Uniform Dress or Dressed to Impress?
People long to live simpler, easier lives. Many wish for lives in which they can focus more on what is truly important to them instead of how to do their hair, what to have for breakfast, and most importantly what to wear. The age old “what to wear” question can be answered most easily for school students—that is if they wear uniforms. Wearing uniforms during elementary and high schools is beneficial. Amanda Shull, a teacher at Chews Elementary School, explains, “ I wore a uniform throughout grade school and high school. I would not change that because it gave all the students a sense of unity and gave us all one less thing to be concerned about on a daily basis.” Wearing school uniforms improves discipline and reduces violence. Schools that require uniforms have achieved a higher academic performance. Also, uniforms alleviate peer pressure and build the poor student’s self-esteem. Finally, uniforms boost school pride.
Students required to wear uniforms are not given the option to wear provocative clothing or gang colors. This reduces school violence because all students are dressed alike (Julie S. 1). In some locations, such as Detroit Michigan, children were beaten and even killed for their trendy apparel (Cole 1). If all students are dressed alike, there is no reason to ridicule others in the class for wearing different or cheaper clothing. Elizabeth Shull, a teacher at Epiphany of Our Lord School in South Philadelphia, says that, “Uniforms in my school are very beneficial, especially with the older students. Many of our students are very ‘fashion conscience’ and, as seen on ‘dress down days,’ clothing can become too important.”
The academic performance of students improves because they do not have to worry about what other people are thinking regarding their choice of clothing. Students know that everyone else around them is wearing the same thing so they can focus on learning. Kenneth Cole, a...