Should Public schools switch to uniforms?

I am guest teaching at a public middle school in South Korea and even with uniforms there is literally a hierarchy in the classroom. Students literally pick out one person in their class to be the "wanta" or "loser" and no one talks to that person and always picks on them....even the teachers can't do anything about it.

There is also the issue with the Northface Jacket popularity in the winter, the more expensive your jacket is the more popular you are (no I am not joking). http://www.cnngo.com/seoul/life/what-north-face-jacket-means-south-korea-032182

I like my kids to express themselves, so not a fan of uniforms

I think we should stop using things like uniforms to mask over the real problem, which is a complete and total lack of discipline.

My son attends public shcool and they are required to wear uniforms. I like it. It's easier for both he and I. I remember when I went to public school and in high school it was a huge fashion show. You weren't cool if you didn't have designer name brands. It was hard for my mom financially to pay for those clothes. When you are a teenager you don't think of that, your main concern is fitting in. So yeah, I'm a big supporter of school uniforms.

I do not view uniforms as means of making kids not tease one another. Kids will just do that. I do not think uniforms keep kids from knowing who is a "has" and who is a "has not". I think uniforms can be cheaper but that they are not always cheaper. I do not think uniforms eliminate kids pushing boundaries. When the kids have a dress code about tank tops and no vulgar language etc they will push the rules and when they have uniforms the kids push the rules. I have taught in both situations and don't think the kids are different because of the uniforms in that regard. Also, and I can say with certainty, the uniforms in no way, shape, or form hinder students from showing their individuality. Kid adopt uniforms of their own clique and think they are expressing their individuality, but what they are really showing is that they can dress just like their friends. Uniforms or no uniforms there are wallflowers who try to hide in the wood work, there are loud silly kids, there are jocks and cheerleaders etc.

One thing about uniforms is a frame of mind that I like. When in uniform the kids are in school mode. From the time they get dressed they recognize it is time for school. When it is a dress down day for my kids or at the school where I teach there is a different attitude about the day. As a professional I look forward to jeans and tshirt days just like the kids but we all have a tendency to be more casual about everything all day...when we are all in our uniform, me included in my professional dress, we know we are there to do the job of learning.

I like it as a parent and a teacher. My kids and my students don't seem to care. The kids who bellyache about the uniforms are the same kids who bellyache about every supposed injustice in their life, such as the teachers give too much homework, mom grounded them because of breaking curfew and that is SO UNFAIR>>>whine whine whine., the school is lame because the school day starts when they are still tired, the lunch room is lame because they ran out of big cookies before they got there...whine whine whine. It really only appears that the kids that actively dislike uniforms are the kids that actively dislike everything.

No, and my grade 6 child does not have to wear a uniform at his public school. Let kids wear what they want. Cannot imagine it would be cheaper, unless he's wearing them 7 days a week, during all waking hours.

I agreed with this even when I was in high school. It was talked about 10 years ago in our school district, and it got shot down real fast.

my son's school just switched BACK to regular clothes after being in uniform for years!!! There was no diff in the teasing aspect from before to after...and the kids are much happier now that they can wear what they want and express themselves for who they really are! I DISAGREE with unifoms

I agree with this totally, my kids go to public school and they have to wear uniforms and I can honestly say that I spent more money the last 2 years in uniforms for them because I got one child that is short and rather "round" and have to go to a seamstress to have all of her pants hemmed and by the end of the year last year she could not wear her clothes I bought so I had to buy her new ones, all for like 2 months of school and then at the beginning of school she couldn't wear those. My other daughter is so skinny that I can't find them small enough in the waste and long enough in the length. So anyway back to what my point was, I have to buy them 2 sets of clothes clothes for school, clothes for after school and the weekends. They are girls and they want to be pretty. People are still rude and bully no matter what, I can't tell you how many times I have been to the school about my daughter who has a learning disability and they bully her around all the time, so it is not about the clothes they are wearing, it is all about how you bring up your children and teach them how to treat others. My daughter came home with a black eye, got shoved off a swing, got told she was going to be killed and told she was too skinny, ugly, and other terrible hateful things. I have went to the school countless times, it does no good and they should be worrying more about what the kids are doing than what they are wearing to school IMO and she is just in the 3rd grade!! The kids are not stupid, they know the well off kids from the poor kids and it would not matter about the clothes they are wearing. I feel sorry for people that are on a low income/fixed income because I don't know how they do it with no help. Oh I know because of the school system and their ignorance have to punish their children and make them wear school uniforms around all the time (After school, evenings, weekends, and everywhere they go.) That is what makes the kids stick out more than anything....Ok carry on my rant is over....

I am quite happy to wear school uniform

No. Kids are entitled to freedom of expression just like anyone else. Plus uniforms really pull into stark light the fact that out children are just cogs going through the motion in a completely broken, cynical machine.

When my middle school switched to uniforms I simply refused to wear them. The teachers and principal all liked me, I was one of if not the best student in the school, so they just ignored it. I wore jeans or pants with nice button down long sleeve shirts. I certainly didn't violate any notion of a dress code (aside from the uniform obviously), and I got to wear what I WANTED to wear.

My grandchildren go to public school and my grandson is now in high school..no more uniforms for him. His sister who is in 6th still has to wear one. I think it is great...levels the playing field, so to speak. I know some folks think uniforms are expensive, but the city they live in only requires khaki, navy, or black pants and the shirts have to be collared and can be white, or their respective school colors. I find that buying her school clothes at Wal-Mart, Old Navy, or the good old clearance rack works for me! Got her a cute black skirt for school at her favorite store, Justice, for $7. And trust me...she is a fashionista!

I think so, personally. I would've loved uniforms. And my sister takes forever picking out her school outfit everyday. I think a uniform would show her that there are more important things than what you wear.

YES YES YES!!!! Having put up w/ a stepdaughter that thinks that she's allergic to anything BUT the highest dollar name brands when we nor her mother can barely afford 2nd hand prices (my hubby has 4 kids between his ex and I) I really think uniforms would be wonderful!!! The middle school she's getting ready to start DOES require them!!! With the trashy way some want to dress anymore uniforms would be a blessing!! It shouldn't matter WHAT kids wear...it's not a fashion show it's school.....a time for learning! Theres so much emphasis put on competition in schools that clothes should NOT be one of them! IMO!!!

I attended a Catholic school from K-8, where we had to wear uniforms everyday except for special "Out of Uniform" days. It wasn't terrible, but bullies will find things to ridicule you about. In fact, I was bullied more while wearing uniforms than I was when I went to public high school with no uniforms. There's a small percentage of bullies that target kids because of what they wear. Usually the ridicule focuses on things like personality, physical appearance, intelligence, and interests. I wore sweat pants and over-sized tshirts almost everyday in high school, and I never got made fun of for it.

I guess my point is that what you wear doesn't prevent bullying. Even when everyone is dressed in the same uniform, people who want to be bullies will find something to say. The important thing is to teach kids to identify bullying and deal with it in a constructive manner.

I went to Catholic School. I wore a uniform from Kindergarten to Senior Year. I wouldn't have it any other way. LOVED it.