Dress Code in School - Essay Example

? Dress in Schools Individual speech Ramdokht Yazdani Speech 104 Travis Schools are one of the most important s in society. It is necessary to ensure that schools provide a secure environment conducive to learning. Uniform dress codes in schools will ensure that schools remain focused on learning. Uniform dress codes in schools reduce violence, raise self-esteem and improve the students’ academic performance. It is essential to enforce uniform dress codes in schools. Dress Code in Schools. In his State of the Union Address of 1996, President Clinton said, “If it means that teenagers will stop killing each other over designer jackets, then our public schools should be able to require their students to wear uniforms” (qtd. in Kraft, 2003). Are you a liberal? Are you a conservative? Whatever be your political leaning, or personal belief, I am sure every one of you will agree with me that school safety is of paramount importance to society. The provision of a safe study environment takes precedence over self-expression. In these days of unequivocal liberalism, when the least hint of curtailment of individual rights is immediately condemned as authoritarianism, I defiantly stand here before you in support of a uniform dress code in schools. I am aware that many of you will equate a uniform dress code with the stifling of creativity and the freedom to self-expression. But this is a very simplistic way of looking at the issue. The school is the primary and most crucial factor in the educational process of an individual. It is here that the moral foundation and intellectual capabilities of the child are built up. Schools must be differentiated from society at large, and special rules applied here. In this context, it is crucial that the school environment is totally focused on learning, and all extraneous factors are eliminated. A uniform dress code in schools reduces violence, raises self-esteem and improves the students’ academic performance. A uniform dress code is an effective means of reducing violence, and increasing security, in schools. In the first place, a school uniform is the easiest means of identification of the students. This is particularly convenient when groups of students are taken on trips outside school. This factor is of great significance in keeping students under secure supervision. Conversely, uniforms make is easy to identify any trespassers on school property. This is a very effective safeguard against the entry of anti-social elements into the school campus and the disruption of discipline. School uniforms eliminate the possibility of ignorant students inadvertently wearing gang colors, or other gang related items of clothing, and being exposed to attacks by opposite gangs as a result of this. The use of gang attire is completely eliminated on campus. The uniform does away with badges of gang identity, such as aggressively painted jackets, bandannas, or chunky jewelry. Expensive and fashionable clothes are often the cause of inciting less privileged children to resort to theft and violence. In the same way, emphasis on fashionable dressing may lead to competition among students and result in violence. School uniforms as unequivocally “competition reducing” (Kraft, 2003). In some cases, fashion accessories and clothes are used as weapons or as a means to conceal weapons. (Paliokas, n.d.). The use of hooded sweatshirts, as a deliberate way to avoid detection after acts of vandalism in school, is a pointer in this direction. It is clear that school safety justifies the implementation of a uniform dress code. Self-esteem is a major issue for all school-going children. American school reports show that “students base the worth of peers on the kinds of clothes that are worn but distinctions in worth were not noted when the entire school population was dressed in uniforms” (King, 2002. qtd. in Kraft, 2003). The major link between self-esteem and clothes is the fact that clothes emphatically proclaim income disparities, and become the basis of ‘labeling,’ Those students who have difficulty keeping up with the latest trends and fashion styles, risk being teased and bullied by their better dressed peers. Student identities are often defined by the clothes they wear – not only by fellow students, but also by teachers. As a teacher reports, “I could always immediately identify my less affluent students by what they were wearing. Some of these students wore the same clothes almost everyday. They were teased by their peers, and this was very difficult for these kids. After uniforms, I had a much more difficult time telling which child came from which type of home environment.” (qtd. in Kraft, 2003). At an age when peer acceptance is a crucial factor in self-esteem, school uniforms eliminate apparel which emphasizes differences along social, cultural, and economic lines. A uniform erases any perception of ‘haves’ and ‘have-nots’ among students, and school status is no longer based on apparel. A child is valued for her abilities, and not for the worth of her clothes. The widely accepted social rationale that a dress code at promotes self-assurance and increases productivity at the workplace, also hold good in schools. School uniforms also contribute to a sense of belonging and camaraderie in school, which goes a long way towards strengthening the child’s self-esteem. Another positive effect of a uniform dress code in schools is the improvement in the students’ academic performance. It is reported that “academic achievement is compromised when attendance, punctuality, attention to instruction and grades suffer as a result of preoccupation with clothing” (King, 2002, qtd. in Kraft, 2003). ). Attendance increases when the school environment is perceived to be safe. It is easier for students to arrive punctually at school as a uniform dress code eliminates the need to spend time on choosing clothes and accessories every morning. As an offshoot of this, conflicts with parents over appropriate clothing for school are also eliminated. In a student survey, a sixteen year old declares, “all I have to do is grab some khaki bottoms and a white shirt with a collar and I’m out of the house” (Wingert, 1999. Qtd. in Kraft, 2003). The time wasted on consideration of what to wear to school may be constructively used to complete homework. An added bonus, from the parents’ point of view, is the elimination of the need to invest in expensive clothes at the beginning of each school year. At school, there is no time wasted on debating the appropriateness of clothes, and specific items, such as colors and tattoos. The authorities are freed from the difficult task of monitoring students’ apparel every day. This eliminates the difficulty of consistently enforcing a dress code which is not uniform. Teachers can devote all their time and energy towards a greater focus on academic instruction. It is widely accepted that a uniform encourages a respectful attitude towards the school environment and learning. As attention is diverted from making a fashion statement or defining identity through clothes, a sense of order is engendered. (Moutal, 2001). Children are no longer diverted from their studies by the need to take part in fashion competitions each day. In conclusion, I would like to reiterate that a uniform dress code in schools is essential to safeguard one of the most important institutions in society. Schools are not meant to be fashion shows, where students parade on a cat walk, or battlegrounds where they violently compete for dominance. Focus on academics, and the building up of life skills, is the purpose of schools. A uniform dress code is a powerful tool to establish schools as focused educational institutions. A uniform dress code reduces violence on the school campus, increases the self-esteem of students and contributes to improved academic performance. The provision of a secure environment which is conducive to learning, and which is free from distracting influences is the need of the hour. A uniform dress code will go a long way towards addressing this need. Schools prepare their students to take their place in society as worthwhile members with meaningful careers and lives. Learning to be a clothes horse is not the best preparation for this! References. Moutal, Violeta. 2001. Discussion Paper: Dress Codes. School District no. 38, Richmond. Retrieved from http://public.sd38.bc.ca/Public_Folder/FAV4-0000DB62/I002A833B Paliokas, Kathleen L. Dress Codes as a Means of Reducing Violence in Public Schools. N.d. Center for Policy Studies: Graduate School of Education and Human Development. Retrieved from http://www.edstudies.net/files/active/0/resources-challenges.html Kraft, J.A. 2003. Society’s Perceptions and Attitudes Towards School Uniforms. WorldPress.com. Retrieved from http://www.uwstout.edu/static/lib/thesis/2003/2003kraftj.pdf Read More