School Uniforms Yes or No

pawnstarNate
pawnstarNate Posts: 1,728 Member
in Chit-Chat
There is currently a debate within the school district that my kids attend. Currently there are no School Uniforms and the kids can where what they want. Providing it conforms to school rules of course. What do you think of school uniforms? Pro's/Con's
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Replies

  • bethlaf
    bethlaf Posts: 954 Member
    We just moved and i have both kids going to a school now that requires uniforms, personally i think it stinks, all the clothes they have, nothing - not one single thing is "uniform approved"

    so rather than shopping sales and buying them what they like,
    stuck paying full price for approved uniforms.- and because we just moved here, i havent had time to hit yard sales thrift stores and the like, or have family in the area wiht "hand me downs"

    so as far as the argument that uniforms are cheaper somehow .... tell me how two kids who have a closet full of clothes they "could wear" to school, but cant ... and now i have to buy "special" clothes JUST for school- how is that cheaper, i had expected to spend about 100.00 each to freshen up wardrobes, now i will be spending more just to buy "approved" clothing ahd you know you still have to have "real" clothes for them too, because they arent going to wear uniforms around the house and on weekends.
  • MzManiak
    MzManiak Posts: 1,361 Member
    I hate them. My kids have to wear them. Every year, hundreds of dollars are shelled out to get them their uniforms in their new size. Ugh. Still have to buy the regular clothes for the summer and weekends... not going to make them wear uniforms... so it's just extra money. And for what? Conformity? :yawn:
  • CookNLift
    CookNLift Posts: 3,660 Member
    Pros of Uniforms:
    Kids wind up caring less about how they look going to school, and can't be picked on / made fun of based on their choice of clothing. This also prevents girls and guys from dressing "slutty" or showing too much. Most of the time this doesn't work out though because of lack of disciplinary action wherein the teachers overlook the hiked up skirts etc. I personally think that when kids have uniforms, they worry less about how they look and can focus on studying.

    Cons:
    Kids will be made fun of based on stupid bullying practices irregardless.
    Uniforms can be expensive in the long run for local parents, because it will require them to purchase multiple ones. (this can be void however, since many school wardrobes for kids is expensive anyway)
    Kids will still be cliquey
    Sometimes uniforms will make the heavier kids more noticeably heavy and can single them out.
    Limitation of individuality in clothing choice and expression (I don't think this really matters personally because school is a place to learn, not to express who you think you are as a person during your teen years)
  • IZackV13
    IZackV13 Posts: 157 Member
    Mixed feelings here.

    Didn't have uniforms where I went to school and it partially let me exert my own personality.

    HOWEVER, can see many pros now, too. Doesn't create a gap with the haves/have nots, cuts down on any gang related shenanigans, eliminates the needless circus of buying hundreds of dollars of "back to school" apparel each and every year, etc.
  • fitmomhappymom
    fitmomhappymom Posts: 171 Member
    I think school uniforms are a sign of a bad district. The higher rated schools in my city do not require uniforms. It is the lower income/higher crime areas that require them.
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  • AprilMae1975
    AprilMae1975 Posts: 726
    I actually like it. Makes school shopping so much easier. My son wears a black polo and khakis....very simple. The usually have great sales at Old Navy and I stock up.
  • lesley964
    lesley964 Posts: 18 Member
    hi there, I'm a chemistry teacher at high school and from the point of safety I agree with wearing uniforms. I live in scotland and the general trend for cheap sports clothing worn by the masses for example is an accident waiting to happen in the science lab aside from all the *****iness that goes on over how folk like to dress. Yes it is an extra expense but it gets kids in the frame of mind for study, after all thats what they are supposed to be there for. It also teaches them the skills of conformity for the workplace. How many of you adults out there have "work" clothes and dressy clothes? Its just the same....I don't wear my "normal" clothes to school either......I'm a biker and that wouldn't go down well!! So I conform because I'm at school too!
  • Oishii
    Oishii Posts: 2,675 Member
    Because it's pretty much universal in the UK, unless you go to a school with its own blazers etc, it can be really cheap because the supermarkets sell whatever the local market requires.

    My 5 year old has just started getting dressed with no supervision and he's been choosing to wear his school trousers most days despite it being the holidays!
  • martymum
    martymum Posts: 413 Member
    also Uk and friend of above:drinker:

    I hate uniforms both as a Mum and future teacher...

    they don't stop bullying

    you can only buy the logo sweatshirts from school...3x more expensive than supermarket (and kids with cheap sweaters get really bullied)

    complete lack of individualism

    uk school...no 'un-natural' hair colour...no tramlines shaved in,no makeup, no jewellery,no logo on bags, shoes etc...even dictated what type of trousers and skirts the girls can wear

    reminds me of Pink Floyd 'the wall' now I get why the kids had no faces

    which means our teens go out of their way outside school to establish their individuality often with disastrous results

    I feel with so many good copies these days no-one cares if you have the label or not..there will always be populars, sporty,nerds,loners etc and kids inherently know which kid is which without clothes.

    martyx
  • HeidiMightyRawr
    HeidiMightyRawr Posts: 3,343 Member
    I'm for them, and am too from the UK where it's pretty much guaranteed you'll be wearing a uniform (I literally don't know 1 school wear you can wear what you want)

    I don't think it will stop bullying, however, I think it can reduce it. You go to school to learn stuff, and work, not to have a fashion show, and I believe that's what it'll turn into. We had "mufti" days where we could wear what we wanted, usually on the last Friday of the term, and it was basically a fashion show. Kids were more fussed about what everyone else what wearing, than much else.

