Public School Students Should Be Required to Wear Uniforms - Essay Example

Proposition: Public School Should Be Required to Wear Uniforms Whether or not public school children shouldbe required to wear school uniforms touches a nerve in most people no matter which side of the fence they are on. Most private schools have always required uniforms, and uniforms are a long-standing tradition in Britain and in the United States until about 100 years ago. Many opinions must be taken into consideration: parents, teachers, administrators, the school board, the greater community, and of course the opinion of the kids themselves. If one examines all the advantages and disadvantages, it can be clearly seen that positives outweigh negatives on this issue. School uniforms provide an “equalizing” factor that few other aspects of school life provide. Every student is an individual, which oftentimes causes other individuals to bully or tease, or to prefer a certain student based on appearance. A child with expensive clothes may attract more friends, even if that child is not a very good friend. In a public school where all children wear uniforms, they all appear to be equal regardless of actual financial status. Students no longer need to stress or be embarrassed by what they wear to school each day, giving them the opportunity to concentrate on what matters—education. While kids might see restricting their choices in what to wear to school as a bad thing, in so many ways it is an opportunity for them to develop likeable personalities rather than expensive wardrobes. Self-expression comes in many forms. Clothing is only one way to express one’s self. Parents sometimes disagree with requiring uniforms in the public schools because they worry about money. They essentially need to invest in two sets of clothing—one for school, and another set that covers every other aspect of the child’s life. School uniforms are far cheaper than designer clothing, and when everything is taken into account, uniforms typically end up costing less for parents than run-of-the-mill clothing, too. Each child has a set of uniforms which they wear only for school and which they can interchange because all portions are identical. This saves parents money by not investing in an extensive mix-and-match wardrobe for each child, and makes clothing worn outside of school more special. It cannot be definitely stated that children learn better in a school uniform environment. Being judged on what they know rather than how they dress does have distinct advantages, however. A strong argument in favor of school uniforms is that they reduce the possibilities of gang violence, hazing, bullying, and harassment. Gangs and cliques generally identify themselves by what they wear, and anyone not dressed as they are can become a target. Clothing is a status symbol for almost all children, and with that status symbol removed from the school environment, teasing lessens. Gang violence is a big problem in many places, and anything that can be done to reduce gang violence should be tried. In an environment that supports students through school uniforms, it almost must follow that they will learn better. Dress code violations are a continuing problem for most schools, too. Each morning, the principal must stand at the doorway reminding the kids that their clothing violates the school dress code. It is frustrating for teachers and administrators to be the “clothing police” when they have much better things to do. When worn properly, a school uniform shows discipline on the part of the child and the school. There are a wide variety of choices in uniforms which will be comfortable for all students and make dress code enforcement incredibly easy. Changes in behavior come with consistent application of rules and boundaries to all students. Uniforms make consistency easy. School uniforms can instill a sense of pride in the school. Children who have a sense of pride in their school look forward to spending many of their waking hours there. They come to school ready to learn, less stressed, and focused upon the learning process. Some schools do not require teachers to wear the school uniform, but to ensure compliance from kids, adults should also wear the uniform. Thus, school becomes about the betterment of all rather than being focused upon any particular individual, which actually frees everyone to do his or her best. School uniforms help identify the school the child attends, minimizing truancy. Community members can easily identify children who are out of school or in the wrong place. When everyone in the school, including teachers and administrators, is wearing the school uniform, it becomes very easy to identify strangers and parents and direct them to where they need to go. For everyone’s safety, non-school personnel must be supervised. On the other side of the coin, if there is an emergency, having all the children dressed alike makes it difficult to identify a particular child. Even in situations where parents or grandparents come to the school to pick up the children, they can be hard to spot in the crowd. This problem can be lessened by always meeting the kids in the same spot each day, and encouraging children to not delay. Most bullying is appearance based, and simply eliminating this problem reduces tension for all the students. In areas where gang violence is an everyday problem, school uniforms can protect students, at least while they are in school. If for no other reasons, school uniforms should be tried by school districts to reduce bullying behavior among the children. Uniforms save parents money and time and hassle, making each morning go more smoothly. Just because everyone is dressed alike does not mean they are all the same—each person is given the opportunity to shine and to start out on equal footing with peers. The advantages of requiring public school uniforms far outweigh the disadvantages. Dress for success! Read More