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The argument on whether or not schools should have uniforms has been in existence over the past decade. Slowly, students are starting to speak up about their wardrobe preferences, with their parents supporting them. Today, we still see a mixture of regulations in schools, with some still imposing a uniform policy, and some allowing learners to dress freely.
In this sample article, the author explores the opposing arguments of the issue on whether or not school uniforms are beneficial. She also offers her own opinion about school uniforms in the conclusion.
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Why Students Should Wear Uniforms
There are still schools today that impose a school uniform policy on their students. This may include both a day uniform, a seasonal uniform, and a gym outfit. What are the many benefits of asking learners to wear school uniforms?
Wearing school uniforms makes students easily identifiable
A lot of times, a dress code is issued for school safety purposes. It is a given that in many schools, there will be field trips or out-of-town school trips that students will go to. In these scenarios, it is wise to have them dress the same way so that you can easily spot them from far away or identify them in an emergency situation. In the case of a kidnapping, it would be useful to describe the uniforms students were wearing when they were last seen. School authorities believe that kids being required to wear uniforms will help make schools safer.
Wearing uniforms promotes school discipline
When young people are required to wear the same uniforms every day, it promotes the idea of discipline and consistency, as well as conformity and compliance. It teaches them how to adhere to strict rules and regulations of learning institutions. It also somehow creates a visually peaceful learning environment because everyone is dressed in the same outfit and there are no people to reprimand for wearing something inappropriate.
Dress codes build school spirit
In the same way that an athletic or sports team would wear the same pieces, students wearing uniforms strengthen school pride. When you wear the colors and logo of your institution, it is a declaration of your belongingness and identity as a student. A proper school uniform tells the world the story of the institution and the kind of learners it invests in.
Being required to wear uniforms lessens the likelihood of bullying
When people are dressed in their regular clothes, it says something about who they are. This opens up the possibility of being bullied if there are people who don’t appreciate your sense of style or your self-expression. It also says something about your social status, and other students find it fun to treat people who can’t afford expensive clothes as prey. Finally, it reveals what cultural groups you belong to, and sometimes this doesn’t sit well with people. All of these things are revealed through your choice of clothing, and this makes you a sitting duck for unnecessary judgment. Bullying occurs when people find you too different for their taste.
Arguments Against Wearing A School Uniform
While there are good and valid arguments for requiring students to wear uniforms, there are equally understandable views from the opposite end of the spectrum. Why shouldn’t schools ask students to wear uniform?
It masks a child’s individuality
One of the most convincing arguments against the school uniform policy is freedom of expression. Both the students and their parents argue that being able to choose their outfit helps students feel more confident about themselves, especially in the adolescence stage. Different clothes are indicative of different backgrounds, which honors cultural groups as well. It must be said that at this age, students tend to be very conscious about their appearance and how they come across. When young women are forced to wear skirts when they don’t feel confident about their legs, for example, it can lead to low self-esteem. They also won’t feel like themselves since they are wearing something that they are not truly happy with. Even the First Amendment declares every American’s fundamental right to freedom of expression, and this should be applied to clothing in the academic setting.
It creates an unnecessary cost at home
Most students and parents say that school uniforms are an unwanted expense. It will save parents money if the kids were just allowed to sport regular clothes in class. This is especially true for low-income families, as many of them operate on a very tight budget. Parents feel that instead of spending so much on the same uniform, that money could be more wisely allocated to additional class supplies and materials. Besides, when outgrown, these uniforms cannot be easily given away, since they are specific for a particular school’s use. Therefore, they would just waste away and eventually be forgotten in the garage. Sometimes, school uniforms are the very reason why parents can’t send their kids to that particular institution. They simply cannot afford it.
Forcing students to wear uniforms affects their academic performance
It may be indirect, but the school uniform plays a crucial role in their self-confidence. If they have a unique body type that the school uniform doesn’t cater well to, they will feel embarrassed about having to wear them every day, and it may cause them to get distracted in class. Self-conscious students focus on how badly they are feeling about their appearance instead of learning, and this may be interpreted by their teachers as a lack of interest in the class. The truth is that they just can’t get over how bad they physically look and this detracts their focus on the lesson.
Neither normal clothing nor wearing school uniforms is a definitive indicator of discipline
Just because students wear the mandatory outfit every day doesn’t mean they are automatically disciplined individuals. You hear of so many stories about private school kids rebelling against the rules, outfitted in the most immaculate uniforms. Uniformity is not always the same as conformity. In fact, forcing students to wear what you want for them can trigger more rebellions than compliances. This is because they are in a season where individuality is very important to them, and they are in the thick of exploring who they really are. Fashion and style sense are both important outlets where they can realize that. Stifling this platform would cause them to find other ways to make a statement; and unfortunately, many of these misdeeds end up necessitating disciplinary action or appropriate sanctions. So you have unhappy administrators and even unhappier students. Right here and now, I would like to highlight this very important truth: it is a false narrative to believe that visual uniformity can guarantee internal compliance and cooperation.
Conclusion
Given both sides of the issue, where do I stand on wearing school uniform? I personally believe that in public schools or not, wearing uniforms should not be imposed on the student body. I know that teachers and staff think that this promotes school spirit, but the truth is that it hinders self-expression and keeps students focused on how much they dislike the way they look. In a nutshell, students wear school uniforms simply because they have to, not because they want to.
If they are really interested in helping students improve academics and boost self-confidence, they can do one of two things. First, have a Free Friday where they can be allowed to wear their normal clothes every Friday. This would be a good compromise for when the uniform policy cannot be easily discarded. However, this is just a band-aid solution that may still not work in the long term. Second, implement a general dress code for the class that learners can abide by using their usual clothes. I believe that this second option works much better and sees wins on both sides. Students get to wear whatever they want, but schools get to impose the boundaries around this freedom.
I hope that this longstanding debate can finally come to an end and administrators and students can find a happy middle ground they could work with. While I truly believe that the intentions of authorities are pure and admirable, laying down the law on what students should wear to class defeats the purpose of allowing them to express themselves creatively and authentically. These are actually some of the essential experiences in any positive academic journey. At the end of the day, we want graduates from our institutions to remember how great the learning environment was, not what they were required to wear and how awful they felt in their ill-fitting uniforms.
So should students wear school uniforms? My answer to this is yes, but within reasonable boundaries set by the governing body of the learning institutions they belong to.