Should Schools Have Uniforms?
There’s been a great deal of talk around my kids school, of having uniforms in the near future.
While I know lots of people don’t support the idea - claiming it tramples students’ right of expression and parents’ right to raise children without government interference - I am personally very keen to the idea.
Don’t you think there are lots of other ways that kids can express themselves?
God knows I’d love to get rid of those baggy butted pants the boys are wearing and raise the necklines of the tops the girls are wearing.
So what do you think?
Should Schools Require Uniforms?
If uniforms are not required, should there be strict dress codes?
Tags: back to school, uniforms, school dress codes
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POSTED IN: Parenting
24 opinions for Should Schools Have Uniforms?
Matt
Aug 6, 2007 at 6:40 pm
Both my grade and high school required uniforms, and I don’t think I’m worse for wear. In fact, a dress code taught me to learn how to properly present myself. When you’re in a primarily t-shirt-and-jeans atmosphere, I think it’s too easy to become lazy about how you look. A dress code keeps kids (and teachers) from getting too sloppy with themselves.
Gayla
Aug 6, 2007 at 7:47 pm
I like that idea too Matt. I never thought of it as allowing an environment for becoming lazy, but you’re so right.
Bev Schweigert
Aug 8, 2007 at 6:59 am
My daughters actually want uniforms! They say that it would be so much easier if everyone just wore the same thing, rather than worrying about what to wear every day….
Bev
Jennifer
Aug 11, 2007 at 4:40 am
I don’t think a dress code is fair to kids. It’s not respectful and it does not allow them to make good decisions about dress in the first place. It’s just adults telling them how to dress. I don’t see how we expect kids to learn to think for themselves if we do it for them on important issues like clothing. I never wore a uniform to school and I figured out how to dress for work as an adult just fine.
I don’t know that I agree with the lazy environment theory either.
I volunteer a lot. At beach clean-ups, tree plantings, Big Sister events, and Habitat I see people who all dress casual which you might expect because of course you aren’t going to wear a suit to build a house. But, even outside of volunteer events I still see volunteers I know dressing casual or slacker style all the time. They are not lazy — and some are kids. When I worked as a social worker — jeans and tees. Everywhere. I don’t think a dress style is a good way to form an opinion about who is lazy and who isn’t.
jovan
Nov 8, 2007 at 11:59 am
yes kids should have uniforms
brandy
Dec 2, 2007 at 12:56 pm
i think we schould require uniforms in our schools because they well help get our fellow students/kids become young adults. Uniofmrs can also get kids ready for the future hey will have later in life!
Corinne
Dec 19, 2007 at 1:04 pm
Schools Should not Have Uniforms It Makes Everyone Look Like Clones And You Can Express Yourself If You Look Like Clones I Should Know I’m A Gothic And I Had To Wear A Uniform When I Was In Philidelphia I Couldn’t Express Myself When I Was Wearing A Fucking Uniform
tabbi
Jan 17, 2008 at 11:14 am
I like the idea. I dont think uniforms make you clones. I think it puts everyone on the same level. Maybe there could be certain “add on” type things that kids can choose between to make them someone unique. You can still wear makeup, style your hair, paint your nails black. Or atleast I dont think those sorts of things should be limited.
BMS
Jan 17, 2008 at 11:30 am
I wore uniforms for the first 8 years of school, and then had a fairly strict dress code for high school. I loved it. Whether your father was a doctor or a steel worker, you had the same clothes. I didn’t become a clone. Far from it - I was a geeky outsider no matter what I wore, and proud of it! Adults have to wear uniforms too. Police officers, doctors, nurses, waiters - they all have distinctive clothing. I am a professor and I have a ‘uniform’ - I have to look like a professional while I am teaching. Doesn’t mean that I can’t revert to jeans on my off hours. But if I choose to dress like a freak at work, I am choosing to be treated as incompetent, unprofessional, and immature.
