Should schools should have school uniforms?

[Hahayoudied 3]

 With school violence on the rise and test scores are falling in the U.S. schools, more schools are begining to switch to school uniforms to solve the problem. Should school uniforms should be allowed in public schools?

Here is the list I made (using websites to create the list).

Pros:

1. School uniforms stops people from judging other people by they way they dress.

2. They end gang symybols, which reduces fights.

3. They increase schools' pride and unity.

4. Students no longer have to waste time in deciding what clothing to wear.

5. Students no longer worry about their clothing and can stay focused in studying.

6. School uniforms are cheaper that buying tready, costly, brand named clothings and can help families save money.

7. It ends many cliques.

Cons:

1. School uniforms voliate freedom of expression.

2. Some students don't feel comfortable when wearing school uniforms.

3. It may cause students to express him or herself by using jewary or makeups.

4. It may cause some students who hates school rules to be even more rebelious.

5. It could be harder for students to identfiy other students who attacked them.

6. It doesn't allow students to wear religious clothing.

[Godzillaman 21]

Our school gets along fine with it. There's no major problems, just typical school problems.

But since it's in Canada and not America, there's a difference...

[DanWalker8 3]

PRO #2 -- If you have a school where students use clothing to advertise gang-affiliation, you have bigger problems in your school and society at large than what students are wearing. It is certainly dealing with the problem, not the cause.

PRO #7 -- Cliques are social things, they'll find another way to form peer groups. Fighting that is nutty.

CON #1 -- As if students were sooooooOooo free to express themselves in school before.

CON #2 -- I was uncomfortable sitting in the desks, so i slouched, now i have bad posture and will surely suffer as an elderly person. Kids can tolerate a tie and collar for four years.

CON #3 -- the last thing we need is students to express who they are! NO, YOU CAN'T FIND YOUR IDENTITY!

CON #5 -- If someone is going to attack you, you probably have a pretty good idea of who it was.

CON #6 -- Religions are kind of like gangs... kids are as likely to stereotype kids based on their religion as they are to stereotype them on the kinds of clothes they wear.

I am pro-uniform.

edit:   Not to mention how much less time administrators will spend with dress code violations

[Simfan34 11]

Well, considering that the Vice-Principal at our school took ten minute talking about "scoopy" clothes, I guess it wouldn't hurt!

[DanWalker8 3]

Uhg that reminds me how often i have to see teen-agers with their butt-cracks showing. Shoot me please!

[Mellophonius 9]

Absolutely NOT. That's my opinion. Here are some comments:

Pro 1. School uniforms stops people from judging other people by they way they dress.

---In my experience as a high school student, the way we dress is the last thing we judge people for. I don't judge people at all (if I can help it), but I've been judged many times. However, it's usually by my race, gender, or intellect. I do believe there are many who do judge by what people wear, but uniforms won't solve that problem. They'll just find something else to be critical of.

Pro 3. They increase schools' pride and unity.

---I live in middle Georgia, and here, school pride is virtually nonexistant outside sports teams and the marching band (of which I am a member). I know one thing: if I'm forced to wear uniforms, it won't make me any more proud of my school, and I think this goes for most students at my school. Things are probably different elsewhere, though. As for unity, sure... maybe in the way we dress, but hardly in anything else.

Pro 4. Students no longer have to waste time in deciding what clothing to wear.

---I have no problem choosing my clothes in the morning, and can do it in less than a minute, but then again, I'm a guy. I agree that most teenage girls probably care a lot more about their clothes than I do. Heck, some teenage guys probably do. The solution to this is to set your outfits out the night before, or not care so much about what you wear. But that's easier said than done in most cases...

Pro 5. Students no longer worry about their clothing and can stay focused in studying.

---My clothing has no effect on my studying. The biggest dangers to studying habits are probably things like TV or video games. Taken in moderation, these things are harmless, but I think they have a lot more effect on success in school than clothes. I've never known anyone who worries so much about their clothes that it impairs their academic success.