    The cons of wearing one, I can see how it might be more expensive depending on what stuff you have to buy. For younger children it's literally just black trousers, white polo top and black plimsolls, you can get those dirt cheap in the supermarkets. For older children, it's when you start getting blazers with logos, special skirts for netball, school logo jumpers.... which can get more pricey. Although the supermarkets will still sell the trousers, skirts and shirts really cheap.
  • Jersey_Devil
    Jersey_Devil Posts: 4,142 Member
    uniforms-no no no!

    if the kids have to wear uniforms, the teachers and principals should have to wear the same uniforms. why do they get to chose what clothes they can wear but the kids cant?
  • BullDozier
    BullDozier Posts: 237 Member
    I was anti-uniform when my kids started school. They go to a private school where they wear uniforms, and I was a public school, non-uniform kid myself. I have been converted though. Kids not needing to worry about what to wear the next day, not needing to find a shirt that matches the pants/shorts they have clean, etc., all those worries are non-existiant. Kids not being picked on or singled out because they don't have the latest trendy clothes, or their family can only afford "Target" clothes, or whatever. That is a huge advantage.

    Yes, kids will find reasons to single people out and be mean. That's no reason not to reduce the number of issues they can be mean about, especially one so obvious to get picked on since it is your outward appearance.
  • farway
    farway Posts: 1,253 Member
    uniforms-no no no!

    if the kids have to wear uniforms, the teachers and principals should have to wear the same uniforms. why do they get to chose what clothes they can wear but the kids cant?

    Because they are adults?
  • Some_Watery_Tart
    Some_Watery_Tart Posts: 2,250 Member
    I think school uniforms are a sign of a bad district. The higher rated schools in my city do not require uniforms. It is the lower income/higher crime areas that require them.

    That's interesting. It's the exact opposite in our area. Only the private and charter schools have them, and those are the schools with the highest ratings and more afluent families.
  • I_Will_Be_The_Swan
    I_Will_Be_The_Swan Posts: 132
    Pros of Uniforms:
    Kids wind up caring less about how they look going to school, and can't be picked on / made fun of based on their choice of clothing. This also prevents girls and guys from dressing "slutty" or showing too much. Most of the time this doesn't work out though because of lack of disciplinary action wherein the teachers overlook the hiked up skirts etc. I personally think that when kids have uniforms, they worry less about how they look and can focus on studying.

    Cons:
    Kids will be made fun of based on stupid bullying practices irregardless.
    Uniforms can be expensive in the long run for local parents, because it will require them to purchase multiple ones. (this can be void however, since many school wardrobes for kids is expensive anyway)
    Kids will still be cliquey
    Sometimes uniforms will make the heavier kids more noticeably heavy and can single them out.
    Limitation of individuality in clothing choice and expression (I don't think this really matters personally because school is a place to learn, not to express who you think you are as a person during your teen years)
  • fbmandy55
    fbmandy55 Posts: 5,263 Member
    I think school uniforms are a sign of a bad district. The higher rated schools in my city do not require uniforms. It is the lower income/higher crime areas that require them.

    This! Besides Christian schools, the lower income schools with bad attendance, on the verge of failing and violence issues have to wear uniforms. I went to a Christian school, we adopted uniforms when I was in 6th grade, after 100 years of the school NOT having them, because some kid wore a Marilyn Manson shirt to chapel and the parents freaked out.

    And kids are still getting made fun of for having Wal-Mart khakis rather than hollister chinos, acne, etc... Just a way for big brother to enforce social conformity and make people equal by force.
  • Fiercely_Me
    Fiercely_Me Posts: 481 Member
    Yes, children should wear uniforms.

    Individuality is not solely expressed by clothing. Individuality should be mostly reflected in children's school work, critical thinking skills, rhetoric, and abstract thinking.
  • EatClean_WashUrNuts
    EatClean_WashUrNuts Posts: 1,590 Member
    Yes. They are in school to learn. One less reason for kids to be distracted by or bullied over. Kids are too self-entitled as it stands, now.
  • I_Will_Be_The_Swan
    I_Will_Be_The_Swan Posts: 132
    Pros of Uniforms:
    Kids wind up caring less about how they look going to school, and can't be picked on / made fun of based on their choice of clothing. This also prevents girls and guys from dressing "slutty" or showing too much. Most of the time this doesn't work out though because of lack of disciplinary action wherein the teachers overlook the hiked up skirts etc. I personally think that when kids have uniforms, they worry less about how they look and can focus on studying.

