School Uniforms Are Not A Good Idea Essay

As the years pass, many students have been bullied, a bully, or they just hate school and this was affecting their lives academically. School boards tried to find a way to improve the way students feel about themselves and about school, and they came up with the idea of school uniforms. School uniforms have been associated with just the Catholic school, but are now showing up in public schools across the country. According to the National Center for Education Statistics: Indicators of School Crime and Safety, 2011, twenty-one states require students to wear uniforms in the public school system (Pros and Cons of School Uniforms Statistics). This has seemed to work tremendously in the school system. In education, school uniforms assist with student success, academically, socially, and personally.

School uniforms do nothing to prevent bullying. Linne Hoofnagle’s article goes on to say that, “If we convince ourselves that placing limits on clothing choices will eliminate school bullying, we are kidding ourselves” (Hoofnagle). The idea that all the harassment that takes place in school is centered around student’s wardrobes is preposterous. If you make students all dress alike the center of the bullying may move to if they have money, the presence or absence of glasses, condition of their skin, height, and weight. School faculty and administration are just looking at the superficial causes of bullying and not looking at the root of the problem. As a result, they are not only punishing the bully by

While in a perfect world many educators say that school uniforms are an asset but I have to say school uniforms are detrimental to the students. School uniforms are a financial hardship on low-income families, make students a target for bullying, infringe on a students’ freedom of expression rights and they teach students a negative lesson about conformity.

Right now 16.5% of schools in the United States have school uniforms another 54% enforce strict dress codes. 30% of the schools in the world have school uniforms. In these schools there are high crime rates and mass amounts of bullying. Once the school uniforms were put into their system crime decreased and so did bullying. Yes uniforms do not solve all the problems but they can help.

Furthermore, school uniforms have the potential to make schools a whole lot safer. Think of it like this – if you were to see a student walk in wearing an ugly polo shirt and sweat pants, (s)he would probably be picked on just because of what (s)he is wearing. We as humans naturally judge on what we see first, and it’s usually their face / clothing. If school uniforms were implemented in many places, then it would eradicate school violence and students wouldn’t be indignant with each other based on what they wear. Also, since everyone on school grounds is wearing their uniform, it would be easy to pinpoint unwanted visitors and be one step ahead. Not to mention it would help kids with less money evade the bullying and teasing that they would usually receive, which brings me to my next point.

Having school uniforms greatly decrease one’s way to get bullied. “Perhaps most importantly, a uniform means students don't have to worry about peer pressure when it comes to their clothes. When everyone is dressed the same, worrying about what you look like isn't so important. There is no competition about being dressed in the latest trend, which would put a great deal of financial pressure on students and parents. Potential bullies have one less target for their insults; it's hard to make fun of what someone is wearing when you're dressed exactly the same...” (Should Students Have to Wear School Uniforms?). With the same as gang violence, having uniforms does not get rid of bullying altogether. With my experiences in both non-uniform and uniform enforced schools, I saw far less bullying in schools with uniforms. Most of the bullying incidents I have seen are focused on the kid’s appearance due to clothing. Having the uniforms can help students look at each other in a more equal

etting bullied, losing identities, and getting poor grades, are all the things school uniforms could cause. Some schools demand that students have to wear uniforms. The students don’t like to wear them. That is why we have to make a stand today! If there were school uniforms everywhere students would not be able to express their self, it would not change any academics, and they could attract an unpleasant name to the school.

Along with easy purchase, uniforms also help cut down bullying. Implementing uniforms gives kids a better sense of school pride, in which they care more about the school and each other. For example when Long Beach introduced uniforms in 1995 they received data that showed the in school fights decreased by 38%, suspension rates dropped by 90% and furthermore the overall crime rates dropped by 91%. School uniforms would work in the same way an athletic team uniform would; it would give them a sense of pride and belonging. Like athletic teams, when a team member or student would wear their jersey, or in this case uniform, they would cloak themselves in their school color they would feel obligated to make sure they represent the best for their school to show that they care and they are going to prove how exceptional their school is. A uniform can improve the overall school and also move beyond the school halls and out to the community. Most bullies make fun of a kid by how he or she looks, so by schools implementing uniforms they “level the playing fields”

Students are already dealing with being self-conscious and the lack of confidence, they do not need more problems with wearing a school uniform that causes more problems around their body. School uniforms lead to feeling insecure and low self-esteem because uniforms are not flattering to all body types. Therefore, school uniforms interfere with students’ self-esteem, which is an essential in the future when they are going to face life-altering choices.

