Darla school changed its girls dress for second time in a year

Old red tego

A kira, woonju, tego, gho, or shoes and socks may not be the ingredients for my favorite outfit, but if I were given a choice, I wouldn't dismiss the idea of a school uniform. Wearing a uniform is a badge of pride, creates an identity for a school, and is an important part of being a student. Uniforms show that you are part of an organization. Wearing one says, "We are all in this together." Moreover, if you wear your uniform with pride, it means you are halfway to being respectful.

I feel uniforms are great social equalizers. They discourage inappropriate dress, help bolster school and academic pride, and make getting dressed in the morning a no-brainer. One parent told me this morning, "My kids go to school, and uniforms were the best thing that happened. They don't see friends having better clothes, and in the end, you can save a lot of money." I also believe that uniforms give students a sense of belonging to a particular school and create an identity for the school in the community.

Old Dress

Some people believe that school uniforms can improve learning by reducing distraction, sharpening focus on schoolwork, and making the classroom a more serious environment, thereby allowing students to perform better academically.

Perhaps most importantly, a uniform means students don't have to worry about peer pressure when it comes to their clothes. When everyone is dressed the same, worrying about your appearance becomes less important. There is no competition over wearing the latest trends, which would place great financial pressure on students and parents. Potential bullies have one less target for their insults—it's hard to make fun of what someone is wearing when you are dressed exactly the same.

In America, where a majority of schools do not have uniforms, roughly 160,000 children miss school every day due to fear of attack or intimidation by other students. This may not be directly linked to clothing, but having a uniform can provide a safety net for many students who might otherwise suffer from bullying. A strict uniform also gives the impression that rules are strict, perhaps helping maintain a sense of order at school.

New faded ash tego

The Pros and Cons of School Uniforms According to proponents, school uniforms: · Encourage discipline · Help students resist peer pressure to buy trendy clothes · Help identify intruders in the school · Diminish economic and social barriers between students · Increase a sense of belonging and school pride · Improve attendance

Opponents contend that school uniforms: · Violate a student's right to freedom of expression · Are simply a Band-Aid on the issue of school violence · Make students a target for bullies from other schools · Are a financial burden for poor families · Are an unfair additional expense for parents who already pay taxes for free public education · Are difficult to enforce in public schools

Darla School changed its girls' dress for the second time in a year. Starting this July, our girls will be wearing an ash-brown tego instead of the bright red one. A number of students have complained about the change, and there was a general opinion that this new dress is really bad. The red tego caused many problems, with many students, some teachers, and parents against it. The change to red was driven by only a few individuals in the school. Many thought it was not a good choice. Though symbolically confident and bright, the red had more negatives than positives. The red was so intense to look at that it affected the eyes, especially for teachers who had to see the tegos all day. I also heard that it attracted bulls and leeches, which are plentiful in Darla. The current tego was chosen by our school girls before the first term, and they now like it. One student said, "I like uniforms because everyone is the same and no one can be left out by the way they are dressed. Our new tego looks smarter, which is good."

New dress

With the change of the tego came a change of principal. Mr. Tshochu was replaced by a new principal, Mr. Tshering. The former principal moved to Gedu HSS, while the latter arrived after his studies. To date, I have worked under seven principals, and I found Mr. Tshochu to be the best of them all. Though he was also a little crooked—and who says humans are not? Everyone is. Everyone can be a little un-human and lack civic sense sometimes. When I have time, I would like to list down some traits of good and poor leaders: Lack of Transparency – We can tell when someone is not being completely honest. There is rarely a reason not to be entirely transparent with everyone, every time. Lack of transparency can result in a lack of trust.

Egoistic – The best leaders accept blame when things go wrong and give credit to their team when things go right. To be a true visionary leader, you need to let go of your ego and focus on your people, because without them you would be nowhere. Lack of Confidence – The boss I worked under in Tsirang at the start couldn't make decisions because he had no faith in his own judgment. Arrogance – It takes confidence to lead, but it also takes humility. Many leaders think they are confident when they are really just pigheaded and proud.
• Disorganization – I have worked with some hard-driving, capable leaders who hamstrung themselves by never getting organized. I had one leader who ran after women and bothered little about the school. If I were boss, the first thing I would do is fire him. Over-promising and Under-delivering – This affects more than just politicians. People leading up in an organization often do this to impress those above them, failing to realize that under-delivering shoots themselves in the foot. People at the top fall into the trap by overusing promises to ensure team loyalty. I see most leaders in Bhutan are like that—sycophantic. No Clear Vision – No one wants to follow in the dark. It is impossible to motivate people who feel lost in a fog.
•Failure to Enroll Others – Some leaders simply expect people to follow them because of their position. That is wrong. If a leader cannot enroll others, failure looms. No Accountability – If a leader avoids responsibility and refuses to hold their team accountable, they will shipwreck the organization. Accountability is essential. Nobody is born with any given skill; we learn through observation and by copying others—our role models. You might gain some valuable information from reading books on this subject, but I remember an old saying scribbled on the cover of a book I read in my teens: "Life is not learned from books, but by living it." While meeting great leaders has always been a wonderful experience, it is the bad ones that truly reinforce the values of good leadership. I have been lucky in this sense, as I have had the chance to meet some of the worst leaders you can possibly imagine. Leaders who fail to keep up risk being clueless, close-minded, and arrogant. A lack of knowledge leads to indecision and fear and can cause employees to quickly lose trust in their leader.