The Benefits of Wearing a School Uniform in High School - Research Paper Example

?The Benefits of Wearing a School Uniform in High School As far back as I can remember, public schools, which are paid for by the tax dollars of the American people, has never required their students to wear a school uniform. Historically, American students have always worn everyday clothes to school. Parents and students never had a problem with that before. In fact, none of our parents, grandparents, and even great grand parents ever wore a uniform to school. Unless they attended a private school that is. But certain situations have recently arisen that has brought the debate pertaining to the benefits of wearing a school uniform in high school to the front. There seems to be a growing clamor for school uniforms in the public schools for some matter. One of the reasons presented by those supporting the unforms in public schools has to do with the cost of school clothing. One of the largest expenses that parents face in terms of the day to day needs of their high school aged children has to do with the clothes that they wear to school everyday. The increasing cost of ready to wear clothes and the desire of children to wear unique get-ups to school cost the parents a tidy sum of money every school year. By imposing a mandatory school uniform policy in our schools, the cost of education can be brought down for parents. This paper aims to present three reasons as to why we should support the clamor for uniforms in public schools , including the savings on cost of clothing that can be passed on to the parents, while also presentingsome of the reasons that some parents and students oppose the school uniform policy. One of the reasons that high school students give when asked why the support the school uniform policy is that they find it easier to simply wear the same clothes to school everyday. Although teenagers love to dress up and match their outfits for a day out, having to do that on a daily basis for school clothing becomes a nuisance for them. Thus school uniforms can actually help the kids get to school on time and the parents also get a few extra minutes everyday with which they can do other things in the process. Contrary to public belief, high school students do not enjoy being late for class. They also prefer to not have to think about what they will be wearing the next day to school. The reasoning is simple: It saves them from having to go out and buy clothes because a uniform can be sent to you. Decisions don’t have to be made because you wear the same outfit every day. All kids have to do is grab their uniform and you don’t have to worry if it matches or if it doesn’t match. (Whelan, Brittany “School Uniforms Save Money, Avoid Problems”) As anybody who ever attended high school knows, these students are judged by their peers at this level primary through first impressions. Those first impressions are first created by the clothes that a student wears to school. This need to dress in what a student believes to be an acceptable manner to his peers then ends up causing the student undue stress. Not everyone can afford to buy the latest trend in clothing and designer duds so in the case of such students, a school uniform will work best. School uniforms are also viewed as the great equalizer in many cases. Since students dress alike on campus, this can actually help to reduce the cases of bullying, intimidation, clothes thefts, and the like. The reason that uniforms work very well in lessening the violence students experience on campus is that when it becomes hard to look unique, the students tend to treat each other fairly. It is said that uniforms are the great equalizer because; “Schools are for students to learn and not for students to be threatened because of what they wear or are not wearing. Uniforms will help protect each student from crime and violence when at school.” (“Yes for School Uniforms”). Civilian school clothes that high school students wear to school can cost parents as much as over a thousand dollars in a year due to the constant need to change the clothes with the seasons. Students end up going to school to show off their clothes rather than to sit in a classroom studying. It is reported that parents who send their high schoolers to a uniform based public school end up saving at least $130 per year on school clothes. The parents normally spend more or less than $130 to buy a set of school uniforms that the student wears for the next year in school. Should the uniform quality hold up well to the rigors of laundry and pressing, then the parents end up saving another $130 the next school year as the same clothes can still be worn (Benjamin, Angella “School Uniforms Save Parents Time, Money”) without the child fearing any ridicule from his peers . Schools also use the uniforms as a method by which they instill discipline within their students. A school without a dress code leaves the clothes the students wear to school open to interpretation. As such, the school authorities can never tell when to warn a student that he or she has crossed the school policy on clothes decency. It is said that; “ In these cases, students, teachers and administrators might argue over what is and is not appropriate. School uniforms, however, set clear-cut lines. If the student is not wearing approved uniform pieces, he needs to change.” (McCormick, Maggie “How Do Uniforms Save Time for Kids?”). A number of states in the country have actually seen their public high school school systems adopt a school uniform policy because it makes logical sense to do so. While there are parents who agree with the school uniform policy, there are those who took to the courts in order to prevent schools from initiating such “divisive” actions. The result of which has the courts stating that; “... courts have ruled that requiring public school students to wear uniforms violates equal-access provisions of the law and is therefore unconstitutional. Public schools cannot demand that students buy uniforms in order to attend.” (Yarber, Mary “School Uniforms Save Money -- Even Lives”). The lack of uniforms is believed by some parents to cause a distraction within the classroom setting as the students end up admiring or ridiculing one another depending upon the clothes they see, rather than concentrating on the lessons being taught. Which is probably one of the main reasons that schools slyly encourage students to wear school uniforms. Let us remember that as students, the main reason that we send our children to school is so that they will learn about the important things in life. That includes learning to spend wisely and save properly. High school students most of all are in those formative years wherein they tend to spend money like the world is ending when it comes to their clothes, shoes, and other accessories. A high school student who is too worried about how he or she is going to look the next day in class so they spend most of the day before planning tomorrow's outfit is in for a slew of trouble when it comes to learning to prioritize. Note that; Studies and research have proven the benefits of school uniforms. In 1994, the Long Beach, California school system began requiring that students wear uniforms. The system recorded a drop in