Lemme tell you all about back when I was in secondary school ,we took our uniforms seriously, you feel me? we Couldn't roll up in the hallways looking like' a mess, nah. We had standards to uphold.
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Every morning before class, you do see us making sure our shirts are crisp, our skirts or trousers are sharp. If there was no electricity for us to use our normal electric iron, we'd be scouring' the neighborhood for somebody with one of them charcoal iron. There is no way we were stepping out with wrinkled up uniforms, uh-uh.
We had this competition going' too ,who could look the freshest, you get? Everybody wanted that "neatest in class" title. We'd be eyeing' each other up and down, seeing' whose knees and elbows were the creasiest Whose socks were pulled up perfectly straight? You had to bring that A-game every single day.
Now I look at students nowadays and I just shake my head,I am not gonna lie. Seems like they don't even care any more about representing their school right with a proper uniform. Be seeing them with their shirts all untucked, sleeves rolled up scraggly...I'm like "Where your pride at?!"
Don't even get me started on the wrinkle situation! Looks like some of these kids just snatch their uniforms outta the hamper and throw them on, you get me? No effort put into pressing' or nothing, They stroll through the streets looking busted from head to toe.
Back in our day, a fit like that wouldn't fly. We'd be on you like, "hey girl, you need to get your life! Go home and run that iron over their clothes before the first period!" There Weren't any outer boroughs about keeping it crisp.
I try not to rag on the youth too much though. Maybe it's just a different era, you know? There aren't too many households rocking that old school charcoal iron any more. Everything is electric now. And the country’s power supply isn't anything to write about now .
Plus, the way school communities are set up these days...might not be as much emphasis on unified dress codes and student pride like we had. Kinda seems like anything goes in some of these schools in regards to uniforms. Teachers and staff don't enforce it like they used to or do they?
Still though, I can't help but miss that fire we had back then. Waking up early before the rooster crowed, laying out your uniform for the week. Making sure you had backups if one got messed up during the day. We were consumed with being' presentable.
And it went beyond just looking fly, you get? There was a sense of togetherness that came from all being dressed alike. We took pride in representing our school's colors and crest, no matter if we were rich or poor. Didn't matter your background , if you put in effort with that uniform, you earned respect on sight.
Seeing everybody lined up at assembly in the morning', BAM! Created this amazing united front. We looked unstoppable, you get me? Like we were locked-in, focused, ready to take on the world and any subject they threw at us that day.
Nowadays it just ain't the same vibe. Maybe I'm just an old head stuck in the past...but I really believe bringing back that uniform competition could work wonders for today's students. Give them a sense of community again, a sense of dignity and self-respect.
It sounds superficial, dressing nice and all that. But coming through looking purposeful and polished, it sets a whole different tone in the mind, you know? Can't be lazing around academically if you willingly put in effort to look your best. The two go hand-in-hand , take pride in your appearance, you'll take pride in your studies too.
That's the essence we were kicking back in my day. Just some little friendly competition to see who was gonna be freshest. But it taught us determination, discipline...how to keep that inner and outer self equally fly, equally focused. Shame to see that fading away with the new generation.
But hey, maybe it'll make a comeback, you never know! All I'm sayin' is - if schools pushed for students to stride in with crispy, wrinkle-free uniforms every day...it could just re-ignite that fire. That motivation to look good AND do good. Gotta start somewhere, right? And looking your best is as good a start as any if you ask me.
