School Uniforms-Yea or Nay?

This is something I've been thinking about for awhile. I look back on my school years and think some of the problems I went through wouldnt've happened if my school had uniforms,or at least stricter dress codes. I remember wearing a T-shirt of a Detroit Pistons player in junior high,and one kid saying "That shirt was cool until you wore it" and in high school,whenever I wore a plain purple T-shirt,one kid would always be calling me "Barney" becuase I was fat and some how reminded him of the purple dinosaur. I also remember kids wearing Metallica shirts and things like that. Maybe school life would be better for kids if they all wore the same thing,or at least similiar clothes. It's something to think about.

 

I say Yea.

I was a teacher in a very poor, immigrant and (unfortunately) gang-infested neighborhood...uniforms made a difference in many ways.

Some families couldn't afford a lot of new clothes, a variety of clothes, but those kids didn't have to deal with being criticized or outcast because of it...everyone wore the same stuff.

A lot of the kids were proud to wear the uniforms (this was elementary school) because it showed everyone that they were getting an education, that they were a part of something, it was special.

There are many good reasons beyond these, of course.

 

I'm not sure about this one.

On one hand, wearing your own choice of clothes is a form of expressing yourself, making yourself feel comfortable, and even making yourself look nicer.

On the other hand, this self-expression leads to a lot of trouble in school such as gang-symbols, poor kids not being able to dress as nice, some kids just having less taste. Kids have a huge influence on each other and simple thing as clothing can influence teasing, in-groups, and such. Uniforms also tend to lead to a more discplined environment.

I would leave it up to the school. If there is a problem or if the choice is made to have uniforms, I'd say go for it. Kids can wear what they want outside of school. If there are no unifrms, that's fine too. As long as it doesn't cause unecessary problems.

 

Mmmmm... well, there are positives and negatives to both. i think a full uniform would be a little extreem. i'd say go the middle road and have a strict dress code.

 

No. I think kids should be able to wear whatever they want to school, as long as it is not obscene or revealing.

 

School is supposed to teach. It teaches history, science, math, etc. It also teaches how to and not to act. By granting individuality to students before they know how to act, you allow society to "corrupt" them and weaken your teaching authority.

It would support a strict dress code.

 

I think that instead of letting just the school decide, that the school AND the students should decide- after all, they'll be the ones wearing the uniforms...

Personally, I like being able to dress how I want to...

 

How about a compromise. Both the teachers nad the students must wear uniforms.

 

Find a uniform that is comfortable, not too dressy, and not prison like, yet does not make the student body feel like a bunch of 'clones' and I'm all for it.

How about students are given a choice from a pre-chosen set of uniforms? Different designs that still allow them to be different, but still 'uniformed'?

 

Being homeschooled, I really don't have a lot to say on this. But just a thought- I love a man in a uniform

 

I don't think uniforms are necessary, but I do definitely think there should be dress standards -- no underwear showing, no bare midriffs, no obscene clothing, advertising alcohol, drugs, sex, etc. Shorts should be of a reasonable length (although what "reasonable" is, I don't know). I'm undecided about whether shirts should require collars.

 

Yea.

Poor children whose parents carn't buy them the clothes that the 'cool kids' have,and bullying as a result of wearing clothes that aren't cool are pritty common in schools.If every child has the same uniform,it prevents a certian amount of bullying and upset for alot of kids !!!

 

Yay? I don't know. I think that a uniform that allowed mulitiple kinds of clothes would be a good thing, but I suppose the same thing could be done with a strict dress code. As long as it is comfortable, I don't care. "Expression" is a load of crap. The only people I see that are trying to "express" themselfs with clothing are either freaks who want attetion, and frankly just look gross, and preppy rich kids who want to show off how much money their parents make. //rash generalizations

As for the "punk" look, I see that as a uniform all by itself, and by wearing it, those who wish to be nonconformists become even moreso.

 

I attended a private school for many years and in 4th grade they institued a dress-code and boy were we miserible!!! I felt like my expression had been cut off, i kept trying to jazz it up with funky jewlery. I left the school in 7th grade for other reasons but then they said all uniforms MUST be bought from this one company and the clothes were horrid, overpriced and felt like cardboard (looked like it too).

At the public school I was very happy to wear what I choose to and I admit there are some who take their rights too far such as shirts with obscinities plastetered all over (although those are quickly quashed by the admins) but the shorts rule is fingertip which works for most students but some have REALLY long arms and doesn't work for them. I admit I see too much of my classmates sometimes, these low rise jeans are getting crazy I see too much undies on many of my feminine friends. Also I see way too much boxers for comfort, some guys have to walk around with their hands on their waists to keep the pants on.

My school has a fairly decent dress code it is just not inforced at all. Uniforms are not the solution to problems in schools.

*EDIT*
""Expression" is a load of crap."
I disagree. My school is rather diverse, we have our fair share of "punks" "goths" "preps" and many more. The so called freaks who seek attention are kinda frowned upon but then again the preps tend to steal the styles that the punks wear. I have seen kids that I know are poor to leave the tags on their clothes so people know what they are wearing (very popular with the Tommy brands) Solution to problem, sew yer own clothes. I sew some of my stuff just because clothes are so expensive and i'm a good seamstress. It's not like I can't afford the newest styles, i can, i just choose not to. If I had a uniform code I wouldn't be allowed to wear my funky stuggling artist pants!