Pro 6. School uniforms are cheaper that buying tready, costly, brand named clothings and can help families save money.

---It's the paretns' decision to buy this costly clothing, not the student's. If parents want to save money, buy less expensive clothes. This is a problem that can and should be solved in the home.

Pro 7. It ends many cliques.

---I've seen it all over my school, too. One clique of Hollister-wearers. One of those people clad in clothing from Hot Topic. Another with American Eagle, or Aeropostale. But I think that these students' personalities influence what they wear AND what cliques they join. In other words, the people who form cliques are similar, and part of these similarites is their choice of clothing. Even if everyone is forced to wear uniforms, these cliques would still form because of the many other similarites shared by their members.

All I'm saying is that I disagree wholeheartedly that school uniforms are worth the hassle. The problems that they could uncertainly fix could more easily be fixed by other things. These are just the circumstances at my school, and I acknowledge that it is probably different all over the country.

[Meg 368]

Originally posted by: DanWalker8

 Kids can tolerate a tie and collar for four years.

quote>

Why does it have to be a tie and collar?

I know kids whose uniform is a polo shirt and khakis.

 

 

[Explodingsims 3]

Wow, octo-posting...Thats a new record!

Anywho, as uncomfortable as uniforms are, they do help students perform better. Plus it eliminates the fashion/judgment drive in schools.

I say they should have uniforms, so long as they make them in sizes bigger than 2 sizes two small...

[DanWalker8 3]

SkiGeek ^ a tie and collar would be on the more extreme end of the spectrum. I used it to show that even at the most ridiculous levels, uniforms aren't as bad as other things students could be upset about. I guess they could wear sport jackets... but that reminds me of Harry Potter

[Mellophonius 9]

Lol, yeah, sorry about that. I got to work deleting the extra ones right away. Not sure how they got there, but my computer has been screwy for a long time...

[Easy Bakes 253]

Hahayoudied

1. School uniforms stops people from judging other people by they way they dress.

4. Students no longer have to waste time in deciding what clothing to wear.

5. Students no longer worry about their clothing and can stay focused in studying.

6. School uniforms are cheaper that buying tready, costly, brand named clothings and can help families save money.quote>

There are trendy ,expensive versions of school uniforms, so  unless you require every one them to buy them from a specific vendor (which will likely be what happens, so the school admins can get a kickback), those parents that buy thier kids the costly, trendy, brands will  buy thier kids these.

[cameron1991 0]

As far as I know there are only a few schools here in New Zealand that don't have uniform, I think its fine although it can be expensive for poorer families. My school uniform consisting of 1xJacket,1xJersey,3xTee-shirts,3xShorts,5xSocks and 1x pair of shoes cost nearly NZ$1000 (about US$800) and thats not even including winter uniform which I dont have because I hate ties...

My school gets about 4 "mufti days" per year, depending on what people wear (no extremes of fashion etc).

Basically what im trying to say is that all schools should have uniforms and it causes no problems in most cases except for the financial side of it.

[Duke87 1,070]

Going Item By Item:

Pros:

1. School uniforms stops people from judging other people by they way they dress.quote>

If people can't judge you based on your clothes, people can and will find other things to judge you based on. It's simple human nature and no matter how you dress it up (sorry) it just is what it is.

2. They end gang symybols, which reduces fights.quote>

Right, because gang members stop being gang members if they're not wearing their colors.

3. They increase schools' pride and unity.quote>

"school pride" is a concept I honestly don't get. Especially if it's a public school you're attending by default rather than some place you specifically chose do go. And even in college, where I'm going where I chose to go... seriously now. I'm here to get an education. I don't give a damn about such trivial things as "school pride". And no uniform would change that. Forcibly changing what clothes people wear does not change their personal opinions on things.

4. Students no longer have to waste time in deciding what clothing to wear.quote>

I suppose this is part of being a guy, but "deciding what clothing to wear" is something I usually spend zero time on. Just grab a shirt and pants, throw 'em on, and go!