Nina
Jan 17, 2008 at 2:44 pm
As a high school student I think that we should have uniforms. The ideas about that the students wont be able to express themselves is total bologna , while walking down the halls I see at least 5 girls with the same shirt, purse, or shoes. Yea, thats real individuality everyones wearing the same thing! maybe with the change in clothes my peers will stop worrying what everyone else has and they will concentrate more on their school work! (In my school we are taking a vote whether or not to have uniforms and Im voting YES!)
Suzette
Jan 23, 2008 at 9:46 am
Popular misconceptions:
It’s cheaper.
Wrong
You still have to buy “play” clothes for after school, at least if you want to keep the uniforms looking good, and you still have to buy “nice” clothes for going to town or a casual diner,etc. and still have to by “dress” clothes for special occasions or fine dining, etc.
The poor children will fit in.
Not necessarily.
Most “cheap” uniforms have a different material and different cut, so it’s only from far away that things seem different. You can still tell a name brand from the cheap ones.
Not to mention when the parents show up for school/parent functions, games,etc. and the parents are dressed “cheap” or “name brand”. Also, these children see each other other than at school and other than in uniform.
Then you have schools that put too much emphasis on the wrong things…
Some schools will check the color of the uniform against a color chart yet they don’t care how they “fit” (baggy pants, extremely low rise pants, very tight shirts, etc). The school gripes when the length of pants are 1 or 2 inches too long, yet they don’t say anything when it looks like someone’s been “poured” into them.
Some Schools won’t even allow for a show of school spirit at all if the school color is different from the uniform color… like wearing a Red shirt instead of a blue one (when the uniform colors are khaki bottoms and navy or white tops and the school colors are red, gold, and white).
When I was in school we had a strict dress code. Shirts had to have sleeves, the neck couldn’t be to low or the bottom too high and they couldn’t be too tight. Pants… the legs couldn’t be so long as to hinder your walking but couldn’t be more than a couple of inches above your ankle, they had to fit above your waist or you had to wear a belt to keep them there (if you could pull them down without unbuttoning them), but they couldn’t bee too tight either. No open toed shoes and no black soled shoes on the gym floor.
The dress codes that we students didn’t agree with (and I still don’t agree with them)…
1. No earings on boys.(if the girls could wear them then why not the boys?)
2. Boy’s hair couldn’t be past a certain length… short, and they had to shave all facial hair (as long as they kept their hair clean and out of the way, what did it matter? and as long as the facial was kept trimmed and neat what did it matter?)
Hygiene is more important than looks.
Syd
Jan 25, 2008 at 12:37 pm
I don’t have uniforms at my school, but I wouldn’t want to. I love being able to choose my clothes in the morning. I feel really good when I have on an outfit that I like, and when I get compliments, I feel very happy and confident. Contrary to popular belief, you don’t have to have designer clothes to “fit in”. As long as you feel good in your clothes, it will show, whether your shirt is Juicy Couture or Wal-Mart.
brea
Jan 31, 2008 at 10:48 am
i belive you sholud wear uniforms but have avarity that are nice and are comfortable for people tyle in a vriety of colors and different styles
Jessie
Feb 3, 2008 at 7:12 am
Hey ive actually done alot of research for one of my projects and before i started this project i actually thought uniforms were better but guess what i was wrong. Uniforms do not decrease fights, they do not stop the judgemental insults and they do not decrease security at school. Firstly i would like to explain everything i just said and then i want you to think about it.
They do not decrease fights or gangs and stuff if theirs a dress code and i got to high school and there arent any gangs there but yes there are some fights and do you no what they are about?? They about girls and other stuff but not about how they dress or gangs at all and even if there were gangs theres only one way to defeat them and thats by staying with your friends as you pass by them.
Girls will still judge one another with height, weight, hair and jewlery so uniforms are not going ot help one bit.
And lastly, uniforms are not going to help with security becaus eif they wanted to get in that badly they could just steal a uniform or dress similarly, a better way to help with security would be ID cards which i think alot of schools have but just not to get in the building but more like a library card and a card to get in at the dance.
