Hardy Middle School -- 5th grade in feeder school -- who's considering Hardy for 6th?

[Anonymous]

I'm guessing the problem with the uniforms for some ward 3 families is primarily a "girl" thing -- my middle school boys would be thrilled to have dress so simply they just have to put on a blue shirt every day. They don't care at all about fashion or clothes. Besides, it's a real stretch to call it a "uniform," especially given the flexibility that is permitted. It's worth noting too that lots of area Catholic schools -- and there are a lot -- have uniforms too, all the way through high school.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:I'm guessing the problem with the uniforms for some ward 3 families is primarily a "girl" thing -- my middle school boys would be thrilled to have dress so simply they just have to put on a blue shirt every day. They don't care at all about fashion or clothes. Besides, it's a real stretch to call it a "uniform," especially given the flexibility that is permitted. It's worth noting too that lots of area Catholic schools -- and there are a lot -- have uniforms too, all the way through high school.

Why is it notable that area Catholic schools have uniforms? That is standard. It would be notable if they didnt have uniforms. People choose Catholic schools. My IB Hardy student doesnt get a choice. It's the urban uniform, or we have to move.

[Anonymous]

Wow - moving to avoid a dress code for 3 years out of a 14-year public school career. That's a bit over the top.

[Anonymous]

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Anonymous wrote:Another IB homeowner family already at Hardy and with younger son at Stoddert ready to join the "In-Boundary Families for Uniforms at Hardy".

The uniforms are a little too "urban inner city" for our family's taste.

This is funny. When my kids were in elementary at a "posh" public in McLean and there was a push for uniforms, the thought was that it was too snooty.

If you look at the Hardy threads, it seems that the history of public school uniforms connotes something very different than private school uniforms.

It all depends where you sit.

Yes, for some IB parents, the sight of children of various races/ethnic groups all dressed alike attending school in a majority white neighborhood is too much for their sensibilities.

No, but they wonder if Hardy has, or has had, deep discipline problems of the type that urban public school uniforms are supposed to remedy.

It's understandable that they would wonder about that. What is not understandable is that they don't go visit the school and see for themselves. If they reject Hardy based on uniforms without doing their research, that makes me wonder what kind of education they themselves received if they are not using it to examine whether their assumptions are supported by actual facts.

[Anonymous]

Folks, they're just trolls. Sure, there are people this juvenile, but to think it represents more than a couple harpies in this board is naive.

[Anonymous]

You would think that the easiest thing for Hardy to do is drop the uniforms. They are a total outlier -- no public school west of Rock Creek Park has them.

The apparent vehemence with which some rally around the uniform suggests that that it is a symbol in different ways. For WOTP prospective parents, the uniform symbolizes their perception of the "old" Hardy -- urban, academically challenged, the Rhee era IB vs OOB tension. Dropping the uniform would symbolize the change at Hardy. For other Hardy families, the uniform is familiar and dropping it represents unwelcome change-too-far. It's like the churches fighting bike lanes which they view as symbols of gentrification and the changing of "old DC."

[Anonymous]

I'm a rich WOTP parent and I support the uniforms. Who cares? Seriously, your existence makes me feel sorry for you.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

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Anonymous wrote:Another IB homeowner family already at Hardy and with younger son at Stoddert ready to join the "In-Boundary Families for Uniforms at Hardy".

The uniforms are a little too "urban inner city" for our family's taste.

This is funny. When my kids were in elementary at a "posh" public in McLean and there was a push for uniforms, the thought was that it was too snooty.

If you look at the Hardy threads, it seems that the history of public school uniforms connotes something very different than private school uniforms.

It all depends where you sit.

Yes, for some IB parents, the sight of children of various races/ethnic groups all dressed alike attending school in a majority white neighborhood is too much for their sensibilities.

No, but they wonder if Hardy has, or has had, deep discipline problems of the type that urban public school uniforms are supposed to remedy.

This is our perception.

You are doing a poor job of parenting your child if you base any school decisions on this "perception" rather than actually taking an hour to visit Hardy and seeing the reality.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:We're IB and dislike them. Our student actually hates them, and didn't want to go to Hardy originally because of them. I have to tell you that my neighbors who are on the fence about the school think it makes Hardy seem like an "inner city" school. It's hard to sell "inner city" in leafy Ward 3.