5. Students no longer worry about their clothing and can stay focused in studying.quote>

How do uniforms help people focus on studying? Seriously, "does my butt look big in this" does not stop being a consideration with a uniform. Only difference is that if it does, you can't do much about it. Besides, the lack of focus on studying by kids in this country has nothing to do with clothing or anything of the sort. It has to do with our culture of apathy. People find things such as math, science, and history boring, and thus they don't focus. If they found the subject matter interesting, staying focused on studying it wouldn't be an issue. Of course, you can't just change culture, so this is a problem with no practical solution, unfortunately.

6. School uniforms are cheaper that buying tready, costly, brand named clothings and can help families save money.quote>

You've gotta be kidding me. As if kids aren't still going to wear all that designer crap outside of school, anyway. Uniforms are not a 24/7 thing.

7. It ends many cliques.quote>

See comment on Pro 1.

Cons:

1. School uniforms voliate freedom of expression.quote>

This is, in and of itself, sufficient reason for not having uniforms. At least not in public schools. Private schools are a different matter.

2. Some students don't feel comfortable when wearing school uniforms.quote>

Also very true.

3. It may cause students to express him or herself by using jewary or makeups.quote>

Yeah, see, that's the same predator/prey model I already brought up with the "people will find other things to judge you by" issue. Administration blocks one form of expression, people will find another. And you can ban jewelery and makeup, and say "no facial hair", and have a standard hair style.... but by that point it gets ridiculous and again, there is always another way for people to express themselves. So it solves ugatz.

4. It may cause some students who hates school rules to be even more rebelious.quote>

[MrCinatit 30]

I would rather live in a society where differences and individuality are something we can embrace and understand; rather than in a society where we must conform by attempting to get everyone to dress and look the same.

[tankmank 853]

Here is the uk we all ware  uniforms sure people complain but there is alot of good things like if the school goes on a school trip and your not waring a school uniform and theres 3 other schools how confusin is that you wouldn't know if that child is a student or not but if you have a school uniform it is easy to identify someone.

they can be pricey but normally its only the Jumper/jacket ,tie and P.E stuff that costs that much the shirt and trousers you can cheap. 

And with identity  you ware a diffrent coat or hat and style your hair diffrently its not that hard

[Joesocwork 4]

I'm okay w/ schools choosing to make it their norm and I'm okay w/ parents choosing which schools to enroll their children into.

[un1 41]

My school gets along with it well, yes, sometimes people complain but not as much.

[Bluebeard 0]

Changing the dress code in here in the United States schools isn't going to solve the problem.Our government spends more on war then education.

[coolotter88 2]

Schools in the US don't wear school uniforms right now and there isn't any "confusion" on field trips. It's not that hard to find your own group, look for all your friends/people you know from school standing around and hang around them and you won't get lost. It usually isn't good to get lost somewhere far from home, so anyone who purposefully does try to instigate confusion or anything like that is an idiot.

[Micah 16]

Originally posted by: MrCinatit I would rather live in a society where differences and individuality are something we can embrace and understand; rather than in a society where we must conform by attempting to get everyone to dress and look the same.quote>

 

Isn't that a double standard though? Wouldn't embrassing differences mean you (in general) would accept schools who would want to have uniforms because of their difference in decision making and style?

Don't get me wrong; I agree with you that differences should be embrassed, but I don't see why those who want their children to wear uniforms should be treated any different.

[Danlikebooks 6]

I had to wear a uniform from 1st grade 'til my high school graduation.  Is it wise to expect an elementary school child (or any child, teen or otherwise) to want to like wearing a tie, oxford shirt, belt, and long pants everyday(though I did find a loophole in the school rules; they didn't say anything about dyeing your shirt another color)?  It's easy for people to expect children to wear these things when they didn't have to suffer through wearing them.

