Makoura's uniform is straightforward for the most part, but whenever I see it, it looks shipshape and clean-cut.
Makoura's uniform is straightforward for the most part, but whenever I see it, it looks shipshape and clean-cut.
A LONG-TIME principal remarked to me recently on the subject of uniforms, and how their appearance sends a message to the community at large.
School may well be the only time in your life when you wear a uniform. It is a conformity that is probably a burden, in termsof costs, and a blessing for parents, in terms of consistency. I was required to wear a uniform to Northland College, and I quite liked the concept, until we moved to Wellington and enrolled at Onslow, which was considered somewhat liberal and egalitarian in its outlook and didn't have uniforms or prefects.
I believe the principal was right, in that a tidy uniform unconsciously demonstrates the mindset of the students towards their school but also demonstrates a student has a benchmark for personal appearance.
When I lived in England, comprehensive school uniforms were worn in a manner somewhere between a Britney Spears video and the appearance of outright prostitution. When it came to appearance, students had abandoned the concept of pride in their appearance a long time ago.
The principal made a positive reference to Makoura College, where pride in the uniform was evident. This is not to detract from other colleges, but Makoura is a noted example because of the contrast with its past. He is right, Makoura's uniform is straightforward for the most part, but whenever I see it, it looks shipshape and clean-cut.
