Should Students Have to Wear Uniforms - Research Paper Example

Should students have to wear uniforms? This paper aims to argue about should students have to uniforms in schools. I believe that students should wear school uniforms. In order to support my perception, different arguments would be presented in this paper. Furthermore, counter arguments regarding the topic will also be discussed. The audience for this essay includes students, teachers, parents, and law enforcing authorities. I would use the argument of unity to support my point of view. I believe that schools uniforms promote a sense of unity and community among students. By wearing school uniforms, students develop the sense of group identity. School uniforms convey the message that school is a place for learning. Many schools in the United States and in other parts of the world are at odds over school uniforms. In many cases, it has been reported that students feel that their right of self-expression has been taken away with the rule of mandatory school uniforms. Although students feel that their right of self expression is taken away from them, there are several benefits of school uniforms. I believe that the advantages of school uniforms outweigh the disadvantages. One of the many advantages of school uniforms is that they minimize the stress for students and their families. For example, parents and students do not have to worry about buying new clothes frequently for schools (Walsh pp. 38). Students are very sensitive about their image and self-esteem when they are in schools. For example, if one of the students starts wearing branded clothes, his or her peers would feel inferior and their self-esteem would decrease (Brunsma pp. 50). The supportive arguments regarding school uniforms also claim that students feel equal when they wear school uniforms. I would support this argument with further explanation. The standard of living is different among different families. There are some families, which are in a better financial position than others. School is a place where students from different economic and cultural background come and learn. By wearing school uniforms, students do not get feel inferior to others. However, if students are allowed to choose their dresses for schools, they would be influenced by students from different cultures and different economic background. This would result in an increase in problems for parents and teachers. The rule of mandatory school uniforms would make all students look equal regardless of their financial position and cultural background. The rule of school uniforms also promotes the self-esteem of students, particularly those who cannot afford to wear expensive clothes (Brunsma pp. 50). The central counter argument associated with school uniform is individualism. According to this argument, school students must be allowed to make individual decisions about their clothing in schools. However, the counter argument states that school students must wear uniforms (Brunsma pp. 50). According to counter arguments, uniforms do not allow students to express themselves. Furthermore, school uniforms also limit the choice of students in deciding what to wear for school. The other important argument, which discourages school uniform, is that by allowing students to choose their daily clothing, the dressing sense can be developed among students. The choice of clothing is an important decision in the professional choice. Furthermore, the accessories used by individuals and their styles are also important in developing an individual’s personality. The dressing sense must be developed at a young age. Individuals spend a large portion of their life in schools. School is also the stage where individuals start learning many things, which are crucial for the practical and professional life. Therefore, it is essential that students are allowed to choose their dress and style form this stage (Brunsma pp. 50). School uniforms have been around since a long time. They play a significant role in the education of students. School uniforms have been proven to promote learning and development of students. It has also been proved that the level of distraction among students is minimized to a larger extent through school uniforms (Walsh pp. 38). I do not agree with the counter arguments regarding school uniforms. It is because the counter arguments claim that school uniforms allow students to express their individuality through dressing and style. I believe that students can express their individuality even by wearing uniforms through their intellectual skills and behavior in the classroom. Furthermore, school uniforms allow students to live a simple life. It is because students do not have to spend time on deciding what to wear. Therefore, this argument suggests that the use of uniforms save the time of students (Brunsma pp. 50). Another supportive augment regarding is that they allow students to act in a responsible manner. The school uniforms convey the message that school is a place where all individuals are equal and they only aim to learn. Therefore, the counter argument says that school uniforms create a sense of unity among students. Furthermore, the sense of community is also created when all students wear the same uniform (Boutelle pp. 34). According to my point of view, school uniforms are also safe from a security perspective. It is because when all students wear the same uniform, it is easy to identify the intruder in schools. The mandatory school uniforms reduce the security risks faced by schools. The variety of clothes and accessories chose by students would be a source of distraction for them. As a result, students will lose concentration in work. School uniforms also allow students to develop a sense of belonging with their school. Instead of thinking themselves as individuals, students would feel that they are a part of the school where their purpose is to learn. I conclusion, I believe that there are many supportive and counter arguments regarding school uniforms. However, it can be agreed that the learning and development of students is enhanced when they wear uniforms. Therefore, it is important for schools to make school uniforms mandatory in order to benefit students, parents, teachers, and society as a whole. The problem that needs to be resolved is the resistance among students to wear school uniforms. Students have started to feel that their right of self expression has been taken away from them. Therefore, it is the responsibility of schools to make school uniforms acceptable for students. For this purpose, both teachers and parents are required to work together. I recommend that schools must make uniforms more comfortable and casual to make them acceptable for students. School uniforms are often made of the fabric, which is not comfortable for students. In addition, the uniforms do not take account of different sizes of students. For example, students of same age group have different heights and weights. Therefore, it is essential that school uniforms are customized according to individual students. Works Cited Walsh, Mark. “U.S. Appeals Court Backs District’s Rules on School Uniforms.” Education Week 27.38 (2008): 8. Brunsma, David L. “School Uniform Policies in Public Schools.” Principal 85.3 (2006): 50–53. Boutelle, M. “UNIFORMS: Are They a Good Fit?” The Education Digest 73.6 (2008): 34. Read More