School Uniform, Better Education

Parents will always strive to provide the best for the wellbeing of their children. As we know, children spend the majority of their daytime at school. Unfortunately, despite being a place of learning and socialization, it can also be a place of bullying, violence, and distraction to the positive development of some children. With this in mind, one thing that a school can do to help parents feel more at ease that their child is learning in a positive and safe environment is the implementation of school uniforms. I guarantee that this is a choice that will be beneficial in more than one way. Parents must consider this option not only for the safety and security of their child, but also as an aid in their educational and academic development. Furthermore, it is a cost effective choice in terms of time and money. Although some parents may initially disapprove of uniforms because they may seem to inhibit a sense of individuality, overall, the benefits outweigh this small cost.

            The implementation of school uniforms, foremost, fosters a sense of safety and security in schools that is not achieved by a regular dress-code. First, uniforms prevent students from wearing inappropriate clothing that may instigate violence in schools. For example, it will disallow students to wear gang related colors and paraphernalia. As parents, this is a way of preventing unwanted violence towards your child if he or she happens to accidentally wear a rival gang’s colors. It is also a means of protecting your child from offensive fashions, symbols, and lewd statements that may be written on certain clothing. By wearing uniforms, students will also not be able to conceal weapons in excessively baggy clothes.  In terms of safety and security, uniforms also provide a way of identifying the students and disallow any intruders from coming into the school. Lastly, uniforms will reduce the amount of social snobbery and bullying that takes place as a result of the type of clothing worn to school. Altogether, uniforms will surely decrease the amount of violence experienced as well as witnessed by students. It will in turn help students as well as teachers and administration shift their focus back on academics as opposed to being preoccupied with safety concerns.

Adopting a school uniforms policy will benefit your child because it creates a sense of equality among students. With school uniforms, all students wear the same colors and style, and are not preoccupied with being judged by the type of clothing they wear or the types of brands they purchase. This will help foster a greater sense of belonging and in-group identity with other students who are wearing the same colors. This sense of belonging not only increases your child’s sense of school spirit, but it is also said to increase a student’s self esteem, leading to less psychosocial problems such as loneliness and depression. One example is that students from lower income families who can not afford to keep up with brand name clothes no longer have to feel inferior or left out of certain social groups based solely on the clothing they wear. This also suggests that school uniforms helps create less materialistic attitudes among students. As parents, I am sure you want to instill the proper values in your children. School uniforms reduce the amount of judgment that takes place among students based on clothing brands and fashion trends.

Besides safety and equality, school uniforms are a great advantage for parents due to the money and time that they save. Parents no longer have to keep up with expensive fashion trends for their children and regular clothing can be saved for weekends and special occasions. Also, think about the time that is saved every morning when a child is picking out clothes. There will be no more late arrivals to school or work due to outfit indecision. Each day’s outfit will already be picked out and students will be ready to go without hassle every morning.

Despite these benefits, students will often argue to their parents that their clothes are a reflection of who they are and a way of expressing individuality. They believe that uniforms will hinder the ability to express themselves. However, I believe that all parents should teach their children that clothing is not the only way a child can express individuality.  This is a trait that comes from within, and by wearing a uniform, students are given an opportunity to express their individuality through other, more fulfilling and academically oriented means such as through art, or writing. They would not be blending in, but given the opportunity to let their personality stand out in more creative ways.

As parents, it is important that you support a school uniform policy. It is a money and time saving solution to many problems that form at school. It is not only a liable means of enhancing your child’s safety at school and shift their focus to academics, but it is also a method of fostering equality and reducing materialistic attitudes among students.