Uniforms in Schools

United States
February 24, 2010 10:14pm CST
Just recently my friend and I are having heated debates about whether the children should wear uniforms to school. She believes that they get to show their individuality and fashion sense, it also helps them to confidently go about their day when they feel good about how they look. However I think uniforms are much better. I believe children must allow mutual respect for each other make them friends because they no longer have competition. Young girls are not walking around with belly buttons showing and low riding jeans. Fights are down to a minimum because a lot of time the fight is who is dressed the best. What do you think about this topic.
4 people like this
14 responses
• India
25 Feb 10
I go wiht you school children should have uniforms since it identifies them as school going children, in times of accidents, natural calamaties it really helps. Also as you have said in this fashion run world where we even have child parlours children want to put on a feel good , look good factor. The uniforms keep them stabilized and so also helps the organization runing the school maintain a standard and run the school.
1 person likes this
• United States
25 Feb 10
I agree absolutely it is true. I think the less competition they have in how they look the more they will be able to compete academically because their focus will not be on the clothes they have on but the books that they are studying.
1 person likes this
• United States
2 Mar 10
I am against school uniforms. I understand some of the arguments for them, but still believe that they are unnecessary. I was poor growing up and never had brand name clothes. It never really affected me. Different size and shape people look best in different types of clothing. Trying to stuff everyone into the same clothes will emphasize body size/shape differences. I know someone who had to wear uniforms to her high school. She told me since people couldn't compare status based on clothes they did it based on accessories instead. Who has the nicest, most expensive jewelry? Who has the money to get professional coloring and highlights? Maybe we should work on raising our children better so they don't mind people picking on them for their clothes and so they don't pick on others for their differences.
• United States
7 Mar 10
What exactly does raising your children better have to do with what they wear to school. I understand you and your friend may have had this situation but realistically most people dont have this situation. I have met many, many, many young girls who say that people pick on them for what they wear and one who was bullied so bad that she ended up in the hospital. In your time it may have been different but now kids get beat up after school for not wearing cool clothing and you think that parents should teach their children not to mind if others are beating them up about thier clothes too. I raise my children right and they dont care what others think of them, however, when my 11 year old daughter got hit in the mouth for not having shoes called Timberlands I was not amused and you know what we are not poor at all and she can afford the more stylish clothes, but even she was not good enough. Now on to other things, in some schools that allow children to wear their own clothing, you find kids having to be subjected to morning searches, some even have metal detectors in their schools and I suppose parents should teach their children not to care about that to. As a parent I have to admit I am tired of people saying parents should raise their children better so they dont mind others when children are being raised right but are still having people do things to them that leave permanent psychological damage to my cared for child. Parents of the past should have taught their children not to look at everything like its the parents fault.
@DeenaD (2684)
• United States
25 Feb 10
My children don't have to wear uniforms to school, but they do have a strict dress code, so they can't wear anything inappropriate. Personally, I prefer it like that. I really don't like the idea of uniforms, and as a parent, I think it would be more of a hassle if I had to buy uniforms in addition to their regular clothes.
• United States
1 Mar 10
I have been a mother of 6 teenage girls, and I know some of the friends, while my children have yet to do this but another friend called me to say she just came back from the school. I said yeah, then she said I went there because they called and said my daughters clothes were inappropriate, I said yeah listening intently. She said she went to pick her up confused because she doesnt purchase inappropriate clothing for her child. When she got there she was mortified to see her daughter in a half of a shirt, a miniskirt and thigh high boots, she looked to her own parent like a hooker. These clothes were not on the child before she left for school, but were gifts from her friends, so how could her parent change that from home? If as I said she wore a uniform that would never have even been a factor because she would have to wear her uniform to school.
@Niltusk (131)
• United States
26 Feb 10
Good call DeenaD. I agree children should dress appropriately, I think the parents should enforce this prior to the student leaving for school. Uniforms are an easy answer, but I don't think social sterlilization of any sort is a good substitute for dealing with troublesome situations. Its too bad, but as a society, we are moving towards the easy way out on everyhting, even with our children, how sad. :-(
@peavey (16936)
• United States
25 Feb 10
I never used to be an advocate for school uniforms because I think kids need to be able to express themselves within reason... but since schools no longer are willing (or able?) to enforce dress codes, uniforms don't seem so bad. I just hate the mentality of "one size (or color) fits all" because it squelches creativity and I think the clothes you wear mean a lot more than is at first evident.
• United States
1 Mar 10
This is true but what you wear also destroys who you are both mentally and physically. You see these pretty young girls in those short dresses, and the boys think she is fast so he spends all his time trying to get her in the bedroom, then along comes a baby that neither of them is ready to support. School uniforms to me make the boy less attracted to the girl physically because she is just like everyone else, so to become attracted he will need to get to know her mentally, which will cause him to show her respect and love.
