Mexico doesn't have a corner on the market for requiring employees to wear a uniform. My sister is a nurse and you won't find her wearing a leopard print spandex jumpsuit to work. But I do say that Mexico takes the uniformity to the nth degree. The other day all the teachers were standing outside for a group photo in our Thursday's striped shirt. We were lined up according to height so you know I was pushed to the back and we had to clasp our hands together. Standing with terminal smiles on our faces, the whole picture taking process was stopped because I had my hands clasped in the wrong direction. Heaven forbid if I were to stand out because my hands were grasped together with left over right especially since I am no where near the front due to my giganormous 5'8" stature.
All students in Mexico must wear uniforms including all government and private schools. They look like Catholic school uniforms as you can see on the left. (These are not our school uniforms. I borrowed the photo from the Google images.) However, some of the staff take it to the nth degree on enforcing rules. Students have been pulled out from playing at recess because their shirt is not tucked in. Oh, please! Recently I've seen a rash of written reports where students lose grade points and parents must sign because students are wearing a wrong shirt on the wrong day. Or they have a black stripe on their shoes when they are suppose to be pure white. Or the hair accessory isn't pure white. What would happen if a student showed up with black nails and purple hair? It would be total chaos and all order in the universe would cease to exist.
HAHAHA yes, Mexico loves its uniforms!
ReplyDeleteCancun must not be as strict, though. I see kids all the time with hair accessories of all colors. They do have to tuck their shirts in, though.
I also see lots of high school girls who roll the waistband of their skirts to make them shorter... hilarious!
I have a work uniform. Ugly as sin, but I save hundreds of dollars a year on buying work clothes.
Ohhh the uniform!
ReplyDeleteI always had to wear a uniform back home - my brother was taken off the Headmasters list for having an un-tucked shirt! Lame - O! At the time we hated uniforms, but now I see that it's much better than I thought. No competition, no trying to keep up - equality.
I see what Laura's saying, but I think that is based on the school! My friends kids go to Monteverde and there is absolutely ZERO tolerance when it comes to not looking the part!!
Ohhh and yes saves a TON of money, doesn't it!
I have been told that the uniform is another way for the school system to get more money. SInce they seem to find away to get blood from a turnip, I would suspect it is probably true.
ReplyDeleteSchool uniforms are pretty much required everywhere in the world. While there might be some validity in "Lib(in Virginia)'s" belief — especially in those schools where the Parents' Association is able to set uniform standards (and uses them to weed out students who can't afford them, or... as "Lib" suggests, to earn a fast peso), they are also seen, especially in more progressive communities (like the Federal District) as a way to ensure social equality in the classroom. Poor families receive an allowance for uniforms, and poor kids at least have a decent set of clothes to wear.
ReplyDeletegringation - my last year's uniform was the most butt-ugly with lace in front and on the cuff. i burned it at the end of the year and now i wish i had a photo of it. this year's are decent blouses with school logo without the lace and we wear are own black or navy blue pants.
ReplyDeleteElle - i told the kids to wear green today and no one pitched a fit or wrote up my kids today. the school was decent about it. i guess i like to buck the authority a bit when it comes to conformity.
Lib - don't know about the school system kick-back thing but it seems to be a way of life in Mexico. Heck, the poor taco cart man can't run his business unless he pays for "protection".
Richard - uniforms have not come to public schools in Iowa yet, but they might some day like southern Texas. The kids in the Rio Grande Valley usually wear jeans and a school t-shirt.
I'm also 5'8'' and a student once told me I was "gigante." I didn't care for that much, so I corrected him and told him I was "alta," not "gigante." I know what you're talking about how some schools are extremely strict when it comes to shirts being tucked in. I had a student who was a little on the chunky side and didn't want to tuck in his shirt. I felt so bad for him because it really made him feel bad about his tummy.
ReplyDeleteI'm happy to say my girls go to a private school here in Mexico and they don't wear uniforms. It's a school run by Jesuits and they feel that it's best for the kids to choose their own clothes and express themselves.
Jackie - I had no idea that there was a school in Mexico that allows individuality especially run by Jesuits. Wow. I'm impressed. Not that I know much about Jesuits except for a couple relative-in-laws who were priests.
ReplyDeleteThis is all sooo beautiful! I love the quilts. Have recently started following your blog and I love your style!
ReplyDeleteDAV School Unigorms