    Cons:
    Kids will be made fun of based on stupid bullying practices irregardless.
    Uniforms can be expensive in the long run for local parents, because it will require them to purchase multiple ones. (this can be void however, since many school wardrobes for kids is expensive anyway)
    Kids will still be cliquey
    Sometimes uniforms will make the heavier kids more noticeably heavy and can single them out.
    Limitation of individuality in clothing choice and expression (I don't think this really matters personally because school is a place to learn, not to express who you think you are as a person during your teen years)

    My apologies in advance if this is rude, but wrong.

    I spent my entire childhood in uniforms, and kids still changed it to suit their desires, never got in trouble, made fun of other kids for how they wore their uniform, etcetera. All your pros do not exist. The cons, however, are all true(though "irregardless" is not a word). Plus, without self expression or exploration, kids don't learn to think for themselves, or make independent decisions. As a result, kids follow the herd and cave to peer pressure. They fall into drug use because it's cool, or drink, or smoke. They focus on fitting in instead of being themselves, or thinking for themselves, or focusing on their studies. People are *kitten* in school, and uniforms make everything worse. Wear a scrunchie instead of a barette, cargos instead of miniskirts, a cardigan instead of a glittery vest, and you're stupid or ugly.
  • fbmandy55
    fbmandy55 Posts: 5,263 Member

    uk school...no 'un-natural' hair colour...no tramlines shaved in,no makeup, no jewellery,no logo on bags, shoes etc...even dictated what type of trousers and skirts the girls can wear

    reminds me of Pink Floyd 'the wall' now I get why the kids had no faces

    :drinker: :smokin:
  • larsensue
    larsensue Posts: 461 Member
    We have uniforms. I love it. It's easy. You wear blue and white. Nothing to argue about. Brands don't matter. The kids don't care about clothes or who wears what. The only thing they're into is shoes. Lol. I love informs. They make life so easy. And the kids care less about it. It's a total non-issue.

    ^^^this, this and more this!!!! My daughter actually wishes she could wear a uniform everyday. she makes me buy them for her every year and wears them quite often.
  • larsensue
    larsensue Posts: 461 Member
    Yes, children should wear uniforms.

    Individuality is not solely expressed by clothing. Individuality should be mostly reflected in children's school work, critical thinking skills, rhetoric, and abstract thinking.

    BRAVO!!!!!!
  • DawnieB1977
    DawnieB1977 Posts: 4,248 Member
    uniforms-no no no!

    if the kids have to wear uniforms, the teachers and principals should have to wear the same uniforms. why do they get to chose what clothes they can wear but the kids cant?

    Because they are adults?

    Exactly. I'm English and a secondary school teacher. Your question sounds like something a 12 year old would ask me. 'Miss, how come you can wear a necklace/dangly ear rings etc and I can't?'. Well, I'm an adult and I used to wear school uniform when I was your age.

    With the jewellery it's a health and safety thing. Besides, us teaching staff have rules too, it's not like I can rock up to work in jeans and trainers and a hoody.

    I guess uniform makes it easier because you don't have the competition. Everyone is wearing the same. They have enough to compete over without worrying about who has more expensive jeans.

    Some schools are stricter than others. The best school in the county (sadly not where I work) has ties as part of the uniform and girls aren't allowed to wear any make-up at all. My school is a bit more relaxed about that.

    Wearing uniform at school didn't harm me at all.

    My son starts school in Sept and I'm looking forward to buying him his school uniform!
  • HideyoshiKinoshita
    HideyoshiKinoshita Posts: 46 Member
    I had to wear a uniform ever year of school. It doesn't really affect anything. Kids always find ways to express themselves and hell nobody sticks out as being in a lower social class.
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  • GURLEY_GIRL3
    GURLEY_GIRL3 Posts: 347 Member
    We have uniforms. I love it. It's easy. You wear blue and white. Nothing to argue about. Brands don't matter. The kids don't care about clothes or who wears what. The only thing they're into is shoes. Lol. I love informs. They make life so easy. And the kids care less about it. It's a total non-issue. Of course, it sounds like it's optional there, which is weird. It is not an option here. Which makes it nice. All kids have to wear a uniform. I'm into it, which is weird because I usually hate stuff like that. But, it's cheap and easy. At Old Navy, a pair of shorts for my son is $8.

    this! I have 3 in school saves me lots of fights about what to wear. They know what they will be wearing. I wish i had a uniform to wear to work! lol
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  • Kymmu
    Kymmu Posts: 1,650 Member
    When I was a student I didn't like them.. I wanted to be an individual etc ( lol) People always customise them slightly anyway- skirt length, tights loose ties rolled sleeves etc......
    .As a parent I think they are great.
    It takes the hassle out of what to wear, they don't come and go in fashion.
    Our school has a choice of 3 styles so kids get a say.
    Although expensive they are good quality and last for years. I always buy slightly bigger to go the distance- everyone does.
    Thumbs up from me in Australia!!
  • petersonabt
    petersonabt Posts: 518 Member
    I haven't read all the replies, but this is the first year my son has gone to a uniform school. Idk it doesn't bother me made school shopping a tad easier. Also its pretty much just his shirts that are "uniform" the bottoms are more relaxed. I don't find it something to work myself up over,

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