Uniformity in the Schoolyard - Comments

Living in Puerto Rico made me used to use uniforms in my school years. My children are going through the same thing currently. It has its pros and its cons. I personally like the idea of having schools use uniform for a mother stand of point. It's cheaper to own a pair of uniforms in which you pay for at some point instead of buying different types of outfits for a daily visit to the education center.
Because I went to school where a country established uniforms I didn't have problems that many of the current ladies might have. I didn't really care about it although it would have been good to at least something nice to look at instead of the standard "school girl" outfit.

I agree with everybody dies. I took years of abuse firstly for not modifying my uniform the way other people thought I should and then for being a 'goth'.
Like most people here I got much more of a break when I went to college (an alternative to 6th form here). I believe it's because education after the age of 16 is optional in the UK, and since everyone has chosen to be there they have a lot less time to dedicate to giving other people shit.
It doesn't do much for school spirit in the UK either because we tend to mistrust public displays of enthusiasm.

In our country even in public schools your all required to wear a uniform. starting from Kindergarten til college. It's pretty fun to wear them because you'll easily know to what school you are from

If I'm correct, in America at least, I'm pretty sure public schools can't force uniforms on students, so I don't know how schools get away with it. At least, that's what I've been told.

They tried to make my public school wear uniforms in elementary school, maybe fourth grade or so. Didn't even last a year.

I don't think uniforms help solve anything at all. While I understand students are bullied for their clothing constantly, the bullying won't stop just because everyone wears the same dang thing. I don't think uniforms make students act any better, and I feel that piece about making students have more "school spirit" is bullcrap. I don't see how it helps academics either. Then again, I think that all depends on the specific place you're speaking of. I know here, in my town, that won't fly. At all. None of it. Won't help "school spirit", academics, behavior, it just won't. And I don't go to a bad school or anything, but people here like their freedom to dress as they wish, because they've earned that right. I feel that with any student, really.

Thank God I don't have to wear a uniform. I don't know what I would do if I couldn't wear my colored skinny jeans to school every day

I am so pro-uniforms that it's almost unbelievable. I actually wrote a paper about it with which my professor commented she wholeheartedly agreed.

for private schools only seriously.

The high school I go to tried to use uniforms once. They had to stop the use of them after 2 months, because bullying, lack of focus, and general complaints went WAY up. When we wore our own clothes, no one really cared who was wearing what, or if we had the latest fashions (seriously, not even the "popular" crowd cared what they were wearing, let alone the less popular kids).
The bullying went up after the uniforms came into play because "Oh my god, she didn't cut her skirt shorter!" or "Haha, that loser is tucking in his shirt!"
We were always too focused on complaining on the uniforms than the teacher (granted, we didn't really pay attention before, but not because of clothing), or the guys making Catholic Schoolgirl comments to the girls. I find it completely absurd when people claim uniforms help teachers keep their students' attention.
I get how some people who've commented before me tolerate the uniforms, since they grew up wearing them (for the most part), but to try to push them on a public school, especially a high school, in an area where the only uniforms used are in private schools?

Thank You all for the critics they mean a lot, and I always aim to improve my writing. This was an article that I had to write in about five minutes for my journalism class and the teacher didn't even collect them like she said she would so I decided to post it so that way someone would get the chance to see them. I really appreciate that you read the article itself and that it was published at all, it was my first ever Opinion article. So thank you all!

Like the first comment said, all you listed were the pros of this article. It sounds very persuasive, so the title should be "The Benefits of Schoolyard Uniformity" or whatever you want to call it. It was written very well - I'm impressed. But not listing the cons is, well, a con of the article.

As for my opinion of uniforms, I think that there are two valid points for each side of the story. With uniforms, there isn't as much hassle for the right styles. But, for me, I would prefer no uniforms. You can show your identity, like the other users stated. Also, uniforms have cons, too. Like another user said, there's criticism if you don't wear a belt or tuck your shirt in, or if your clothes are wrinkly or aren't the expensive brands.

Speaking as someone who had to wear a uniform the whole way through school, I think it's a bad idea. Sure, kids can always find their own ways to get their own style into things, but it doesn't help in the slightest. Our school had a very strict uniform code when I was there (All 6th years had to wear blazers, and as far as I am aware, now every pupil has to wear one), and not only was it really uncomfortable (we weren't allowed to wear jackets over our blazers. And Scotland is really freezing in the winter), it was also exceptionally expensive. Thankfully, I got my blazer from the school as a way of being cheap, and my sister inherited my blazer, but my mother had to fork out £110 to get my brother a new blazer. Keep in note that I went to a public school.

Aside from that, it doesn't quash individuality at all. I still managed to get bullied for six years for being 'goth'. Having a uniform doesn't change that in the slightest. You don't lose your identity being put in a uniform, and it doesn't take the bullying out of the kids who can't afford pricier brands. All of my shirts were bought from Asda (a fair cop-out, I am the messiest bugger out), but I had friends who were wearing things from high-street fashion brands.

I will be the first to admit that our year looked smart as hell in our uniforms, but anyone can take a look at the marks in our year and say that wearing a smarter, fancier uniform doesn't change them. The same kids were the ones getting A's and B's. If the rationale is that it makes kids focus more, it really doesn't. I think I focus more in my university classes (where I am allowed to wear whatever the hell pleases me that morning) than I ever did at school.

