The Significance of School Uniforms - Research Paper Example

Introduction The debate on the importance of school uniforms has been going on for a long time especially in the US, where it is a highly contentious issue. Due to this, it has become extremely difficult to come up with a national policy to compel students to wear school uniforms. Instead, individual schools have been left to decide on whether to adopt such a policy or not and that may be the reason why some have accepted it while others continue to allow their students to wear civilian clothing (Field 11). This paper will examine the advantages and disadvantages of school uniforms. Pros and Cons of School Uniforms School uniforms are important as they enhance a sense of equality among students (Brunsma 22). The American society, as with any other society in the world, is characterized by inequalities especially in social and economic dimensions. In this context, there are those who are rich and there are also those who cannot even afford a decent meal let alone decent clothing. This disparity cannot be allowed to interfere with children’s interaction habits and therefore something must be done to make them feel comfortable with each other whenever they are within a school environment. It may be true to say that children from rich families can afford to wear highly expensive clothing whereas those from poor families may have only a few pairs of cheap clothing items. This may cause psychological problems for the poor students as it makes them feel inferior and this has the potential of lowering their grades. This is more so because the rich students may end up forming social groups that look down upon the poor students, who may be compelled to follow suit by forming their own social groups. Such divisiveness has a negative impact on team work, which is essential in the betterment of academic grades (Field 30). The fact that a student is poor does not mean that he or she is intellectually poor and therefore, unity must be promoted so as to encourage sharing of ideas and one way to do so is by promoting equality through wearing of uniforms. School uniforms are not only beneficial to students but also to the parents. Civilian clothing items are subject to constant fashion changes and variations. In this society, which is struggling with numerous economic challenges such as scarcity of jobs and high cost of living, parents can afford to embrace any measure that can reduce pressure on their limited income. One of such measures is to make it mandatory for students to wear school uniforms as they are not subject to fashion changes. In this context, parents will not have to dig deeper into their pockets to buy their children new clothes so that they can compete with their fellow schoolmates on the ground of who is wearing what and whether it is outdated or not. Furthermore, schools are not venues for fashion and beauty contests. They are institutions of learning and therefore, any distraction from the main goal, academic excellence, should be eliminated at the earliest time possible. This way, students will concentrate in classes unlike when they would have to keep on admiring other people’s clothes while teaching is in progress (Hamilton 46). Discipline is an important virtue, which must be upheld in all academic institutions. To achieve this, everything possible must be done in order to facilitate and make it easier for the stakeholders in the education sector to monitor the behavior of students while in and out of school. As it may be noted, students wearing civilian clothes are difficult to identify and differentiate from other citizens and this may facilitate them with the liberty of sneaking in and out of school without necessarily being noticed (Field 49). It may come as a surprise to the parents that it is possible for their children to leave home for school but end up on the streets where they get involved in criminal activities such as drug trafficking and abuse as well as other practices such as mugging unsuspecting residents, only to come home in the evening without raising suspicion. School uniforms, therefore, are vital in promoting class attendance as those who may decide otherwise would be easy to note. Furthermore, proponents in this debate argue that school uniforms promote a sense of belonging among the students, which makes them proud of their schools such that they would not want to ruin the reputation of their respective schools by conducting themselves in a negative manner while in public (Field 54). School uniforms are accompanied by a set of rules and standards, which must be followed to the letter. For example, a female student cannot come to school wearing a skirt or a blouse that scantly covers her body and which may distract the attention of the male population within her surrounding. Similarly, male students are compelled to wear standard fitting clothes thereby eliminating cases such as sagging of trousers and oversize blazers, which might be used to conceal small weapons and other items such as drugs (Hamilton 78). In addition, uniforms eliminate the chances of students coming to school wearing items of clothing such as bandanas, T-shirts among others, which depict gang behavior and membership. Gang violence in US schools is not a new phenomenon and allowing students to decide on what to wear does not help much towards solving this problem. Students donned in gang colors will definitely attract the attention of rival gangs whether in school or on their way home. This is life threatening and every parent must support any initiative, such as wearing uniforms, meant to bring order and sanity in schools and the society in general (Brunsma 62). However, it is notable and widely acceptable that compelling students to wear uniforms is an intrusion into their freedom of choice (Hempelman 19). Every person irrespective of his or her age, gender or occupation deserves the right to make important decisions that impact on their lives. It is therefore justifiable to have people who are opposed to attempts by the government and other interested parties to impose uniforms on students. The US is a democratic nation in which people are free to make their own choices and students should not be exempted from this principle. Uniforms may be important in promoting equality among students but on the other hand, they deny them the opportunity to develop and express their individuality (Hempelman 28). Young people should be allowed to choose what to wear as this helps them to have a competitive advantage when they get out of school and into the society, which is full of diversity. In addition, they are considered expensive due to the fact that they cannot be worn in surroundings other than the school and this force parents to buy and maintain two wardrobes; the uniform and civilian clothing thus adding to their expenses (Field 80). In their absence, a child can utilize his or her civilian clothing both in and out of school. Conclusion School uniforms are advantageous as they help students to blend in regardless of their social or economic status thus enhancing teamwork. They also reduce the cost of tackling economic challenges that arise due to changes in fashion. Uniforms also promote discipline and a sense of belonging among students. In addition, they assist greatly towards maintaining the safety of students by keeping gang identities and concealed weapons out of schools. However, they impact negatively on the student’s ability to develop self identity in addition to the fact that they are an infringement on the student’s freedom of choice. Despite this, the perceived advantages outweigh the disadvantages of school uniforms and therefore, all schools should compel their students to wear uniforms. Works Cited Brunsma, David. Uniforms in Public Schools: A Decade of Research and Debate. R&L Education, 2005. Print Field, Sherry. Mandatory school uniforms: a debate for students. National Council for the Social Studies, 2005. Print Hamilton, Jill. Dress Codes in Schools. Greenhaven, 2008. Print Hempelman, Cathleen. Teen Legal Rights. Greenwood Press, 2000. Print Read More