“Shall we Uniform our Children?”
There
is a great debate between parents and the school systems that has been ongoing
for generations. This debate is the fact questioning if our children should in
fact have to wear school uniforms. Though this debate has been around for
generations and some schools do require their students to wear such things, it
has yet to sweep across the nation to be something that is in fact enforced in
the school districts. There was a child that grew up in the 90s generation who
had grown up not having to follow a uniform
wardrobe which in turn produced a woman of creativity and a self-thinking
individual in the society. This child who was a straight A student in her early
high school career, but in the later
years when the uniform became a
requirement after moving to another state this all American girl became an ant
in an ant colony of the high school in which she attended . Her grades had slipped; she in fact
had become just another number. How is that a good way to go with our children,
and our future generations; making them blend in with their surroundings and
not allowing them to become the people they are meant to be?
These
are in fact some of the issues that the school districts have to look at when
it comes to the major decision of what to do with our youth and their school
attire. They have to gather the pros and the cons and weight them out and see
if what they think is right is in fact actually what is best for the future
generations at hand. The people for the uniforms in our schools have a strong
back in their corner. Thanks to President Clinton’s speech in 1996 where he
stated “I challenge all our schools to teach character education, to teach good
values and good citizenship. And if it means that teenagers will stop killing
each other over designer jackets, then our public schools should be able to
require their students to wear school uniforms.” This debate has been heated back up and
school districts are looking in to what to do.
Though
some do not agree with the ex-president and statistics show that the cons of
the situation out weigh the pros at this point in the debate. Some cons of
uniform-ing our children where plainly stated by Marian Wilde:
“Opponents contend that school uniforms:
•Violate a student's right to freedom of
expression
•Are simply a Band-Aid on the issue
of school violence
•Make students a target for bullies
from other schools
•Are a financial burden for poor
families
•Are an unfair additional expense
for parents who pay taxes for a free public education
•Are difficult to enforce in public
schools” These are just some of the concerns that the parents have for their
children and our future generations. There were many websites and resources
that repeatedly stated that if there was a national disaster that spotting your
child in the crowed school or identifying them would be almost impossible. As a
mother you cannot help but think about the what-ifs and the fact that you
cannot find your child in a sea of children because they are all dressed alike
would be a nightmare coming to life. The
debate on them is in fact one that many people should research and have
educated opinions on. It was stated on Buzzle.com that “School uniforms are
often unsafe and highly impractical. It is unfair to make School uniforms are often unsafe and highly impractical. It is
unfair to make kindergarten students wear button down shirts and ties, both of
which could be unsafe for them. Besides, uniforms are rarely comfortable in all
seasons. This should be a major focus,
the safety of these children, and the effects the uniform have on them.
Buzzle.com also said that “Uniforms restrict the ability of kids to accommodate
those who do not have same style, taste as them. This can be problematic during
adult life, where you have to work with people with diverse personal tastes and
styles. Implementing uniform policy may not be the answer to resolve the
issues at schools. Instead, students should be made aware of the issues and
encouraged to find the solutions on their own. They should be taught to be
proud of what they are and also respect others who do not share their style. By
Jayashree Pakhare” Another point well made. In the “real world” people are not
made to wear uniforms in all jobs and yet they expect the future generations to
be taught everyone will look the same. These are the differences that the
United States are built on. We are in fact the “melting pot” country because of
the fact we have many cultures and types of people here and the foundations of
this country are to embrace differences and not hid them and cover them up like
the school uniform is intended for.
With all great debates there is
always another side of things. Not that any of these are in fact true and
unbiast but when making a life altering decision they are in fact issues that
need to be uncovered and examined by many people, specialist and communities in
order to make a good educated decision when things like this arise. So of course there are also a lot of
pro’s listed in this debate but with each one there is a simple solution or
answer to these on why the uniform requirement is still not needed in the
districts. A few of these pros where listed on “School Uniform Debate and Poll”
Website. It was stated on this web site that the pros are as follows: “PRO 1:
School uniforms would save parents money.”
The real answer is that it in fact doesn’t save money. Now parents are
required to buy school uniforms and street clothes for weekends and breaks and
even if the clothing is purchased on sale, hand me downs etc. There is now
twice as much laundry to do since the children will now not wear one but two
outfits in a day. The next pro was “School uniforms would save parents time.
Kids in the morning would not have to make up their minds on what to wear.”
Solution: Have children lay out their clothes the night before, that way all
fighting is not done in the morning and time is still saved. One other pro that was listed was “Uniforms
make it easy to identify kids who belong in the school and those that
don't.” Though some may agree with this
point it may in fact be easier to notice who does and doesn’t belong but the
fact is that there are solutions to this fact as well. Some ideas are have the
students and staff members wear something identifiable on them like a “VIP”
card or ID card around their necks while walking on campus.
All of these offers an easy solution
to these so called “pros” can be found if it is what the people and the school
districts truly wanted to do. If they wanted to keep the children in a creative
state and allow them to learn in comfort and understanding there would be ways
to allow them this. Someone would just have to stand up and fight for the
future and our survival in the world. Uniforms should not be allowed in our
schools since the benefits do not out weight the cons and if they have not
after so many years of debating and wasting time and money, now they will not
later in the near future, there are problems in our schools, no doubt about it
but if the people of the school districts and the parents of these children
would find logical solutions and not “Band-Aids” to cover them up, then we
could concentrate on getting the children to graduate and be our future
leaders. The money wasted in the debates and the time that is taken for these
can be used in areas in the schools that will not only better benefit the
children in the generation but will in the long run better benefit this country
and the American people in the future. The student body is probably thinking to
themselves “All they are worried about are our clothes and not about us.” What
kind of message does that send to our future leaders? Is that what we want? To
be worried more about clothes than if we can get graduation statistics back up?
There is too much at risk her to be worried about Guchi and Baby Phat. This is
the future we are talking about and this is our lives. Though some may say that
the two have no relation but is it really that far of a fetch? Some will say no
that they are in fact tied together in the long run and while some want to sit
there and battle out something that doesn’t need to be battled at this point.
Since we do live in America and have the right to be individuals and think on
our own accord, think of this and only this. The choice is ours and ours alone.
Works Cited:
Wilde, Marian. "Do Uniforms Make
Schools Better?" GreatSchools. Web. 29 Feb. 2012.
<http://www.greatschools.org/find-a-school/defining-your-ideal/121-school-uniforms.gs>.
“School Uniform Debate and Poll."
Political Debates and Polls Forum. Web. 29 Feb. 2012.
<http://www.youdebate.com/DEBATES/school_uniforms.HTM>.
Pakhare, Jayashree. "Facts
against School Uniforms." Buzzle.com. Buzzle.com, 12 Dec. 2011.
Web. 29 Feb. 2012. <http://www.buzzle.com/articles/facts-against-school-uniforms.html>.
Clinton, William. "President
Clinton's 1996 State of the Union Address as Delivered." Welcome To The
White House. Web. 29 Feb. 2012.
<http://clinton2.nara.gov/WH/New/other/sotu.html>.