suspensions, assaults, thefts, vandalism, and weapon and drug violations and an increase in attendance. Numerous other states have adopted similar uniform policies with similar results. (“School Uniform”) School uniforms make it difficult for students to hide contraband and other paraphernelia that may be considered violent weapons. Baggy clothes are the perfect pants wherein a student can hide objects for use later. That said, those who do not support the move to have a uniform system of dress in public high schools do so for reasons that seem highly superficial and self - centered to most people who hear their line of reasoning. There is no scientific study that will prove that wearing regular clothes makes a student smarter or learn better in school. They have just come to enjoy the freedom of movement that comes with wearing regular clothes to school. The clothes only serve to create a divided class of students on campus. The popular kids who enjoy the trendy clothes and those who can't afford to dress as well and become the object of teasing and bullying because of it. The high school years of a student are part of the all too important formative years that allow them to develop into the adults that they will eventually become. As such, when these students are given free rein to wear what they want to school, they take that as an authority to group themselves and act out in a manner that they feel is right for their perceived social standing within the school. Therefore, the lack of uniform causes the development of gangs and the accompanying violence that follows its existence on campus (“School Uniform”). Although the evidence in support of high school students wearing a school uniform is overwhelming, there are still a number of parents and students who believe that not wearing a school uniform has far better benefits than the latter. They base their support of civilian clothes in school mostly upon tradition and beliefs that have existed for generations. These are beliefs and traditions that stem from the United States having had a civilian school dress code ever since the concept of schooling began in the praries. One of the main arguments against the use of school uniforms in high school is that school uniforms stifle the students right to self-expression and artistic freedom to become creative with his clothes. As such, individualism would suffer and prevent the proper development of the person (Yarber, Mary “School Uniforms Save Money -- Even Lives”). Teenagers are at that point in their lives when they are trying to find their niche in society. As they struggle to become adults, they find themselves trying to find ways to get themselves heard by others. The clothes that they wear to school are their is their voice. Their way of making themselves heard. It may seem unorthodox to most but there actually are school principals and parents who support the student's right to self expression through dress. However, it is important that these same students learn that they have a number of formats from where they can express themselves and make themselves heard. Standing out through clothes and spending unnecessarily on clothing and accessories is not the right way to do it. However, once students are made to wear uniforms, their sense of individuality can only be further enhanced. That is because they will now be forced to communicate with others mostly through their personality and attitude. Regardless of the clothes that they are wearing. Then there are the courts that declared that uniforms violate equal access provisions because parents are pressured into buying uniforms for their children rather than allowing the children to wear their already existing clothes. ( Yarber, Mary “School Uniforms Save Money -- Even Lives”). Considering all of the facts pertaining to the uniform debate, it would seem that the court ruling contradicts itself. Civilian clothing does not offer students equal access to provisions because students who come from a moneyed family will end up buying the better and more expensive clothes. Thus making their middle to lower class counterparts feel inferior to them in terms of financial capacity. A school uniform eliminates this situation and makes students attend school on equal footing. In the long run, we have to remember that attending school is not about the uniform or civilian clothes that students wear to class. High school is all about higher studies and enhancing the personality of an individual through self discovery and expression. None of which have any relationship to the clothes that students wear to school. Therefore, it seems silly to debate whether high schools should mandate uniforms for their students or not. This must be said though, students who spend less time in the mall buying clothes have more time to spend hitting the books and getting a real education. Annotated Bibliography Benjamin, Angella. School Uniforms Save Parents Time, Money. Gazette.net. gazette.net. 27 Apr 2006. Web. 4 Nov. 2013. This is an open letter written by the author in response to the school uniform in public high schools debate. She views both sides of the argument and presents the pros and cons of each side while leaving it up to the reader to decide upon what they feel suits their needs best. McCormick, Maggie. How Do Uniforms Save Time for Kids? globalpost. globalpost.com. 2013. Web. 5 Nov. 2013. This article discusses the benefits that are presented to the students who wear school uniforms. The author makes specific mention of how school uniforms build character and help instill discipline into the wearer. N.A. School Uniform. Chicksaw Elementary School. ocps.net. n.d. Web. 3 Nov. 2013. This is a position paper by the parents association of Chicksaw Elementary School that was written in support of school uniforms for their school. It addresses many of the safety and financial concerns that I discussed within the paper. Whelan, Brittany. School Uniforms Save Money, Avoid Problems. studentgazette.net. dailygazette.com. 14 May 2010. Web. 1 Nov. 2013. The author of this article is a student herself. She lends her point of view on the issue in support of school uniforms because of the financial benefits it poses. It is the author's belief that the school uniform will actually present a more level playing field for students to get to know each other in rather than if there were no school uniform system in place. Yarber, Mary. School Uniforms Save Money -- Even Lives. latimes.com. latimes.com. 16 Jul. 2000. Web. 6 Nov. 2013. This article makes specific mention of the court ruling pertaining to the use of school uniforms in public schools. It gives an evenly weighed look at the pros and cons of wearing a school uniform. Works Cited Benjamin, Angella. School Uniforms Save Parents Time, Money. Gazette.net. gazette.net. 27 Apr 2006. Web. 4 Nov. 2013. McCormick, Maggie. How Do Uniforms Save Time for Kids? globalpost. globalpost.com. 2013. Web. 5 Nov. 2013. N.A. School Uniform. Chicksaw Elementary School. ocps.net. n.d. Web. 3 Nov. 2013. Whelan, Brittany. School Uniforms Save Money, Avoid Problems. studentgazette.net. dailygazette.com. 14 May 2010. Web. 1 Nov. 2013. Yarber, Mary. School Uniforms Save Money -- Even Lives. latimes.com. latimes.com. 16 Jul. 2000. Web. 6 Nov. 2013. Read More