Sometimes, I wonder if everyone on the dress uniform decision board are all the small, petite people, as I do not think they are making a very good decision when they will not allow children to wear stretch materials as a form of material for school dress uniforms.
Overweight children sometimes need a stretch material. A good many times, it is very difficult to find dress uniforms made of non-stretch materials that will properly fit an overweight child. Having some seamstress experience, I know that many patterns can be useful for making clothing out of various materials, including stretch material. Making stretch material school uniform clothing cannot be very difficult and still look nice and proper.
Personally, I think that if the schools are going to enforce a school uniform rule then everyone that spends the day at school, either learning or teaching should have to wear the same type of school uniforms. This goes for all those in the office as well as any other school employee.
Generally, the permanent press or wash and wear materials that they establish for use in public school uniforms have very little give in the material. Most often, unless these so-called uniforms fit you to a Tee, they are both awkwardly uncomfortable and not flattering at all. They pull in the seat, the crotch or around the top of the pants and make, the pockets of uniforms stand strangely rather than lying flat as is their design to do, before getting a body inside them.
Not all children are short and petite. Children come in all shapes and sizes, as do adults they all have different shapes. They are individuals after all. There are too many large or overweight children, who wish to look their best at school as well even if they do have to wear the same uniform as the others. However, they are required to wear clothing that offers no comfortable fit for wearing, while they are required to follow school rules.
Children have a hard enough time trying to grow up, learn their lessons as well as fit in with their peers, their schools, their whole worlds. Schooling is a time of learning many more things than simply math, science and extra-curricular studies. However, what are these uniformed schoolchildren really learning while being forced to wear some of the most uncomfortable and non-giving of material clothing. Are the school systems teaching these overweight children that they actually do not fit in with the others?
Overweight children in public non-stretch school uniforms are more likely to bust a pant seam than other children. Not that those smaller children cannot bust a pant seam, it’s just that overweight children are more apt to since these regulation school uniforms are not a proper or comfortable fit for them.
Now, I do realize that schools must have rules for the children to follow to encourage the best learning environment for them all. However, my point is that overweight school children already have enough to deal with beside having the human dignity to wear clothing that especially fits them comfortably whether they are in school or not and especially when they are.
Let us consider this for a moment as adults, shall we. If you are wearing clothing that does not fit you properly, are you comfortable, do you feel any reassurance that you are just like everyone else and you look and feel just as good as the others? On the other hand, are you going to be fidgeting while being bound uncomfortably inside the clothing that some stranger insist that you wear? My guess is that you will fidget and feel terribly uncomfortable. How can this be essential and encouraged to help build and maintain your self-esteem? How is wearing a non-stretch, non-giving uncomfortable and (well, since it does not really fit you) unsightly clothing, especially in such an environment such as a public school be of any true worth to any child and especially those who weigh more than others?
What should we do about making overweight school children feel more comfortable so that they are more able to relax and give the right type of attention to all their educational studies while attending school? Personally, I think the school systems should consider allowing their students whether they are petite or overweight to wear regulation uniforms made of stretch material. I do think that just this one thing can help students feel comfortable, enhance their opportunity to focus on something other than the way that permanent press, wash and wear, non-stretch materials make them feel and look awkward and uncomfortable.
Is there some secret reasoning behind forcing children to wear clothing that may be just like everyone else’s yet they do not fit properly which makes them stand out negatively in their peer groups when this time in their lives is vital for learning how to fit in and expanding their minds. it only make good sense that being comfortable while learning is most essential to the children’s general well-being as well as their educational pursuits. It is not so easy to expand your mind when the whole while you are concerned that the bottom is fixing to bust loose if you make a required move at school.
Then what happens? A parent or guardian has to gather up more uncomfortable uniform clothing and take it too the school for a child to change. It seems that by allowing the schoolchildren, dress uniform choices to best, fit their individual needs, they will benefit much more while attending school as well as be able to enjoy their learning experiences.
Another thing to keep in mind, while dressing schoolchildren, whether they are large or small in stature is that they are continually growing. When you are trying to dress an overweight child in school regulation uniforms, most often it is difficult to find something that does fit them properly, looks stylish along with the others around them at school and feels comfortable enough for them to wear. However, most often these clothes have to be altered in some manner. It is not so hard to cut and hem the leg seams so they are shorter than what a determined size may originally be, often it is not easy to alter the crotch area and let’s face it, the kids deserve a roomy and comfortable bottom in a pair of pants. It is nearly a non-win situation for the parents as well as the children trying to wear such alterations of clothing that is actually too big or not a proper fit at all, since these clothes are not made to fit their size. What does all this mean? It means that as parents of an overweight child eventually end up spending even more money that they should be required to do to begin with. If only the dress school uniforms were tailored to fit a Plus Size as well as Regulars and Slims, the educational world for overweight schoolchildren would be more conductive for learning comfortable and paying more attention to their lessons than fidgeting with their unsuitably fitting uniforms.
Now, all we need is a reliable school uniform company that is competent enough to make such regulation school uniforms while keeping in mind the needs of not just small, petite schoolchildren but those that will also grow up to be big beautiful children.
© 2009 Sara Valor
