by Olivia | Sep 8, 2016 | Featured, General
With the recent incidents at a school in Kent which has made National news – whether we are parents or not, we are all now asking the question – how important is school uniform, and how far should we go in the detail?
The much publicised turning away of a number of kids who are not wearing the exact remit of the school in question, we are all wondering whether this is about the new Head Teacher stamping his authority, without any consideration for the well-being of the children or their circumstances or the good of the school
Whatever your views on school uniform, and I personally like the idea of kids feeling equal and non-competitive with their outfits, still feel that he has taken it too far.
One mother is a single parent, with a very small income and a child minder. She only ordered her son’s blazer two weeks ago as a result of his rapid growth, and is still waiting for its delivery. As a result, her son was turned away, without a thought for her personal circumstances or the availability of her child minder. Fortunately, the minder was contactable, but it could have had a less favourable outcome.
It is true that it has become more and more important for kids to present their latest pair of trainers or designer accessories as a status symbol amongst their peers at schools across the country, which we could argue is a sure fire way of encouraging self-conscious appearancism or body image. But how can we protect our kids from this type of media influence, when it is on every bill board, newspaper, magazine and television advertisement.
A very close friend of mine made the decision to send her son to a school with no school uniform. Her choice was made as the other local schools were not up to standard, and she was worried about the competitiveness of the kids with their clothing. But the opposite occurred, and most of the kids, without the pressure of their outer appearance, turned up in non-designer jeans and T shirts, without any reference to Tommy Hilfiger or Nike!! The education of the school performed brilliantly for her son, and he is now at University as a bright, well balanced young man.
Going back to our friend in Margate, would you agree that he was far too harsh on the first day of school, in sending fifty kids home because they were not wearing the perfect school uniform? Then doing the same on the second day with 20 children! Surely he could have given the kids and their parents a warning on the first day, and then carried out his threat on the second – a bit like we give most of our kids a second chance.
Or is this indication of the recent swing to the realms of unreasonable perfection, demanded by Dictators and irrational leaders – which can only end in failure.
So it is not about the flashy trainers and glitzy logos, but unreasonable rules laid down by an unforgiving Head – giving him his fifteen minutes of fame!
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by Dee | Sep 6, 2016 | Featured, General
We have seen in recent years a rise in publicity surrounding women applying for courses and jobs in roles formerly dominated by men.
But more than seventy years ago, a multitude of women were in fact employed as part of the workforce in the reconstruction of Waterloo Bridge. Not to mention our own Royal Family during the war – the two Princesses, Elizabeth and Margaret contributing to the home work force with their much publicised car mechanic abilities.
So why are we acting as if we invented the wheel? The fact is women are now more aware of the prejudices surrounding their gender and parental status. It was actually printed in The Times recently the list of female politicians who are childless. Why is this of any significance in this age of Women Presidents, Prime Ministers and Leaders. Why were men excluded from this statistic?
It is still a fact that we are still archaic in our perception of women and our capabilities. I attended a conference recently entitled ‘Inspirational Women’ and was astounded that it was opened by an American Middle Class White Man, who kicked off the debate by saying that he was a key supporter within his International Billion Dollar Organisation, of women in Senior and Male Dominated roles. Reason being that many women were in fact more equipped than men in many instances, in the Boardroom, in Human Resources incidents and general work/lifestyle balance. So without sounding gender specific, perhaps being able to multi-task more than men and other fundamental differences.
This had apparently been the case in his particular Organisation since the fifties, when it advertised for employees of ‘any gender or colour’ – which would seem incredibly unacceptable these days, but then was ahead of its time.
As a result they embraced the concept of a large number of female employees from the outset, and they feel their diversity is a huge contribution to their success.
Many women decide not to have children, and in some cases are attacked for their ‘unnatural’ feelings of anti-motherhood. A very close friend of mine was sterilized many years ago at the age of 28 and was ostracised from one group of women, saying that she needed psychiatric help. The fact is, she simply did not want kids, and has not had one moment of regret since – she has in fact had a fulfilling twenty years pursuing her own career opportunities, and enjoying her nieces and nephews without any of the responsibilities, a decision she felt right for her.
I am quite sure we still have a long way to go into realising this outmoded perception of women – in spite of the recent awareness raising campaigns.
This is evident by the amount of women giving up their career mid stream – on average around the age of 35 – due to lack of support after having children. Many are still victimised after giving birth, even being made redundant without good reason. This means that ultimately we are in a ‘no win’ situation where work and kids are concerned, so we are dammed if we do and screwed if we don’t.
A recent case which got to court, was an employee of a well-known Estate Agent – a female who was a top performer and expert in property sales, who was served notice only six weeks after returning to work from Maternity leave. She won her case, but how many women just get out and shut up with an out of court settlement, not wanting to go through the hassle of fighting their case.
But one thing for sure, women are a tough breed, and we will not be fazed by an archaic rulebook still run by a disillusioned clique of male misogynists.
I rest my case, and would like to hear from you if you have had a similar experience of any of the above issues in the work place.