School uniforms and dress codes are becoming a popular trend among schools. Most Students and some parents don’t agree with the enforcement with school uniforms, saying that uniforms are taking away self-expression in schools. But, school uniforms are not a negative thing to have. Yes, uniforms and some very strict dress codes limit what the students have to choose to wear to school every day, but it doesn’t limit them from learning which is the main reason they are in school. Some students treat school as a fashion show, so eliminating the size of wardrobe shifts the attention toward their school work. Although requiring students to wear school uniforms may violate their self-expression in some ways, a uniform is supposed to be looked

It is a belief that school uniforms teach students to respect their learning environment and behave themselves, and, therefore improving discipline. However, that assumption isn’t entirely correct. Researchers have actually found that school uniforms don’t make students better behaved. According to a study of more than 4,500 students, those who wore a school uniform did not have fewer behavior problems or better attendance. Forcing students to wear uniforms lead to more problems and misbehavior instead of encouraging discipline. Students could get into trouble if they did not wear their uniforms correctly. Many kids in today’s society cannot stand the thought of someone telling them what to do, especially what to wear. Instead of encouraging respect, uniforms may cause rebellions. For example, in 2009, a group of students at John A. Ferguson Senior High School rebelled against their school uniforms. Instead of following their school uniform requirements, the students wore what they thought would be a better school uniform to school. Not only uniforms don’t earn schools the respect from its students, but it may also lead to more problems.

Wearing uniform can add problems into a student’s life. Students would be more often picked on and bullied. A study conducted by experts from Texas Southern University showed that bullying incidents increased by as much as 12%, after the implementation of mandatory uniform wearing. Bullying mostly occurs because of what you wear, but now bullies find out other ways to show that they are better. Schools would think that if they implement uniforms, bullying would stop, but instead, it doesn’t stop, and it increases bullying. Uniforms could make the student have negative thoughts about themselves. Professor Dave Anderson stated “Students have different weights, body types, and heights. Whenever one looks at himself in the mirror, he depreciates his self-image because he feels like he doesn’t look his best” If the student doesn’t like their appearance, their attitude could reflect off it, for example if they are overweight, they might not like their appearance, so then, that causes them to think negatively about themselves, which wouldn’t be good for their health. These problems could disrupt the students learning process, and it could also have negative impacts on the student.

The next advantage of public school uniforms can be identified as the reduction of bullying behaviors. Everyone benefits by adopting the uniform policy. It helps students to unite and share a same goal – learning. Also, by adopting the

The first major reason for not wearing school uniforms is, it forces a student to conceal his or her individuality. To many people, it appears that the school system is trying to strip away this individuality on purpose, but now is the time that the school should be embracing it and helping the student become the person they are meant to become. “According to opponents of uniforms, even preschoolers should have input into their wardrobe, and the need to encourage personality, confidence, and independence grows more important as the student becomes older” (Chen). Because of this lack of self-expression, students feel their first amendment is being violated and most people would agree, which causes the school to look bad. Another way of looking at it is they are forcing students to become on mold, or one certain way of being. However, the problem with making them one is, no matter how they look they will still have their own individual personality traits that will come out in the end. If forced to wear the uniforms, many students would express these traits by adding things to their uniform such as brightly colored gems for girls and different

Non-uniform clothing can make students aware of ones’ social and economic status. This leads to bullying which can include mental and physical harm. In the article What’s the point of school uniform by Chloe Spencer, it states that nearly 160,000 students miss school every day due to the fear that they will be attacked or be intimidated by other students. This can be prevented solely by enforcing uniforms in all schools. Not only will uniforms prevent bullying but will stop the stress of social statuses for