as in all "good" schools - these are traditions that have developed over the centuries). And the girl (teenager!) Is proud of her, as she is proud of her belonging to this educational institution. Indeed, the shape is very beautiful ...

Fourth: not all children and their parents have taste, therefore, modern schoolchildren are dressed simply monstrously, often - both expensive and monstrous "in one bottle", because aesthetics does not depend at all on the material capabilities of the family. And the form, if selected successfully and well-sewn, removes these moments.

Fifth: during puberty, girls actively seek to attract attention to themselves. With the help of casual clothes, they get sometimes just depressing results. Often, girls come to classes in transparent blouses with translucent bras, or in such skirts-belts in which it is absolutely impossible to bend down - just squat (hello sixties!), Or in jeans with a low belt, in which it is also better to stand exactly like a tin soldier : any movement forward brings out the girl's panties and half of her priests for everyone to see. With a 100% guarantee, I can say that if a girl is dressed that way, then no matter what she says, her thoughts will not be about studying - as well as the entire boy's half of the class. And, as a result, the girl's too. Do not deceive yourself, physiology is physiology, especially generously heated by hormones. And here the point is not in the high morality of the administration, but in the fact that they simply do not want to waste their time. As you can see, there are still more pluses than minuses, although not much. However, it is up to you to choose which arguments are more meaningful to you. After all, form is an inevitable given in many schools, so isn't it better, not being able to change circumstances, change your attitude towards them and see positive where, at first glance, it does not exist and cannot be? And having accepted the situation, you can always turn it to your advantage: well, at least, it will be easier for you and your child to live - one less annoying and stressful moment.