There is always at least two sides to everything, some things are a bigger topic to talk about. That is what makes a topic controversial. In school, many people argue that school uniforms are not a necessity but more of a hold back toward students. School uniforms have been seen to help students fit in in the past. It has also been proven to prevent students from growing mentally as a person. The idea of wearing uniforms to school was introduced in England in 1222. Centuries later, school uniforms were made to be worn by wealthy, fortunate children. The use of these uniforms in the United States was inspired by England’s unique used to represent their schools; usually it was restricted to the private schools. Though parts of society support and believe in the benefits of school uniforms, having those students forced to wear uniforms can lead up to a long-term problem with how students will socialize. …show more content…
It was believed to be a problem for the children growing up; it limited their ways to express themselves. Over time, it can become a bigger problem due to the child growing up not being able to communicate as well as they would have been able to. This problem has affected many people, specifically people who are involved with school on a day-to-day basis (students and school staffs). With school uniforms required, the students will possibly feel like they are fitting in, it is a way for teachers to acknowledge the equality that is shown through the uniforms. But having school uniforms also come with a bad possibility; the students are not taught to express themselves; they will grow up to be more closed minded than open
The history of school uniforms in the United States public schools begins with small underprivileged school of Cherry Hill Elementary in Maryland and the domino effect that happened soon after in the years after. The popularity of school uniforms can greatly be credited to the Long Beach, California study and President Bill Clinton’s speech on the topic. At first, school uniforms were only for the private or Catholic private schools however the school uniform trend spread to other public schools to adopt the “preppy look” and success. This has now set new standard for the United States school system. A brief history of school uniforms will give a significant insight on the growing development that is transforming American schools.
Society has taught people that they should be themselves and express their individuality. There are many people out there who think everyone should act and be the same because people get judged if they act or dress differently. Everyone is their own person and no one should have to conform to everyone else in society. The debate over whether or not uniforms should be required has been going on for years. Many schools have decided it is best to have uniforms when, in all honesty, uniforms make no difference in academic success or behavior of students. Just because someone wears a uniform does not make them any smarter of behave in a better manner. School uniforms should not be required, not only because they do not let students express themselves, but also they cost families more money and do not affect what goes on at school.
It is a great idea for schools to implement a policy on school uniforms because statistics show that students who wear uniforms make better grades. Additionally, male students are not distracted by what female students are (or aren't) wearing. Moreover, students feel a sense of fairness with one another as they are all wearing the same things. When students are at one with one another, their confidence soars, which leads to better academic performance. Student uniforms help reduce the amount of bullying, and students who would normally be bullied now have a much better disposition while at school.
"’School uniforms are one step that may help break the cycle of violence, truancy and disorder by helping young students understand what really counts is what kind of people they are,’ President Clinton said. It didn 't take much more than this presidential nod of approval to get the uniform ball rolling in many school districts across the country” (Bowen). Are school uniforms really the answer to the public schools’ problems? Although having a school uniform policy is mostly beneficial to schools, there are some drawbacks to having one. While uniforms provide less cost to the parent and less chance of bullying in schools, they also limit a student’s freedom of expression and can decrease the student’s comfort level.
School uniforms are not new to society. The use of uniforms in schools dates back to the fall of the Roman Empire in the 400s A.D. School uniforms were first widely used by students who went to “song schools.” Private schools and religious schools have also been requiring school uniforms for a long time, and most still require them today. In more recent history school uniform policies first started to find their way into schools in the United States in the 1950’s. Dress codes, which are lesser versions of uniform policies, were established to make sure students wore clothes that were more appropriate to a learning setting. Prohibiting girls from showing too much skin, and boys from wearing blue jeans, black leather jackets, and other such clothing were widely viewed as a good thing. Then as time went on the occurrence of gang violence also began to increase in schools, so schools began to ban students from wearing gang colors, numbers, or drug related clothing (McVeigh).
Schools all over the United States argue and debate over if school uniforms should be required or not. Most schools that do require these school uniforms don’t have very happy students. Some people say making students wear these uniforms will stop a lot of problems. Kids won’t get bullied as much and won’t be judged on the clothing they like to wear. Other people say this wont change anything. Requiring students to wear uniforms isn’t going to stop bullying. Bullies will be bullies, if they can’t make fun of other childrens clothes anymore, they’ll move onto other things to judge them for.
