Schooling , football and education .

[freeatlast2013]

As I look at the state of our country in regards to education, family and such , I have to admit , unless somebody can change my mind that I am a proponent of uniforms in school , just like in football . Females should wear modest apparel and men should dress with a tie or sport shirt , like he was going for an interview . In football, this seems to work . Those that have trouble being disciplined in a democratic environment , the school , sometimes do very well when they have less choices , in a rigid , more authoritarian type environment . The biggest reason for this is because these kids are still kids and they need to be taught . Does that mean we kick them out the first time they show up wrongly dressed or not neat ? No we kick them in the seat and teach them why they are valued and needed as part of a greater society. In football , like society , it is not a winning team until all that are on the team feel valued and needed . It is not just the most talented but those that can find their way or place and accept it . I think that a lot of us have failed or are failing as parents or leaders by our methods . We have sought to make life easier , to cushion the blow , of the world by giving them things when they are not deserved . Everybody can not have a smart phone or the nicest house or a really cool car . There is nothing wrong with hard work.

 

[shauntclair]

This is an unusual concept. Now, don't get me wrong, I went to private school my whole life. Uniforms in 1st through 8th grade. Jacket and tie all through HS. It does have it's place but students and families know this going in. It's a choice.

A nice thought but this will simply never fly in this era's Public Schools. Not even a chance.

 

[DinwiddieProud]

Very well stated.

 

[DEVILSLB99]

As I look at the state of our country in regards to education, family and such , I have to admit , unless somebody can change my mind that I am a proponent of uniforms in school , just like in football . Females should wear modest apparel and men should dress with a tie or sport shirt , like he was going for an interview . In football, this seems to work . Those that have trouble being disciplined in a democratic environment , the school , sometimes do very well when they have less choices , in a rigid , more authoritarian type environment . The biggest reason for this is because these kids are still kids and they need to be taught . Does that mean we kick them out the first time they show up wrongly dressed or not neat ? No we kick them in the seat and teach them why they are valued and needed as part of a greater society. In football , like society , it is not a winning team until all that are on the team feel valued and needed . It is not just the most talented but those that can find their way or place and accept it . I think that a lot of us have failed or are failing as parents or leaders by our methods . We have sought to make life easier , to cushion the blow , of the world by giving them things when they are not deserved . Everybody can not have a smart phone or the nicest house or a really cool car . There is nothing wrong with hard work.

As someone that has to deal with this on a daily basis I will tell you the problem. DISCIPLINE and ACCOUNTABILITY!! Parents send their kids to school in K unprepared to be successful. They believe it is the teachers job to get the kids prepared for life. So the teachers go about trying to teach these children to the best of their abilities and then send them home to their parents, but the parents aren't reinforcing what is being taught at school and so the kids aren't being taught anything but what they are taught during school hours. Now it comes to the end of K and they haven't mastered everything probably and aren't probably ready to move on, but the teacher sends them on anyways and says to themselves "They can catch up" and this cycle continues and continues year after year. It has nothing to do with clothes or shoes it all has to do with the parents and their failure to prepare their children to be successful and put all of the responsibility on the teachers and the schools. Parents are not held accountable. Now as far as discipline goes parents are scared to discipline their students or either they are a baby raising a child themselves and don't know how to discipline a child. They are too busy being their child's friend and not being the parent. In Norfolk we have a ordinance where parents can get in trouble for sending disruptive students to school, which allows the parents to be fined or get in trouble. I have yet to see this ordinance used!!

 

[freeatlast2013]

I agree 100 percent Devils.

 

[freeatlast2013]

But isn't being a good father a learned trait Devils ?

 

[DEVILSLB99]

But isn't being a good father a learned trait Devils ?

I believe it can be learned in a variety of ways. Seeing the mistakes your father made if he isn't around and being disciplined and motivated enough to not want to continue that cycle. If you have a strong mother she can teach you how to be a man the saying is "Only men can raise men" well there have been a lot of great mothers that have raised fine men. Having a coach that is a father figure to you or can how you responsible can make you a great father because you see his interactions with kids. I believe it is definitely a learned trait.

 

[GilliamRatings]

Here's the deal. That football uniform means something because it's a privilege to wear it. You have to earn it. You can have it taken away from you. Kids see school, not as a privilege or even as an opportunity but as a chore. Something they're being forced to do. I think things like laws that require kids to stay in school are actually counter-productive, because society ends up not seeing it as an achievement, but instead as a requirement. I also think it mixes up cause and effect and lurking variables.

This is a false statement: "People do better in life because they have a high school diploma."
This is a true statement: "People who have high school diplomas do better in life."

The first statement leads to stupid laws and policies they don't work.

However, a real reading of the second statement makes it more clear: People who graduate from high school were born with or have developed a lot of characteristics that will cause them to do better in life. We have to focus on that bit of the equation. I told a kid the other day, "Your high school diploma is only worth as much as the worst kid in your school that gets one. You can't control that. You can make sure that your time in high school amounts to something."

You should get a lot more out of the experience than a diploma. We need young people to see the benefits of being in our "uniforms."

All of us have things to work on before (and after) we become adults. It's not an appreciation of Shakespeare, but it's a lot of the attributes we need to develop in order to appreciate Shakespeare.

 

[DinwiddieProud]

Great comments, the both of you.