Whether or not children should wear school uniforms is a hotly debated issue with arguments for and against. Some of the main ones in the ‘for’ camp are:
- Children perceive them as professional and are therefore more likely to work and not ‘play’ as they have been dressed to work.
- They promote good discipline.
- They reduce violence and bullying by removing the fashionable element to clothing which can often divide young people and create opportunities to be treated differently.
- They provide a lower cost alternative to keeping up to date with the latest fashions and designer labels.
- They promote a sense of identity and school spirit.
Of course there are equal numbers of counter-arguments including the need for individuals to express that individuality.
Many schools that have a uniform can raise funds b y allowing a casual dress day from time to time [charging a small sum for the privilege].
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Men, real men (so the popular theory goes) are able to fix things, even make things. They keep wood in their sheds in case they need it someday. They ha
ve toolboxes with tools in that they know the names of, what they are used for and actually know how to use them!
Real men (so the popular theory goes) cope well when their car breaks down. They lift the bonnet (or hood for my North American friends) and can understand what they see and are often able to get the car back on the road without phoning for outside assistance.
The popular theory also says they don’t cry – well the big ones don’t.
If the popular theory is true then I am not a full/real man. My wife discovered this during our early married life when I attempted to assemble our flat pack furniture. Quite a shock for her as her father kept wood in case he Read More
My wife is a reader – I read too [well actually I now listen to more books than I read - but that is another story] – so she uses our local library. Earlier to day I went and picked up a book she had ordered and I realised that the whole process took place without the need for any human interaction at all. The book was searched for and ordered online from home. The internet told us it was there, ready and waiting to be collected. The new, revised, updated system enables us to collect the book, scan our library card and leave the library without speaking to a single human being.
Later I went to the supermarket and they too have recently installed self check-outs. Now, admittedly, the conversation with the checkout chicks was rarely long or detailed [and never deep] but even the pleasantries of “How are you, today” can now be avoided.
So we are developing additional ways to live our lives without human interaction – a low touch system. Yet we Read More
Just the other day I was talking to a young man who is on the edge of leaving school early. I don’t mean going home before lunch, I mean that his school is suggesting to him that he needs to change or he needs to change. [No that wasn’t a typographical error]. Let me explain.
Either he needs to change his attitude and his current level of effort or he needs to change his school. He wouldn’t be expelled, as such, but he would be encouraged to go and find a place that meets his requirements. The difficulty is that they will only meet his immediate requirements not his medium and long term ones. Many young people, scratch the word young, many people don’t make decisions and think about their future at the same time. They are keen on instant fixes, immediate solutions and now answers. Life, unlike coffee, doesn’t come with an instant option.
During the conversation I had one of those moments of creativity and explained that school [actually school, parents, life Read More
Someone recently asked the question: do teenagers these days need a life coach? Interesting question that is actually 3 questions rolled into one. Let’s explore them together.
Teenagers ‘these days‘ As many of you will know, if you use a phrase like ‘when I was your age…‘ it doesn’t matter what you say after that because your teen has already zoned out. They are firmly convinced that most adults have never ever been their age. I explain to them that even their parents were teenagers once – BUT – they weren’t teenagers in 2010. Young people are facing life issues that weren’t heard of when I was their age. Many more of them, for example, are growing up in blended families with one distant parent. Drugs are more available today than back in my time. Pressure to perform at school appears greater too as you almost need a college degree to get any job. There Read More
Recently I met with a 16 year old girl who is trying to decide whether to prematurely end her time in high school [she has 1.5 years to go], to finish this year and defer her final year or to continue on and finish year 12 along with her peer group. That’s an easy decision you may say but it is only easy if you know where you want your life to go.
Stephen Covey in his book Seven Habits of Highly Effective People states that we should begin with the end in mind. The Cheshire Cat informed Alice that she could turn any way she liked at the crossroads because, as she didn’t know where she was going, it didn’t matter. Without a definite destination there is no preferred route. It reminds me of a pre-school activity we used to play entitled ‘taking a pencil for a walk’. To the untrained eye it looked like a scribble but to the bright eyes youngster it was an imaginary journey whose route was permanently recorded by the pencil.
The sad fact is that Read More
In some ways I am highly similar to every other human being on the planet and yet at the same time I feel unique. Similar in physical characteristics [the standard two arms, two legs, one mouth etc.]; similar emotionally in that I feel happy and content and then anxious and frustrated; similar socially in that [as a male of the species] I have friends but equally can live extended periods without them -and so on.
I am similar too in that I have dreams, aspirations, goals, desires – don’t we all? But I think I am unique in the blend of interests that motivate me to going the extra mile, to serving others to helping people find a better way.
I am heavily committed to young people – giving them opportunities to find themselves, achieve their wildest dreams and to have the best life they could ever have. I understand enough to know that parents are the greatest influence in a young person’s life and therefore I want to support them in their Read More
