The more things change, the more they stay the same

I work in the school office of a secondary school. We have 800 girls in Years 7 -11 and a mix of 300 boys and girls in the 6th form. In Years 7 to 11 the girls have to wear uniform. It's not a particularly attractive uniform, brown pleated kilt, brown and white striped blouse and brown blazer with the school crest embroidered on it.

The other day at lunch time a group of us secretaries were in the staff rooom discussing how students' attitudes are changing and how they don't have the same respect for teachers, or adults as a whole, that we had when we were young. Even the uniform, honestly, it shouldn't be that hard to stick to the uniform, yet every day girls are sent to the office for uniform infringements. We harked back to our days when the threat of being sent to Miss Crook's office was enough to have you rolling down the waistband of your skirt so it was less revealing and buttoning up your blouse. WE were so much better behaved. WE wouldn't have dared flaunt the rules. Oh no we wouldn't. With sparkly halos shining, we went back to work.

By coincidence, that evening an old school friend sent me a photo of us in the 5th form wearing our regulation grey pleated skirt, white blouse and royal blue cardigan.