[your_adress_here 11]

I have some stuff to say... I've been to two high schools in my life, one that was a private school that enforced uniforms, the other, a public school that does not.

I agree with pretty much all the points said in the first post, except the thing about attackers. As someone else said, if somebody beats you up, you probably already know who it is, since that person will have been bullying you previously.

The way I see it, and, based on my experience, uniforms should stay out of public schools, but they are a very good thing for private schools.

When I first starded at St-Alexandre (private school I went to from secondary 1-3, or grades 7-9), we were the first year to ever be wearing the uniforms. They weren't anything complicated: a shirt (either green, blue or red, the schools colours, along with the school crest, long sleeve or short sleeve) or a white "chemise" (shirt... the kind you wear a tie to), along with either beige or blue pants (cargo or plain) or shorts. The girls also had the choice to wear quilted skirts. There was also a blue sweater. The clothes themselves were comfortable, warm in the winter, but cool in the summer. They didn't look bad either. I wouldn't be ashamed to be seen walking home in my school uniform after school.

About the price: it wasn't exactly expensive, but it isn't really cheap, either. But the thing is, if you're able to pay $2000 every year to send your child to the school, you can afford the clothes no problem.

There isn't much else to say. Being a private school, it didn't have violence problems or anything like that. Pretty much everyone in the year knew everyone else, and even if you didn't get along with someone else, you didn't bother them, you just left them alone.

Now, the public school. Philemon Wright High School. Not only was I going from a private school to a public one, I was going from a french school to an english one. I'm currently in grade 11, gratuating this year (no grade 12 in Quebec). This school doesn't have violence problems, but there are a lot of... ahem... idiots, but there are also a lot of nice people. If you stay away from the... idiots, you'll get along just fine.

I don't think it would be a good idea, nor do I think it would work, to implement a school uniform. Heck, you don't even need one. People would be rebellious against the idea (quite a few people come to mind), and it would really destroy everyone's freedom of expression. There are many different people that dress many different ways... being one of two english schools in the whole region, you get a wide variety of people. And that's kinda what makes this school what it is... you don't just have a bunch of people from the same neighbourhood, you have people from all over. Even I wouldn't want to go back to uniforms. I enjoy being able to walk around in my Iron Maiden and Slayer t-shirts, just to name a couple. And while they do say "Don't judge a book by its cover", clothes can be a good way to know who to hang out with and who not to when you're new to a school.

This is all from a Canadian (and Quebec, more precisely) school standpoint. I've never had any experience with schools that have violence or gang problems.

[Odainsaker 2,137]

Then again, schools are not primarily public stages for personal expression and the courts have found such.  Find an art, creative writing, or drama class for expression.  Somewhere our culture has traded vigorous educational achievement for adolescent views on their perceived rights not to do this or that and we have coddled to the minor juvenile minidramas at the expense of educational responsibility.  Gasp, not the "R" word!  They can't do math, let alone deeply understand artistic techniques or political theory, but they will launch personal crusades of public disobediance against the Oppressive System on the behalf of students everywhere to protect their freedoms to wear baggy pants dropping below their buttocks.  The tail wags the dog and the creativity/discipline balance is lost.  What level of independant expression can we expect if our kids have avoided or ignored the honed tools to fully realize their expressive potential?  Our free society is surely laden with enough opportunities to be personally expressive, but somewhere we also need a universally recognized place for meaty educational rigor, and we clearly have not been getting that.

"Slackers, McFly.  Slackers!"  Dress them all like nerds as the first step towards assimilating them into nerds, hehehe.

While we are at it, smack some group disciple and respect for surroundings with regularized schoolwide cleanup detail beginning in elementary school.  "Okay little kids, it's almost the end of the day, everyone get our their brooms and washrags."



Yep, they clean the floor by running small towels up and down.  It's even harder if you have to do it sweeping the towel side-to-side while standing in a set stance and moving to a set rhythm...trust the voice of experience on that one!  However, it is also a useful and strenuously aerobic exercise.