So thank you and i do hope you now see that uniforms do not help any of your causes and if you wanted kids to stop wearing things that you think are inapprpriate just make a DRESS CODE!!!!
Syd
Feb 4, 2008 at 4:02 pm
Exactly!! I especially agree with the bullying aspect. Kids don’t only bully because of clothes. There will always be bullies no matter what you do. And I resonded to brea’s comment, but it’s not here, so I’ll write it again- There is no variety in uniforms. And what is nice for one person may not be nice for someone else.
Syd
Feb 4, 2008 at 4:04 pm
Exactly!! I especially agree with the bullying aspect. Kids don’t only bully because of clothes. There will always be bullies no matter what you do. The best way to cut down on bullying is to ct down on bullying is to educate kids about the effects and consequences of bullying from a very early age. We do this this at my school, and it works amazingly. And I resonded to brea’s comment, but I don’t see it here, so I’ll write it again- There is no variety in uniforms. And what is nice for one person may not be nice for someone else.
Syd
Feb 4, 2008 at 4:10 pm
Exactly!! I especially agree with the bullying. Kids will find ways to bully no matter what. The best way to cut down on bullying is to educate kids on the effects and consequenses of bullying from a very early age. We do this at my school, and it works amazingly well.
VC
Feb 5, 2008 at 11:36 am
I have always felt that uniforms need to be incorporated in all schools. Uniforms would make equality amongst kids regarding their financial status (some parents can afford to buy expensive clothes while other can’t), There is simply too much distraction in school re: fashion..school is not a fashion show, its a place to learn. Also, its easier to point out when children are supposed to be in school (many kids skip school)..that actually can enable authorities to see such. Uniforms would also put on end to the ridiculous amount of money parents spend every year on school clothes. We are the only nation in the world that decides not to mandate uniforms in school. I cannot understand why so many parents oppose to such. Since when are uniforms made to look good on everyone…a uniform is a uniform and simply put..it’s really not the childs choice whether they like it. When someone works at the post office, do they have a choice in picking their uniforms out.. Not really…the need to do their job to get paid, so children need to focus in school not fashion.
PATTY
Apr 9, 2008 at 2:58 pm
i don’t think schools should wear uniforms because no one should tell you what you should and should not wear. plus you chose to go to that school now the school is now telling you you have to wear a certain clothing and it cost way to much to get the uniform and get regular clothing and nice clothing.
Nina
May 27, 2008 at 6:12 pm
No…
Creativity is increased when a student wears clothing of their choice. When wearing clothing that are comfortable with the student, the student soon shows creativity through the clothing too. Creativity may be shown through many other ways and different places. However, being creative most of the time is better than never getting the chance to be creative.
sakshi
Jul 5, 2008 at 11:09 pm
I think thereshould be a uniform in school so that children who are from poor family do not feel bad by seeing the richer children’s dress and they do not ask their parents to buy them nice dresses.
that girl
Jul 7, 2008 at 8:32 am
I’m for the uniform thing. It decreases the snotty rich kid/low-self-esteem poor kid scenario. It is also much, much easier on mom. We did it this year w/ my 5 yr old and I loved it. They can still be creative or whatever on the weekends. Personally, I see way too many girls and boys spending way too much time and effort on their clothes. Why are small children even picking out their own clothes?
Lookie here,read this!!!
Aug 3, 2008 at 6:52 pm
Uniforms shouldn’t be at schools because first of all what other people say is mostly not true. For example they said that uniforms helps stop gang violence but its not true, infact uniforms help provoke it. My friend was bashed because he was wearing his school uniform by the the kids in a gang that said they could not go to school because they’ve been expeled. but that is just my opinion.
Aiden
Sep 2, 2008 at 8:34 pm
I live in Australia where most kids wear uniforms. It seems to be no big issue. There are usually enough variations to allow for different body types and personal preferences. On the whole it seems to me that the kids really dont care. It seems to me that it is the parents who get wound up about it.
I wore a uniform to school and it did not worry me at all. If anything I think I liked it although, had anyone asked, I would have said I did not like it especially if they asked where others could hear the answer.
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