Pros and Cons of School Uniforms

There are many controversies and questions on whether students should have school uniforms. A School uniform is a dress code given by mostly private schools to help discipline the students and help them focus on their studies rather than whether they have the newest clothing. There are many pros and cons to having a school uniform. As most students say, it restricts their freedom of expression; but also improves classroom discipline. Uniforms can have a negative effect because they restrict the students’ self-expression; however, uniforms also could cause a positive effect because they help the students mature faster at a younger age. The first ever recorded use of a school uniform was in England in 1222. The United States later discovered the idea of school uniforms in the 1800s, “using them strictly for children who were removed from their families putting them in a military-type uniform”(Reyhner). Uniforms in the modern days are not just used to those who were being fostered, nor are they military-type uniforms; consequently, they’re now altered to fit according to when the seasons change.

Modern uniforms can bring chaos into the classroom, restrict a students’ ability to express themselves, create segregation, and much more. Due to the strict rules, most modern students hated school; they feel terrible about themselves and seemed to struggle with finding their identity. Uniforms caused much rebellion simply because they wanted to show how unhappy they were. In a school in Japan, “you don’t get to decide whether to wear the summer uniform or winter one just by if you’re cold or not...If you just changed in the winter uniform and it gets really hot in October for some reason, too bad”(Covington) Most schools around the world make it to where kids dread going to school. If they don’t have the exact polo, pants, or jackets, they get punished; however, the student isn’t always faulty. Although uniforms may have their negatives, they also have asset craze of positives. It is proven for uniforms to cost less than a normal back to school shopping spree would. “For juniors shirts, jeans, and shorts it’s an average fifty-eight dollar. Girls can range from thirty to fifty dollars, and boys range from forty to fifty dollars just for an outfit. While for an average back to school outfit is around seventy to one hundred dollars”(Academy).

School uniforms are much cheaper than an average outfit, as well as some schools pay for the uniforms so they’re free to you. School uniforms also help kids with their self-esteem and confidence. “Even the kids who initially don’t like the idea say they feel they’re being treated with more respect”(Russo). Because of their admiration of the attention due to school uniforms, students enjoy school. “...in Ohio’s eighth largest school districts, the found that school uniform policies improve rates of attendance, graduation, and suspension”(Draa). They not only make you feel more confident and comfortable, but you’re also helping yourself out by going to class more and paying attention. According to Jose Aristizabal, a high school student in Armenia, Colombia, his uniforms are comfortable “The uniforms do not cause rebellion, nor do they restrict self-expression. They’re just a rule you have to follow in the handbook and they feel like your regular weekend clothes”(Aristizabal) Yes, some kids may compare their clothes to others; but, it shouldn’t distract you from looking at the board and listening to the teacher. “As for bullying, that’s everywhere you go.

It don’t change just because you have on the same clothes as them”(Aristizabal). Jose has gone to GI School in Armenia, Columbia for the majority of his life; therefore, he practically grew up in a uniform. In conclusion, there are many advantages and disadvantages to wearing school uniforms in public schools. Although there are many advantages, there are more disadvantages. Uniforms don’t look the same on everybody because we all have different body types. School faculty is also strict on the uniform policy. Students should not have to worry about wearing the correct uniform when they should be worried about their school work. Yes, uniforms have been improved but they still are useless when it comes to helping kids learn. The uniforms do nothing for the kids, they keep you too worried about whether or not “Twenty years ago, school uniforms made us look and feel like we were in prison.”(Arbuckle).

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