Dress codes

With an impending move to an as yet undetermined location, the hunt for a school for Cora has been a bit complicated to say the least. Luckily we have an acceptance to a school in College Park in case we head back to Maryland, but trying to figure out the school situation in South Africa has been a bit more confusing. We found a very good boarding school in Grahamstown that takes day students as well and they have written me to say they would have space for her, though negotiating the differences between the US and S.A. education systems looks a bit tricky . I've been poring over the information on their website trying to get my bearings.

It is a really nice informative website with lovely pictures. My favorite is this lovely picture of two girls in uniform. The uniforms are charmingly hideous. They look like they are from another time. I'm kind of in love with them. I find them about a million times more appealing than the current mode du jour at US schools. Here they are -- picture 1 is South Africa, picture 2 is typical American public school wear.

I grew up in uniform. I know the sentiment isn't shared by all of my Catholic school compatriots, but I loved uniforms. It was so nice to be able to wake up every morning and never have to think about what I was going to wear. In uniform you are always in style regardless of how much money you have because everyone is wearing the same thing as you. I love fashion and am somewhat addicted to browsing through fashion week photos and the RTW collections of some of the designers I like, but life is so much harder when you have to worry about what you'll wear everyday. Also, the uniform made non-uniform clothes feel a lot more special. Uniforms also keep kids looking like kids a lot longer, at least 5 days of the week. I don't think I ever got over the disturbing nature of interviewing 8 year olds at public schools in Tucson who were wearing skin tight jeans with words like "Flirt" appliqued on the back pockets to match their "Diva" navel exposing baby tees. I imagine it would be hard to be the kid whose mother won't let you wear clubwear and Hannah Montana clothes to school. Uniforms remove that bit of peer pressure during the school day at least.

We have applied to 2 Catholic schools in Maryland. Trying to decide between them will be difficult if we end up moving there and needing to make the decision. If I'm going to be honest, I have to confess I am drawn to the one school almost solely due to the stricter (read that as more plaid) dress code. I realize that is a really stupid reason to pick a school so I am trying to compartmentalize that feeling as we make a decision.

Cora seems pretty easygoing about the whole school choice. I'm not sure if this is due to her really wonderful experience at Montessori Habitat making her feel positive about school in general or just her temperament. Either way I think it is lucky we have a flexible kid since our plans for the next several years are so up in the air.

Currently she is pretty excited about the idea of South Africa due to the pictures of wildlife, and the school being separated into houses and having interhouse competitions -- like Harry Potter. I think she understands that there is no magical hat determining what house you are sorted into, but she likes the idea of it nonetheless.