Sara Jane wears dresses almost every day to school. She says she likes them and they show who she is and her sense of style. According to “Uniforms, Dress Codes, and Choice,” by Arturo Reyes “Those opposed to uniforms and dress codes argue that they infringe on the students’ right to express themselves.” Many kids like Sara Jane can’t express themselves through their clothes, and in some schools their right to do so is not fulfilled. However, people who agree to dress codes and uniforms say it makes the school as a whole look neater. When there are codes limiting to what students can wear they won’t wear anything too indecent.
Conformity in Schools Although many people think schools should be conformed to show who has control, conformity actually just takes away from students individuality as proven by, schools making students dress a certain way, what classes are mandatory, and telling students how to prepare for standardized tests, illustrating that conformity in schools makes students less individualized. Schools making students dress a certain way takes away from their individual expression. Some schools ban kids from wearing any kind of logos/symbols/colors because of gang affiliations. If such rules are so severe, students may take extreme measures to change their look. For example, wearing crazy accessories, hair style, decorating backpacks, etc.
I understand his idea, but the fact is that uniforms did not help the students. One of the critical reasons parents believe that students to wear school uniforms is that uniforms provide safety for students. What they mean is that it will eliminate bullying and violence in schools since students will not judge each other on what they wear. Parents also mention that since all the students wear the same uniform, it is easier to identify people that are not from the school, creating a better safety for the students. Another important reason parents explain is that in a uniform-worn high school, students seem to act more discipline.
School Dress Codes and Uniforms: The Best Dressed Solution Linda Robbins Grantham University “Virtually with no exception, schools have minimum dress codes in place: rules about what cannot be worn at school. Uniforms policies state explicitly what must be worn in schools. And while this is common practice in schools,” (Gereluk, 2007) the controversy is to what extent should students be allowed to show their skin and wear undergarment exposing outfits, or clothing that has offensive graphics and demoralizing pictures. It often comes up that parents are tired of going to battle with their student-children, over the issue of minimal dress of today’s fashions. As a parent of my own two teenagers, being in agreement with their choice of clothing sometimes comes to a battle stand.
Chris Parks, a member of the Neosho R-5 Board of Education said, “From a developmental standpoint, self expression is an integral part of our journey to adulthood. As long as a students dress is not disruptive, students should be given the responsibility of following school policy until they demonstrate a lack of willingness to follow it”. (Neosho Daily News). School uniforms being mandated does not prepare a child for the real world. They will still be judged by first impressions which usually stems from their appearances.
One thing that is certain, however, is that we would not dare wear anything deemed “inappropriate” by our parents or any other adult; at least most of us would not! Today’s society and children are a different breed altogether; they will push boundaries as far as they can and show more skin than we did in our bathing suits, regardless of what authority figures say or think. Dress codes are important in a public school to keep things at an even balance. Students can focus more on who they are than what they are wearing, improving their self-esteem. “School officials have a responsibility to provide a safe, secure, and productive learning environment.
Even besides the fact of students finding other ways to express themselves with their physical experience, students may even feel they have to act out just to stand out from others. Self expression is important for development, and forcing students to wear uniforms is teach them to conform to standards they do not agree with. Children are our future actresses, writers, etcetera. We do not want to teach them to conform and be like everyone else and hold their creativity inside. The issue of expenses also brings up a major disadvantage of the implementation school uniforms.
Like my professor says “ A mind is a terrible thing to waste.” I agree that dress codes will not make public schools perfect, but i can guarantee that it will make a big difference. Dress codes will keep the students more focused on the studies rather than worrying about what other students were saying about clothing. It will definitely decrease gang fights, which are taking place because of the different colored
High schools should adopt dress codes for students because it would make student’s focus more on assignments which will improve the learning environment in school, also having a dress code would make it easier to distinguish students from other school’s students, having a dress code would also mean less bullying since people wouldn’t get judged based on what they are wearing. High schools should adopt dress codes for students because it would make student’s focus more on assignments which would improve the learning environment in school. Students instead of focusing on assignments could be talking about where they bought them and how great the place they bought their clothes at is. If the schools had a dress code everyone would be wearing the same clothes or at least very similar looking clothes which would discourage students to not talk about their clothes when they are supposed to be doing work. That is why high schools should adopt a dress code for students.
Uniforms will create equality and help with discipline, which will help to reduce dangerous altercations. Students who have worn uniforms to school can attest that society, parents and students can benefit tremendously from students wearing uniforms. Evidence has shown that not wearing uniform can have psychological impact on students, who are less fortunate, yet compelled to keep up with their more affluent peers. In addition, schools are designed to be an institution of learning, not a dwelling for fashion expressions. It therefore should be mandatory for students to wear uniforms in high schools, which will foster a safer environment for students, schools and society as a whole.