Uniforms? Yes!

In response to the wellwritten comments from Alex Eidman who believes that school uniforms shouldn’t be one of the decisions made by the Milwaukee Public Schools Board, I am driven to respond (“Student uniforms,” Letters, March 3).

I am a retired educator, administrator and reading specialist from MPS. I speak from experience and much observation. I’ve been in many classrooms with many innovative teachers who are teaching curriculum in interesting ways.

Uniforms? This is a fantastic idea that I’ve endorsed for many years because I have witnessed the effect of today’s clothing on learning. Simple dark slacks and polo shirt will not cost as much as some of the outfits I’ve seen. They will draw less attention to one’s person and I hope refocus attention on learning.

It’s one positive step toward improvement. I hope reinforcing and restricting the use of cell phones in the classroom will be next. In the past, I’ve worked with the MPS administration and know that whatever they do, they usually consider the families of our students.

For the majority, uniforms should not be a hardship and MPS is making sure of that. Parents want their children to succeed, and this is a positive movement toward that. Any child who wants a good education and wants to go to college can achieve that in the Milwaukee Public Schools. I’ve seen it time after time.

Finally, I feel that opinions are being formed and policies being made by those in Wisconsin who haven’t been in an MPS school. Politicians are judging by data and probably hearsay only, and their actions are affecting the lives of those who need and choose public schools.

Kathleen Horn Lisbon