Wednesday 27 January 2016

Put Some Bloody Clothes On Parents!

It's long been a bete noir of mine - people wearing pyjamas outside the house. I know they're comfy but really people - they're for bed. 

Anyway, it seems one head teacher (principal) in the North East of England (where else? - tell it like it is) has had enough. 

“We are trying to raise standards and get better outcomes for the children and we noticed a lot of the parents are turning up to school as well as meetings and assemblies wearing pyjamas. If we’re to raise standards it’s not too much to ask parents to have a wash and get dressed,” she said.

Give that woman an OBE! Is there anything more disgusting than the thought of sitting in a meeting next to someone wearing clothes they have been sleeping and sweating (and god knows what else) in? And some of them are still in their slippers for crying out loud. 

Now, I can put my hand on my heart and say that I have never gone further than my own back garden wearing night attire. Oh wait, I lie. There was one summer when we were  staying with my mother in England, all trying to get out the door for some or other family function with not enough time for everyone to take care of ablutions. I of course, found myself last in line, as usual, so I picked up a towel and my toilet bag, and walked over the road to my brother's house wearing a bright turquoise (with red strawberries) pair of cotton PJs. It was, as I recall, a beautiful summer morning, with very little traffic on the semi-rural lane, and I knew I wouldn't be shaming anyone. My brother didn't see things quite the same way however. He just happened to be out in his driveway, pointing a hose at the car, which he promptly dropped and fled into the house when he saw me approaching. Tee hee. 

Anyway, back to the slobs in sleepwear. So even though I can't recall ever taking the kids to school in PJs, I understand that every now and then it might be necessary to shove them in the car and throw a long coat over yours. We're all human. I might do that if I knew I didn't have to leave the car, but walk into school? Attend a meeting? I think not. 

Or am I in the minority here?


11 comments:

  1. No I certainly wouldn't. But then the boys' school is more the Yummy Mummy brigade where you feel you actually have to put a better pair of jeans on before you do the school run.....

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  2. NPV - Even more reason not to get out of the car.............

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  3. A MEETING??? Seriously? I will admit that very occsionally, in the morning, when I walk my children to school, I'm secretly still wearing my pj top underneath my coat, but I wear normal trousers underneath, and a jumper on top. No one knows. And only if I haven't managed to get in the shower yet (which I then get into at 8.35) and it's dark outside etc etc etc. But a MEETING? I wish I could think you're joking, but I have a funny feeling you're not. Luckily, Belgium has not sunk to those levels yet. The worst we get is tracksuits.

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  4. Its so slovenly, though I've not come across it..... ever!
    Maggie x

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  5. You certainly are NOT in the minority here! It's gotten ridiculous.

    I work in a VERY corporate environment, which means a very strict dress code - obviously. One morning, I stopped for coffee and as I was walking out this young girl (dressed in pjs, slippers and with her hair a fright) complimented me on how nice I looked. Although I was flattered (who takes the time to compliment strangers these days?) even though I didn't hadn't done anything extra, I couldn't help but think how nice she would have looked if she'd taken the time to deal with the basics...washed her face, combed her hair and put on some clothes, nothing fancy but anything that wasn't pjs.

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  6. Back in 2010, Tesco banned shoppers from wearing their pyjamas while they shopped. I guess some people aren't fussed about showing up in public wearing night attire.
    I shop at Waitrose; the dress code is casual smart there ;)

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  7. Try wearing PJs in minus 18 degrees. Not going to happen :)

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  8. Well, I've never seen anyone doing it in Bath. For that matter, I think the general standard for dressing in general is higher in England (as compared to the US) from what I've seen. I saw that article a few days ago and really had a difficult time believing stuff like this happened here! I've never seen anything close to it in my neighborhood.On the other hand, I remember my first year of teaching in the US, back in the early 90s; we had a parent attend a meeting in lounge pants, slippers, curlers, and carrying an enormous plastic tumbler of what I assumed was a soft drink and later turned out to be straight vodka. It was definitely a bit of an eye-opener for an idealistic young educator.

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  9. You might enjoy this story, Toni... In fact, I had to make sure it wasn't in reference to your blog when I first saw it!

    http://www.warpedspeed.com/school-asked-parents-not-to-wear-pajamas-while-dropping-off-kids-so-she-did-this/?utm_content=inf_10_1166_2&tse_id=INF_ec265468a48045e1884906b1e24891cb

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    Replies
    1. Ugh. Some people just want their 15 minutes of fame.

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  10. Just no. It speaks of a whole attitude of laziness towards everything.

    And typically is swiftly followed by either of two responses:
    1. "You can't tell me...", or;
    2. "I can do as I please".

    And my replies (with my school governor hat on):
    Re 1: "Yes I can, especially if I'm the boss", and;
    Re 2: "Yes you can, but don't then demand 'respect' or similar, and wonder why your offspring fail to achieve much in life..."

    Not sure who they think they are kidding.

    LCM x

    ReplyDelete

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