@peavey (16936)
• United States
1 Mar 10
That's why I mentioned dress codes. There don't seem to be any, anywhere. But the manner of dress is a symptom of a society gone wrong. Kids are lost, confused, don't know how they're supposed to act. I don't think a dress code will help that.
@youless (112421)
• Guangzhou, China
26 Feb 10
I don't like school uniforms. Most of them won't look good. And students look the same and it seems they don't have their own personality. Perhaps it may lead to another negative result, that is they will buy expensive clothes to compare to each other. But I think learning how to dress up is also important. If you know how to match, even you will look unique with an ordinary clothes. I love China
• United States
2 Mar 10
Yeah but with the fashion world designing them, uniforms are more fashion forward without being fashion dramatic.
@yresh12 (3212)
• Philippines
25 Feb 10
I think that students should wear uniform. They are also privileged to express there feelings through individuality. You could come up with a compromise, they can also wear what they like as long as it goes with the guidelines of the school. Having NO UNIFORM, for once a week is not bad.
• United States
25 Feb 10
Good Idea, that would give them a chance to express themselves once a week and still maintain that uniform throughout the week.
@yresh12 (3212)
• Philippines
28 Feb 10
No problem. Individuality matters for teens and I think this is a good way to see thing through...
@ronaldinu (12422)
• Malta
25 Feb 10
I agree wholeheartedly with you. Uniforms eliminates class-ism. Children coming from poor or low income families would not feel low because they don't have nice clothes as their rich school mates. Besides that uniforms serve a practical function. For the school administration you can distinguish who are your real students or not. Imagine if intruders just walk in your school, how are you going to identify them?
• United States
25 Feb 10
I agree on your issue there to, like the kids who came into the school with shotguns under long coats, this would not have happened in a school where everyone was wearing a uniform. It would have saved lives.
@cher913 (25782)
• Canada
25 Feb 10
the reason that i think uniforms are a good thing at certain schools (especially high schools) is because of the safety factor. if the students of a school all have the same type clothing on, then a stranger can be spotted easily. this is a good thing in schools that may be situated in troubled areas of a city.
@jesssp (2712)
• Canada
25 Feb 10
Honestly, thinking back now to my school days, I think I would have welcomed uniforms (I say that now, back then I probably would have felt much differently). Growing up in a family that doesn't have a lot of money to spend on the most trendy or in style clothes can be a little rough for a kid's self esteem, I think a lot of teens and preteens have to deal with that. I think uniforms would put everyone on a more level playing field. Personalities would be able to shine a little more and perhaps kids wouldn't be judged on their appearance by their peers quite so much. I also think it would just be a lot easier for kids AND their parents. If someone came to me tomorrow and said they were implementing uniforms at work I think I would do a little happy dance!
• United States
1 Mar 10
Absolutely...
@anurag3786 (6267)
• India
25 Feb 10
I think college uniform is best in colleges.. because of all students are in same uniforms if colleges.. then it will be good effects on colleges.. have a nice day and keep mylotting always..
@Cutie18f (9551)
• Philippines
26 Feb 10
I am all for the wearing of school uniform as it teachers kids a lot of values like neatness, cleanliness, as well as obedience. Aside from the fact that the uniform serves as a sort of identification so they will easily be identified anywhere they go, the uniform also is a great leveler. Rich or poor, you get to wear the same uniform. Parents do not have to worry about buying clothes for the whole year so your kid does not get to wear the same outfit a lot of times in a week. With the uniform, a student can get buy with two sets for the whole. That's a lot of savings. It is also neat to look at students who are in uniform and we don't encourage sloppiness in dressing or wearing clothes that call too much attention.
• United States
26 Feb 10
First all kids need to be involved in competition of some kind, you have to compete for jobs later in life, so learning to lose is a very important lesson. There are to many kids today that believe they deserve what ever they want, no one deserves anything, if you want a great job you compete for it, if you want a big promotion you compete for it.
• Philippines
25 Feb 10
Personally i prefer children to wear school uniform so that they can easily be identified as students of that certain school. I definitely agree with you that it also helps prevent fashion wars from arising in school. We don't want our children to be bullied just because other kids have more fashionable clothes.
• United States
25 Feb 10
Absolutely!!!
• New Zealand
25 Feb 10
I enjoy wearing my uniform because I'm not different from anyone else... People are so cruel today , that if u look different in a "bad way" they'll tear u to pieces.
• United States
26 Feb 10
A much needed comment, we need this answer thank you