Your neighbors are foollish if they are on the fence and making decisions based on uniforms instead of visiting and seeing what is going on at the school.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:You would think that the easiest thing for Hardy to do is drop the uniforms. They are a total outlier -- no public school west of Rock Creek Park has them.

The apparent vehemence with which some rally around the uniform suggests that that it is a symbol in different ways. For WOTP prospective parents, the uniform symbolizes their perception of the "old" Hardy -- urban, academically challenged, the Rhee era IB vs OOB tension. Dropping the uniform would symbolize the change at Hardy. For other Hardy families, the uniform is familiar and dropping it represents unwelcome change-too-far. It's like the churches fighting bike lanes which they view as symbols of gentrification and the changing of "old DC."

Oh please - you are way, way, way overthinking this. Nobody is opposing a uniform thread with "vehemence." You've seen a few Hardy IB families pipe up that they are perfectly happy with the uniforms. That is all.

The vast majority of parents at Hardy are utterly indifferent to the uniform/no uniform question. And nobody that has a preference feels "vehemently" about it - they have a preference, that's it.

If you want to change the uniforms, go talk to Principal Pride about it - I suspect she'd be open to it, as would most parents at Hardy now. Until you ask, don't pretend that anyone is trying to keep you out of Hardy via uniform retention - everybody is happy to welcome you to Hardy, and is open to different views on uniforms.

[Anonymous]

Serious question looking for a serious answer: Why is Hardy the only WOTP DCPS school requiring a uniform? Why is it needed there but not Deal, for example?

[Anonymous]

Does Oyster Adams have a dress code/uniform? I think Deal is the sole outlier among all DCPS middle schools and ECs

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:Serious question looking for a serious answer: Why is Hardy the only WOTP DCPS school requiring a uniform? Why is it needed there but not Deal, for example?

It is not "needed" - it was wanted by Hardy parents to make their school even better.

The short history ist that about six or seven years ago the Hardy parents decided that they wanted a uniform: that it would help their kids focus more on school and less on what they were wearing, that it would help bridge income and culture gaps in a school that had children from all eight wards, and that it would help build a sense of community among the students at Hardy. Hardy has kept the uniforms - now in a more flexible dress code - for two reasons: 1. because parents were largely happy with them; and 2. Inertia - there was no movement to change them.

So that's the story about Hardy uniforms. The stuff that previous posters are saying about Hardy uniforms sending some sort of message about Hardy being an "urban" school with behavioral problems is straight up racist, troll-baiting nonsense, nothing more.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:Serious question looking for a serious answer: Why is Hardy the only WOTP DCPS school requiring a uniform? Why is it needed there but not Deal, for example?

It is not "needed" - it was wanted by Hardy parents to make their school even better.

The short history ist that about six or seven years ago the Hardy parents decided that they wanted a uniform: that it would help their kids focus more on school and less on what they were wearing, that it would help bridge income and culture gaps in a school that had children from all eight wards, and that it would help build a sense of community among the students at Hardy. Hardy has kept the uniforms - now in a more flexible dress code - for two reasons: 1. because parents were largely happy with them; and 2. Inertia - there was no movement to change them.

So that's the story about Hardy uniforms. The stuff that previous posters are saying about Hardy uniforms sending some sort of message about Hardy being an "urban" school with behavioral problems is straight up racist, troll-baiting nonsense, nothing more.

+1 -- I've always assumed it was a couple of resentful parents from the Rhee era

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:Serious question looking for a serious answer: Why is Hardy the only WOTP DCPS school requiring a uniform? Why is it needed there but not Deal, for example?

It is not "needed" - it was wanted by Hardy parents to make their school even better.

The short history ist that about six or seven years ago the Hardy parents decided that they wanted a uniform: that it would help their kids focus more on school and less on what they were wearing, that it would help bridge income and culture gaps in a school that had children from all eight wards, and that it would help build a sense of community among the students at Hardy. Hardy has kept the uniforms - now in a more flexible dress code - for two reasons: 1. because parents were largely happy with them; and 2. Inertia - there was no movement to change them.

So that's the story about Hardy uniforms. The stuff that previous posters are saying about Hardy uniforms sending some sort of message about Hardy being an "urban" school with behavioral problems is straight up racist, troll-baiting nonsense, nothing more.