I don't really like the thought of having to wear a uniform. I go to a traditional school and at one point they debated whether we should or shouldn't have to wear uniforms thankfully we didn't have to. I see it this way having to wear uniforms is like taking away your right to express yourself sure it may get you focused in class but at what cost? We're young let us live and explore different things! If you take away our freedom to express ourselves through what we wear won't that just take away one the joys of being young? But anyway that's just my opinion

Oops, sorry I sent the same comment twice, my internet is not the best ^^'

I wish my school had a uniform. I agree that, with uniforms, nobody's going to judge you based on your clothes, not only your clothing style itself, but also if your clothes look expensive or not. Some people say that uniforms take away your personality, but I disagree. You're still the same, your clothes do not define you. What makes us different from each other goes way beyond a pair of jeans and I think that is something kids should know from a young age. Being yourself is not about what you wear!

I wish my school had a uniform. I agree that, with uniforms, nobody's going to judge you based on your clothes, not only your clothing style itself, but also if your clothes look expensive or not. Some people say that uniforms take away your personality, but I disagree. You're still the same, your clothes do not define you. What makes us different from each other goes way beyond a pair of jeans and I think that is something kids should know from a young age. Being yourself is not about what you wear!

In ROI schools have uniforms as well. However, in my school the principal is beyond stupid. We are to wear the heavy wool jumper, blue shirt, tie, and our heavy ankle-length skirts full time - no exceptions. It is stuffy, and uncomfortable and in the summer is almost unbareable. It does make the idea of Colours Day, where you can wear your own clothes, much more exciting and it can help reign people in. It also helps because we are not mistaking teachers for tall students.

It's okay, really, although girls tend to make more of an effort with hair/make-up/piercings/personality/brains, which kind of singles the girls who don't, out.

Also, I think that despite us nearly dying of heat stroke (Which might be because we weren't allowed to drink water in or between classes), it's stupid to have two uniforms. It adds up to the cost and is stupid. If we can get by by gritting our teeth and either rolling up our sleeves as high as they can go, or for girls, tights in the winter months. I'm not sure. I despise the uniform but I've had to wear uniforms for over a decade now so I can't see myself getting rid of them.

In Britain all schools have uniform, I'd agree that it does make us less rowdy because the fact that the staff are the only ones dressed differently makes them seem more authoritarian and so you're more likely to respect them. When you reach Sixth Form (i think in America that's your Junior and Senior year of High School) you can wear what you want, which makes you feel more responsible and adult compared to all the little kids who have to dress the same, like prisoners in a detention facility.

With regard to individuality, you just have to put more effort into your hair, piercings, make-up for girls and the degree to which you follow the uniform. Personally I found the uniform the girls at our school had to wear really Sexy and for boys wearing a blazer tends to make you look broader than a T-shirt does. Just my opinion though.

Uniforms suck. I go to a very strict catholic school and its the same. If you don't wear your uniform in the right way, you're either attacked by teachers or the popular kids. Uniforms don't flatter everyone, they're very restricting, they're expensive, and 99.99% of the time, they're ugly.

austinatbest:

If kids can't decide who they are it's just really going to suck, for lack of a better term.

I must say I disagree with this. Ones personal identity should not come from the way they dress. If what you're saying is that it's about identifying different societal roles/stereotypes, I feel you are still able to do that in uniform. There are others way of expressing yourself. Walking into the quad at school, I can immediately recognise the different cliques and groups because I have become sensitive to picking them out of the crowd. I'm pretty in tune with that by now.

Also, How you dress defines who you are. I disagree with this, too. If it were true, you'd have the entire British, Australian and African population walking around like a flock of sheep, unable to think for themselves.

I know who I am and I wear a uniform 5 days a week. It doesn't 'suck'.

All schools in South Africa have to wear uniforms. I genuinely feel that, not only does it encourage uniformity, but the children are also less raucous and don't misbehave as much. When we do wear normal clothes for Civvies day to raise money for charities, there is a lot of disruption during the school day and not a lot ends up getting done.

I hate my uniform (well, the one I wore up until this year), but I think I would hate it more if I didn't have it. There are ways to make it more appealing, too. The matrics (12th grade?) wear a pencil skirt and blouse in school colours. It's pretty lovely.

(There was a spelling mistake. You wrote It would defiantly benefit the school.” It should be 'definitely'. I saw this mistake twice in your piece.)

I live in the UK and like most schools we had to wear uniforms from primary school at 4 to the end of comprehensive school at 16. I hated my comprehensive school uniform - it was drab and grey and didn't suit me no matter what I did, whether it was pulling the skirt up or wearing the tie a certain way. It felt horrible.

Now I'm in sixth form, basically college, and we have to wear "smart business-wear" which means blouses, trousers, skirts, dresses etc. for girls and shirts, ties and blazers for boys. Yes, I struggle sometimes trying to work out what to wear on a morning, but I've never been bullied or picked on because I've worn the same thing twice and I don't know anybody who has been. I can see why uniforms are a good idea, and it always makes people feel "grown up" when they come to school, and I think it gives people a better attitude to be able to dress like teachers dress and I kinda feel like we're now on the same level with the teachers.

Also, maybe this is just me personally, but I have a pixie-cut and if I wore the grey trousers that came with the school uniform (during the winter months, for example) I felt like a boy and sometimes got mistaken for one no matter what I did, and it made me feel awful, so I took to wearing skirts all year. Now if I wear trousers it's still pretty obvious that I'm not a boy, because I'll be wearing a blouse or a jumper.