 

I wore a school uniform right through my school years and I had no problem with it. As has been stated you didn't have problems with cool kids mocking the poor kids with poor clothes etc etc etc since everyone was wearing the same thing.

The only criticism I would make over my schools dress code was it was a bit unforgiving in some areas, especially in regards to our sports uniform - we weren't allowed to wear it to school AT ALL but instead had to bring it with us and change at school. That kind of sucked.

However in the end I would give a 'Yea', if the school wishes to enforce it. Like all things there are good and bad sides to the issue.

How about a compromise. Both the teachers and the students must wear uniforms.

Personally if all my teachers had to wear uniforms too it would look a bit weird to me.

My high school did however have a dress code for teachers which they had to follow.

 

Yea

I don't think kids should have any individuality until they turn 18 and are a legal adult.

I agree with Nungquam.

Having everyone dress the same way keeps all the students on a equal playing ground when it comes to things like Nungquam stated. Also it cuts back on a fasion show at school. It also cuts down in certain schools this gang activity by not being able to show your colors or rolling up the right pant leg to show your from the right end of the toliet bowl compare to someone who comes from the left end with all the mold on it.

It's cheaper and more cost effective.

 

I like uniforms myself, for all the above stated reasons. It adds a sense of equality among the students.

I do believe that whoever chooses the uniforms ought to have some sense of what looks good, however... I had a similar elementary school experience to The_Dork_Side. Uniforms had to be of a particularly nasty brand no one hand ever heard of before purchased directly from the school. Pleated pants that balooned out everytime you sat down (I've hated pleats with a passion ever since), polo shirts that did not breathe and would invariably get all wrinkled after one wear. Ugh, I shudder just to think of it.

Strangely enough, once I got to high school which just had a dress code (and a pretty liberal one too) I chose to continue wearing the same outfits, albeit of name brands that I selected myself (flat front pants please). I eventually chose to start moving into other colors besides Navy Blue and White, but hey I like it.

 

Big Fat Yea!

I wore a Uniform from 1st thru 12th grade, and I absolutely hated it for a long time, but it was a great thing. Uniforms are great for lots of reasons, the social equlization, the added self respect etc. And while many think Uniforms destroy individuality, consider this. In a school without Uniforms kids so often define themselves by how they dress. Wearing all black and Bauhaus T Shirts, or Ralph Lauren pants does not define someone. Kids wearing uniforms must define themselves by what they say and think, not by what they wear.

Now, as for dress codes, I am actually totally against Dress codes because they really are discriminotory. Some peoples regular wardrobe will be included in the dress code, while others will not. Those who do not are in essence punished by having to conform to the general standard. With a uniform, no one is but at a greater advantage/dis advantage than others. Preppy kids and Urban kids alike will not be allowed to wear their "clothes of choice"

 

I too am afraid of pleated pants thanks to uniforms. *shudders*

Another pitfall with the uniforms if they were in public schools are if they were from a private vendor they seem to cost an arm and a leg! Secondly, kids want "regular" clothes for the weekends so I ended up having 2 sets of clothes, the stuff I liked and the stuff I didn't.

I have seen schools locally impose a pants only policy, the only problem is i'm in FLORIDA!!! You usually don't wear jeans all day when it peaks at 97 and humidity makes it feel 105. Even with uniforms there will still be that social barrier that some feel is brought on by clothes.

 

I lived in Florida my whole life and I know what you mean.

So make the kids wear pants from September to January. That is when it's not so hot in Florida.

Then from Feburary till May have them where shorts. Not short shorts, but simple docker like tanish shorts. Very simple and comfortable.

 

At the public school I was very happy to wear what I choose to and I admit there are some who take their rights too far such as shirts with obscinities plastetered all over (although those are quickly quashed by the admins)...

Wooah, those JC admins get more powerful all the time

 

Well I've worn school uniform all my life so everyone was the same and it didn't give kids the excuse to pick on the less fortunate.

Plus it REALLY saves money because you don't have to have different outfits daily.

And it's really NOT that bad. Last days mean you can cut it up, burn it or whatever.

So yea to uniforms. It might not stop bullying altogether but it gets rid of one reason.

 

Yea. Fortunately for me, I never had to wear any school uniforms (at least in the public schools I went to), but I like to see people suffer.

 

Mmm . . . school uniforms

I think they should be cumpulsory for all girls between the ages of 16 and 30. I'm a strict authoriatarian, you see.

 

No.

Uniforms are a collosal load of crap. They might make people feel "equal", but in truth, they really don't.

I went to a big public high school. The dirties had their funky hair and torn black t-shirts, the jocks and preps had their poloshirts, and boring geeky people like me wore stuff like solid-colored t-shirts and blue jeans day in and day out. In a sense, each group could be identified by the type of clothing they wore. And I wouldn't be one bit surprised if some of you could relate to that.

Uniforms don't work. Students not only feel restricted, but schools that do implement them have reasons such as "to keep gangs from identifying one another" or whatever. That's a load of garbage... no matter what they do to restrict a student's clothing style, the gangs will *always* find a way to identify themselves.