School Uniforms

[dazzleman]

Required?  No.

Allowed?  Yes.

It should be up to the school district whether to require uniforms or not.  Some schools benefit greatly from having students wear uniforms, while others don't need them.

[dazzleman]

Now that I'm out of high school I really don't care.

^^^^^^ Though I had to abide by a dress code in high school.  I didn't really mind it at the time.  It was actually fun to find ways to undermine it.

[dazzleman]

No (normal). Also, they should be banned in public schools. They're unnecessary and expensive.

They aren't expensive. We bought my daughters uniform shirts for under 5 dollars each and the pants and skirts for about 5-6. The districts allows skirts, pants and shorts. So uniforms are not *always* restrictive.

True about the cost.  Uniforms are usually cheaper than having to have a new set of designer clothes for every day of the week.

[dazzleman]

No; our school has a dress code and everyone ignores it.  Imagine how everyone would ignore the uniforms

And, dazz, of course it would be cheaper then a set of designer clothes for ever day of the year, but those families that can afford such an expenditure aren't the ones who people who are concerned about uniform cost are worried about.

(Wow, that was grammatically clunky )

In schools where different economic groups mix, clothes are often used as a measure of affluence and used to ostracize and exclude the kids who can't afford the better clothes.  So in that sense, parents of those kids come under pressure to get expensive clothes they can't afford so their kids can 'fit in.'  Uniforms help with this problem.  They also, in disorderly schools, help to bring a measure of control.

If your school lets you get away with ignoring the dress code, then it's their fault.  Kids always try to push limits to see how far they can get away with.  I had a dress code in HS, and pushed the limits all the time.  But if you pushed it beyond a certain point, it earned you an invitation to an after school 'party' hosted by the dean of discipline, as I learned a number of times.

[dazzleman]

strongly support (normal)

comment to opebo:  no one is stopping you from redistributing your wealth.  practice what you preach.

Kudos Wally.

I actually wore a uniform for part of my grade school experience, and had a dress code in high school.

I was a serial violator of the uniforms/dress codes.  I wore sneakers sometimes, which was strictly forbidden.  I degraded my clothes as much as possible, wearing pants and jackets that were all frayed, ripped, stained with ink, etc.  Some of the shoes I wore looked as if they'd been through a nuclear war.  I had hair that was a good deal longer than what it was supposed to be.  As I got older and started growing facial hair, I failed to shave sometimes and went to school with stubble, though that was also forbidden.

I realize now that a dress code is a great way to channel kids' natural rebellion into something harmless.  I had a need to break rules, and without a dress code, I might have done worse things to satisfy that need.  For that reason alone, I think dress codes are a great idea.

[dazzleman]

Walter and Winfield, why do you support uniforms?  I'm curious to know.

There are many, many compelling reasons for students in public schools wearing uniforms.

For the sake of brevity, one reason I will state is that it puts students more on an equal footing.  Their social standing is based more on the individuals character rather than their economic status.  We would not have the problem of students competing with each other as to who is wearing the latest fads.  Students would not be permitted to wear gang clothing.

I think Walter gave one of the best reasons, and he beat me to it for posting it, about preparing students for the future.  In the adult world, the world into which students will be entering, there all kinds of dress codes, standards, and even uniforms.         

Yes, kids need to learn to freedom is not absolute.  The need to earn a living is a big impediment to total freedom.  The biggest limiter in life, I have learned, is time.  There is so much I'd like to do, but I'm required to be present at work for the best part of my waking hours.

Kids often think that adults can do whatever they like, a very unrealistic notion, and this whole 'freedom of expression' argument plays right into that.  Whether or not a uniform is even required, it's not good to intentionally or inadvertently feed inaccurate about the adult world to kids as they're growing up and impressionable.

[dazzleman]

School Uniforms are detrimental to the creativity and individuality of a student. I would glady walk through the Towering Inferno in a GASOLINE SUIT to prevent them!

That is one of the most absurd things I have ever heard.  Maybe the world would be a better place if people who claim to have such a commitment to their beliefs as you claim to actually did something for a positive cause, or at least one that matters.  To be willing to effective commit suicide over school uniforms is pretty pathetic.

I doubt you're serious in any case, but the thought is just ridiculous.  This is an example of why so many people find it hard to take liberals seriously.

[dazzleman]

I wear jean, cargo pants and sweats, depending on what mood I'm in.

The thing I had about sweats is that they have no zipper and opening for when I need to take a whiz.  Jeans and cargo pants are better for that.

I also like the extra pockets that cargo pants have.  They come in handy sometimes.

I also like carpenter's jeans.

[dazzleman]

School Uniforms are detrimental to the creativity and individuality of a student. I would glady walk through the Towering Inferno in a GASOLINE SUIT to prevent them!

That is one of the most absurd things I have ever heard.  Maybe the world would be a better place if people who claim to have such a commitment to their beliefs as you claim to actually did something for a positive cause, or at least one that matters.  To be willing to effective commit suicide over school uniforms is pretty pathetic.

I doubt you're serious in any case, but the thought is just ridiculous.  This is an example of why so many people find it hard to take liberals seriously.

The fact that you believe in school uniforms makes me want to tell you to go to hell, but since I'm polite, I won't. I would not commit suicide over it you dumbass, I was just making my case of how passionately I hold this issue. In my junior year as Class President, the new principal said to the officers that he was considering uniforms, and asked us for input. I told him flatly that I would stage a walkout. He argued his case, but so did we, and he dropped the idea. Creativity and individuality mean more to me than you do dazzleman, as they do to any freedom loving individual. When I go to school, I don't wanna see everyone look the same. I wanna see polo shirts, goths, thongs, etc. I wanna enjoy my time there, not be told what to wear, and when to wear it.

Thanks for proving my point.