Okay, it probably wouldn't fly in America.  Still, perhaps we should also mention how clean and nice and pleasant the school actually looks...somebody is spending real money on their kids, as opposed to the cheapeast-lowest-common-denominator warehouse mentality we have in the U.S.  "Keep that floor maintained and it will last generations"...we need to start that mentality in them when they are young.

Of course, the sailor uniforms in anime look so *cute* too, hehehe, and I always thought the boys dark suit naval uniform with stiff collar was cool.  You would get beaten up for wearing that here in the States...trust the voice of experience on that one too!

"Slackers!"  Maybe it is for the best I don't supervise public schools...me who denounced my Boy Scout troupe because of the elitist class system benefitting the Eagle Scouts by serving them banquet cakes first at the expense of the egalitarian children of the proletariat.  "Comrade Cub Scouts, arise and unite, as we deserve our Equal Share of the desert cake too!"

[Meg 368]

Way back when I was a kid in school, we didn't have uniforms but we did have a "dress code". 

According to the dress code, girls had to wear dresses or skirts (too bad for us if it was below freezing and we had to walk a mile to get to the school).  Boys had to wear a shirt, pants, and belt and the shirt had to be tucked in.  Their hair was not allowed to be long enough to touch the collar of their shirt, and yes, the shirt had to have a collar. 

This dress code did not last until the end of the 60s.

I was happy to see the dress code ease up and would have rebelled against uniforms.  But we were rebelling against everything back then.

It would be nice if kids didn't have to worry about who has the latest designer jeans and who doesn't.  and I am against making kids wear formal clothes to school.  I just don't see the point in making them uncomfortable.    and the clothes I had to wear as a kid were uncomfortable.

When I was in England, I was surprised to see school uniforms that were basically sweatpants and sweatshirts.  They were all the same color,  dark green in this case, and had the school logo on them.  I was in York at the time; forget the name of the school.    These were elementary school kids.  I would have loved to have been able to spend those days in sweatpants but we didn't really have sweatpants back then.

Uniforms do not have to mean no variety.  They can mean limited variety.  The kid I mentioned earlier has to wear a polo shirt (either red, blue, or white) and dockers-type pants (either black, blue, or khaki) but he can wear them in any combination he wants.  I like that idea because it does allow some variety and the kids don't all look the same.

Because, yeah, the concept of putting kids in uniforms doesn't entirely sit well with me, even though I can see some advantages to it.

[Micah 16]

General suggestion: Becareful of what you write in here. Giving out personal information such as school names is an example.

[Meg 368]

Originally posted by: Micah

General suggestion: Becareful of what you write in here. Giving out personal information such as school names is an example.quote>

Micah has an excellent point.  Do not give out identifying information that could help some wacko locate you.   We ban wackos when we find them but we never know who is lurking.

[panthersimcity4 162]

I hate uniforms - I went to a Catholic school in Jr High. The teachers were always so anal retentive about the uniforms like... "ZOMG your shoes aren't tied properly!!"

I fail to understand how uniforms would reduce school violence - if anything they might increase it.

[Meg 368]

Originally posted by: panthersimcity4

I fail to understand how uniforms would reduce school violence - if anything they might increase it.quote>

Well, it would stop kid A from killing kid B because he wants his designer clothes.

That has happened around here, although it was mostly with jackets and coats, which aren't covered by most school uniform policies.

[ilikehotdogsalot 311]

Uh, no.

[dljrfn2000 10]

Originally posted by: SkiGeek

Originally posted by: panthersimcity4

I fail to understand how uniforms would reduce school violence - if anything they might increase it.quote>

Well, it would stop kid A from killing kid B because he wants his designer clothes.

That has happened around here, although it was mostly with jackets and coats, which aren't covered by most school uniform policies.quote>

I cant agree with the decrease in violence, or increase either.... its not going to help or hurt a situation for violence....