Public School Students Should Be Required to Wear Uniforms - Essay Example

Public School should be required to wear Uniforms It would be superfluous to mention that education has always existed. Generally speaking it has been known that since its inception, students attended schools without uniforms. It was later known that private schools and religious schools started requiring uniforms to make distinctions of educational services, socio-economic levels, and be distinguished in its attire. This argumentative essay will focus on requiring public school students to wear uniforms. As with any argumentative essay, there are the pros and cons of any given situation. It is therefore, that I will present both aspects of the spectrum of requiring public school students to wear uniforms. I will present the pros first. These are: 1. All of the students will wear the same uniform regardless of their financial status. The wearing of uniforms gives uniformity to all students. It does not convert the public school into a “fashion show” aisle. The upper socio-economic level students will not be placed into a position of wearing the most expensive clothing that they are able to use. The lower socio-economic class students will not be placed into the position of having to compete by using clothing they feel uncomfortable because they are not able to purchase better garments. 2. The students will have a better opportunity of being judged for their knowledge versus for their attire. By using a uniform, all of the students will be placed in the same “basket”. There is research that attests that when teachers see the student’s prior grades, the have a better disposition for the students with better grades. It may be extrapolated that students who dress well will be treated better by the faculty and staff. 3. Students will not have to worry about their attire. The idea about not having to wear different attire on a daily basis will add comfort for those who worry of what they will have to wear tomorrow. 4. Using school uniforms will help decrease gang violence. The gang members usually identify themselves by the colors that they wear (red, black). 5. The school uniforms are usually cheaper than designer clothes. This item will help the parents or guardians of school aged children with their home budget. The money that will be saved by their children wearing uniforms may be used for other important needs (textbooks, activity books, food, sports uniforms, special school projects, school trips). 6. The school uniforms will reduce dress code violations. The schools have dress codes that the students should adhere to. By using uniforms, will help the school to maintain their dress code, therefore the students will not commit transgressions. 7. The public school uniforms worn properly will help uphold the politics, policies, and disciplinary rules by having the students wear uniforms. 8. Wearing a uniform instills a sense of pride in the school environment. Wearing uniforms to schools gives the school atmosphere a sense of belonging, being part of a “team”, and focusing on the school environment. 9. By wearing a school uniform helps identify the school the child attends. This will give the opportunity of rapid school identification. 10. Having the students wear a school uniform helps identify intruders/outsiders/visitors to the school. This will allow for the exclusion of others that are not part of the school. It will decrease the possibility of having people come into the school and harm the students, faculty, and staff. 11. The use of uniforms in the schools reduces harassment or bullying issues since the students may see themselves as equals. The counterparts of the pros are the cons. These are as follows: 1. The school uniforms generally speaking are only used for school. Generally speaking the students do not like to wear uniforms so the majority of the time the uniforms will not be used for other activities that are not related to the school. 2. The parents need to purchase additional garments for school. This is an additional expenditure that the parents will have to incur. It will not only be one uniform that they will have to purchase for a whole year of schooling. 3. There is no evidence that school students learn better by using uniforms to school. The Intellectual Quotient or the Emotional Quotient has not been correlated to the use of uniforms in schools. 4. There is no evidence to support a change in behavior. Students` behavior has not been correlated to the use of uniforms. 5. Some schools do not require the faculty to wear school uniforms to school, such as military schools, to have an environment of regimentation. 6. In the event of an emergency, the students will be hard to identify, given that all of the students are dressed alike. There will be no distinction in attire for a rapid identification. 7. The students are not able to choose what they should wear/want to wear for school. There is no student input as to what they will wear to school on a daily basis. Read More