I'm trying to stay within topics that relate directly to school, or my school experiences, but as the holidays are fast approaching (I know, I'm crying inside too), these kind of topics might dry up, so you should probably expect more of blogs related to gaming and such.

Well today, I got in trouble for wearing the wrong socks. Yes, you read that right. Socks.

...

What do socks even do? I mean, they're just socks. And they weren't even a different type of sock! I was just wearing a different color, that's all. And boy, was I annoyed. Especially as they pulled me out of Chemistry. I was so frustrated. Couldn't they have come a period early and pulled me out during English? But anyways, what's with schools attentiveness to clothing? I mean, I don't understand it. And I don't understand uniforms. They seem so pointless. And I'm sure there are many of you out there that can relate. I mean, I've never met an argument that sufficiently justified uniforms, though that could just be me, living in an echochamber. It's like I'm a middle aged, middle class conservative in England, only ever reading the Daily Mail.

I mean, I've faced a few points such as:

• It makes the school more orderly.
  
• The child doesn't have to worry about what they will wear to school. So less bullying.
  
• Helps make sure everyone stays together during an excursion.
  
• Builds a sense of community.
  

Just a few things. These probably aren't all the reasons we have uniforms. And they aren't the best ones. Just what I can think of the top of my head. And don't worry, there is a larger point to this blog post.

• I'm not sure how it makes school more orderly. I mean, year 12s have casual dress, and they seem to be fine.
  
• Honestly, I don't agree with this one. I'm one of those kids who didn't get bullied all that much throughout my school life (I was very lucky). Course, there were some people who were mean, but even then, they had to stretch it a bit, to find something to beat me down with. I mean, they had to be downright racist (confusing me as an Indian, even when I corrected them) just to insult me. See, people will always try to bully you. They'll look for anything that you might feel insecure about. If it isn't your taste in clothing, it's going to be something else. And I've found the best way to deal with a bully is to just ignore them and make them feel worthless, rather than give them an excuse to find something else to insult you with. Though I do agree that we'd have to think less about what we wear. Though really, thinking of it, I don't really think about clothes that much.
  
• I've been on excursions where I've been in free dress. It made no difference as to how lost I was (how I comically worded that? [i need at least one self reference])
  
• People don't have to dress themselves similarly to each other, to feel part of a community. I mean, look at us! We're a community and we don't even know what we even look like. I don't see how appearance affects our sense of community.
  

Now, a few points of my own.

• School's primary function is to teach. And while I understand clothing does matter as to how well we reach that goal (warm clothes in winter, loose clothes in summer), it doesn't mean we all have to wear the same clothes.
  
• Oh boy, how expensive are these uniforms? I think, one set costs about $400. And I have to buy 3 sets and but new sets every year. That means I have to spend $1200 dollars on clothes, per year. The worse thing is that I have a $30 jacket that keeps me nice and comfy. It fills out the same function as the $100 jacket that was mandatory. You know what? It even does it better. And I can't wear it at school.
  
• Just for a touch of irony, I always hear in our weekly assemblies as to how we should express our individuality. Now, in fairness, school does a pretty good job with the whole expression thing, but they fail awesomely when it comes to clothing.
  
• How strict they are with their perferences. I mean, do white socks really differ from grey socks? And does my shirt always have to be tucked in?
  

And really, I don't mind the whole uniform thing. It doesn't get in the way, and it's not too much trouble after a cold winter.

But what annoys me is how the only reason it's there, is because we can't be stuffed to change it. And I don't get it. Why? Why won't school change?

School seems to stagnate, because that's how society thinks it should be. It just lies there, ever so still, as the winds of time erode the soil it was built on. It's our fault really. People think that school shouldn't change as it will cause change within society itself. And not a small change, no, radical change. It'll change how we think. And I think we're a bit scared of that. That somehow, all our traditions and moral codes are outdated.

But we shouldn't fear change. We should embrace it. And shape it, so it's better for us and better for the world.

To quote a D&D god here " Change is inevitable, but it takes the work of the faithful to ensure that change is for the better".

Told ya this entry had a point.

Just asking, but every time I watch a show that involves some sort of teenager. they seem to wear whatever they like to school. Is that true where you live?