As unnecessary, to most students, as it may seem, school uniforms can actually carry a lot of potent. According to a bulletin produced by the National Association of Secondary School Principals, it stated that “When all students are wearing the same outfit, they are less concerned about how they look and how they fit in; thus, they can concentrate on their schoolwork.” Students do not have to emphasize on what to wear to school each day; they tend to focus more on their education rather than to learn who is wearing the latest fashion trend. Students may start to digress to a point where they are even clueless about what they had learned during their entire school year. It is saddening to realize that these students would prioritize their clothing over their education instead. Providing uniforms to the students would have a tremendous effect over these students and the school systems. Students would not have to spend great amounts of money on clothing in order to receive the praise or attention of their friends and/or family; vice-versa, students who don’t have the money to afford the latest clothing will not have to suffer the gossips of their poor taste of
In society today, school-age children are under tremendous pressure to fit in with their peers and still perform well academically. I believe that school uniforms in pre-K through high school levels is an excellent way to help children succeed not only in school, but to prepare them for college and the “real world.” Three reasons why I believe school uniforms should be used in all schools is first, they are economic, next, they reduce distractions and finally, they help with social equality.
At the beginning of the 20th century almost no parent or faculty had any concerns with how students dressed to attend school. Nowadays, though, this is a giant concern among students, parents, and school board officials. Many arguments have been made over the matter saying uniforms should be required and enforced in schools. But, uniforms should not be required as they ultimately eliminate freedom of expression, promote conformity over individuality, may have a detrimental effect on students self image, emphasize the socioeconomic divisions they are supposed to eliminate, and lastly, school uniforms in public schools undermine the promise of a free education by adding an extra expense for families.
The most common argument against school uniforms is that they take away the students right to self-expression. Yes, school uniforms limit what the students have to wear, but students can still have their own ways of self-expression. Students can still express their style of choice with their hair and what accessories they wear. Their shoe choice is also a form of self-expression. Students can make the uniforms their own style without breaking the dress code. School is a place to learn. Outside of school, self- expression is limitless. Some parents also believe that it could interfere with students' natural behavior to experiment with different identities. Having uniforms in schools helps erase the defined line of the social classes. Typically, popular kids in the higher social classes wear the trendiest clothing...
I believe all people have the right to express themselves. However, with rights come responsibility, a concept most people ignore. Having a "right" is to be free to express one's self. Consequentially, having a "responsibility" is doing it constructively, in such a way as to not violate policies, laws, and others' rights. There is a definite difference between a dress code and a school uniform. I support enforcing a school dress code, but is implementing a school uniform necessary? No matter how students dress, they will still pass judgments on their peers, uniforms do not necessarily save money, and children are forced to conform to the same standards. While in school, teachers have a responsibility to teach and students have the responsibility to learn. Both have the right to exist in their environment without harassment and the right to express their individuality. Some people have found some expressions crude, obnoxious, and distracting. To combat the problem, the idea of mandating school uniforms was introduced. This notion of making everyone appear "uniformed" in order to cut down on violence and negativity in school, is absolutely mislaid.
School uniforms also reduce ones ability to choose clothing that fits individual comfort needs. Above all, school uniforms even go against the 1st Amendment of the Constitution of the United States, which is about the establishment of religion and free speech. School uniforms are affecting the amount of money spent on clothing in a negative way. Many people think parents/guardians are saving money, but really, they are just spending more money. If one were to think about it, school uniforms can’t be worn outside of school.
“We cannot forget that reinforcing economic differences drives students further apart when schools should be drawing them closer together.” There are many problems in public schools with no uniforms. The use of school uniforms could eliminate some of these problems. Although school uniforms may take away a child’s individuality, there are more benefits than disadvantages to having school uniforms in public schools because school uniforms lessen the money spent on the latest fashion trends and school uniforms provide a positive school climate. A school uniform should be a simple outfit.
All individuals struggle with discovering who they are and who they may want to be in the future. School environment, either negatively or positively, impacts the result of this greatly. Uniforms in the learning environment have become a highly debated subject all across the country. Although some individuals believe school uniforms have a positive affect, those people should understand the negatives because uniforms promote appearance over character, lower student’s self-esteem, and conflict with the right of expression.
Those who are pro-uniforms insist that uniforms will allow families to save money and time on clothing. This is so because these days children often get ready by themselves, because their parents are usually off to work before they wake up for school (Linder-Altman). Uniforms give the parents of these children confidence that their child is going to school looking halfway decent. There are also claims that uniforms will decrease the amount of bullying in school because all of the students will look alike. On the other hand, those protesting uniforms believe although everyone is pretty much dressed the same, cliques will still form and bullying will still exist (dress code and uniforms).