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Welcome to the September, 2003 issue of the Inner Brat Newsletter. Welcome, new readers. If you enjoy this newsletter, please forward it to your friends and encourage them to subscribe. All they need to do is to send a blank email message to innerbrat-subscribe@topica.com.
If you have comments or questions, feel free to email me at .
IN THIS ISSUE
> Do school uniforms make a difference?
> Inner brats in the news
> How have you tamed your own inner brat?
> Joke of the month
> Inner brat tip of the month: Dealing with bullies
> Distribution information
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Do school uniforms make a difference?
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A few days ago I was talking with a friend about school uniforms. “Back in my day,” she lamented, “we didn’t have the problems in school that we have now. Kids respected authority. They didn’t talk back. They had to do their homework, and if they didn’t, there were consequences. There was much more order. Sure, there were some fights, but the worst that happened was an occasional black eye. Nobody was shot or stabbed.
“And you know what else?” she added. “Back then we had to dress properly for school. Even if your school didn’t have uniforms, you still had to wear clean and modest clothing. Nowadays the kids are sloppy in their dress, in their language and in their behavior. They’re a bunch of spoiled brats. Even the teachers don’t dress or behave like the authority figures they’re supposed to be. No wonder our schools are in trouble!”
Many people share my friend’s sentiments. In fact dozens of school districts are now adopting, or have already adopted, a dress code or uniforms. Research seems to show that in schools which have required uniforms, the students’ attendance and achievement has improved, and the number of fights has decreased.
Note that I said the research SEEMS to show this. On closer examination,
school uniforms and dress codes don’t have nearly the impact that we assume.
The problem lies in how the bulk of the research was conducted. In studies where principals or parents were asked to describe their impressions about the new dress code, they would typically say things like, “Yeah, the kids are behaving much better and they are more focused on their schoolwork.”
However, when researchers actually measured school attendance, achievement, number of fights and other indicators of good citizenship, the results were mixed. In some schools there was no difference between their pre-uniform days and after uniforms were introduced. In other schools things got worse. A few schools did show moderate improvements in test scores and behavior.
But even where there were improvements, we can’t attribute these to dress code alone. It turns out that when schools adopted uniforms or dress codes, they also made other changes in how things were run. For example, they upgraded their curriculum, enforced rules more consistently, added better security measures and had more parent involvement. In fact, these other measures may well have had more of an impact than did the clothes.
If you are interested in reading a comprehensive review of the research (it’s actually in readable English!) see this article by David Brunsma, a sociologist at the University of Alabama: http://www.geocities.com/school_uniforms/report2.html
You may be reading this and thinking, “I don’t care what the studies say. I just KNOW that kids are more conscientious and better behaved when they dress neatly and modestly.”
You’re not alone in thinking this way. Research has shown that both students and teachers believe that students behave better and get better grades when they wear uniforms. This is called the “Halo effect.” It refers to the fact that when we see one positive feature about a person, we tend to infer others. Therefore, if someone is well-dressed, we make additional positive assumptions about them – e.g., that they’re conscientious and respectful.
Sometimes the halo effect can be misleading. Consider the corporate scoundrels who were exposed for defrauding their companies of billions of dollars. These guys were among the best-dressed folks in society!
In summary, we know that merely putting navy blue blazers on school kids will not transform them into model students. It is more important to provide an atmosphere where rules are clear and enforced; where expectations create attainable challenges; and where parents are involved in their children’s education. These will boost our children’s success far more than any uniform.
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Last week my book, “Taming Your Inner Brat” was featured on the Dr. Laura radio show. Dr. Laura said to her listeners, “I suggest you read this and call me in the morning!” Twenty-five lucky listeners got a free copy of the book as part of her give-away program. If you were one of those 25 people, congratulations! And please pass the book around, so that others can read it.
If you have not yet read the book, my publisher is offering, for a limited time, a 10% discount with FREE SHIPPING. To order call (503) 531-8700 or email them at mailto: mailto:sales@beyondword.com, and mention the Dr. Laura promotion.
You can also get this book:
~ at your local bookstore
~ online from my web site, http://www.innerbrat.com
~ click here to go to Amazon.com: http://shorterlink.com/?I5P5U1
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Inner Brats in the News
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The lawsuit by two teenagers who claimed that McDonald's was responsible for their obesity and health problems, was dismissed by a District Court judge. This is consistent with a recent Gallup poll, which showed that 89% of Americans believe that restaurants should not be held responsible for where and what people choose to eat.
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A male stripper was attacked by a group of women at a bridal bachelorette party, because he was not the man they had requested, he arrived late and quit early. The women, including the bride and her mother, punched and kicked the man, and hit him over the head with a bottle. He required medical treatment.
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The chairwoman of a school committee adjourned a meeting before it began, after one of the members refused to change seats. The member, complaining that her seat assignment had changed 3 times already, sat behind the nameplate of another member who was not in attendance. "I don't really care where anyone sits," said the chairwoman. "What I care about is the rules being followed." She added that she will adjourn the next meeting if the same thing happens.
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For more stories about brats in the news visit my website
http://www.drwallin.com/news.shtml
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How have you tamed your own inner brat?
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Read stories of people who are working on taming their inner brats. Contribute your own story. You can remain anonymous. Go to: http://www.drwallin.com/innerbrat_contrib.shtml
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Joke of the month: How one teacher got instant respect
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A schoolteacher injured his back and had to wear a plaster cast around the upper part of his body. It fit under his shirt and was not noticeable at all. On the first day of the term, still with the cast under his shirt, he found himself assigned to the toughest students in school.
Walking confidently into the rowdy classroom, he opened the window as wide as possible and then busied himself with deskwork. When a strong breeze made his tie flap, he took the desk stapler and stapled the tie to his chest.
He had no trouble with discipline that term.
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Inner brat tip of the month: Dealing with bullies ******************************************************
Bullies are huge brats in every sense of the word. Contrary to previous theories that they are just compensating for low self-esteem, it is now evident that many of them have unrealistically *high* self-esteem, and that they seek power at any price.
Every school has its bullies. If your child is a victim, here are some things you can do to help:
1. First, determine that your child indeed is being bullied. Minor teasing or occasional social exclusion is not the same as bullying. Bullying involves deliberate cruelty over a period of time.
2. If your child is being taunted or threatened, don’t tell him to fight back. Bullies only pick on people weaker than themselves, so there’s a good chance your child could get seriously hurt. Instead, tell him to look the bully in the eye, while saying: “I want you to stop teasing me right now,” and then walk away.
3. If the bullying persists, have your child inform an adult.
4. If no action is taken at school, it’s time for you to get involved. Contact the school. Be prepared to list specifics. It’s not enough to say that Freddy is bullying Johnny. What exactly is Freddy doing to Johnny?
5. Teach your children to walk with self-assurance, to look people in the eye, and to appear calm. Even if they don’t feel that way inside, practicing such behavior will not only deter bullies from picking on them; it will also eventually increase their overall self-confidence.
Until next month,
Pauline Wallin, Ph.D.
http://www.innerbrat.com
