Pro vs. con view
Topic space viewUniforms in Private Schools
I believe that unifroms in private schools should NOT be allowed. In a private school you are suppose to be proper and all but uniforms in my opinion really don't allow us to express our creativity. May the best one win!!!
Uniforms should be mandatory in all of the public schools of America
In almost every public school across America, a student has the right to choose what he or she wears to school. Yet some people are now saying that implementing school uniforms in all American schools might be a better option than giving students the freedom to choose their dressing. To most schoolchildren, this notion would probably be one of scorn. But a school uniform isn"t what it might seem at first glance. A school uniform has several advantages that would be helpful in most schools. Some of the most notable include: the fact that a uniform is more economical than the average school dress, the fact that a uniform encourages better academic achievement, and the fact that a school uniform promotes unity and school spirit. These are the three main reasons for which uniforms are a good idea in public schools.
School Uniform Should be Compulsory
That you believe and agree that schools must be lenient and considerate with regards to school uniform is indeed understandable - this is the hard truth in Asia. I never went to school there, But I lived there, And these were daily observations for someone like me. My main point is that if uniforms were done away with, There would be no such events occurring - no strict rules, No exceeding punishments. Of course, Rules should exist - students cannot come half naked - but dictating a very basic freedom, That is the freedom to choose what you wear, Should be promoted. We cannot have schools denying that freedom. An independent survey, Mirroring the one done in Nevada- returned at least 81% of students saying that they don't like uniforms. A districtwide survey in Florida found 70% of students saying they did not agree to the uniforms policy. Researchers have even proclaimed that there is no valid evidence whatsoever that supports claims that school uniforms are beneficial. As for students' opinions on uniforms, In the majority of schools, (and these are spread more in the Asia Pacific) uniforms do have an impact on grades - that's right. In addition to attendance and classroom discipline, Uniforms do affect the results of a student - for a student who cannot afford to clean his/her uniform on a daily basis or due to some reason cannot come in spotless uniform everyday, If uniforms are not fearful, What are they? Of course, The uniform code does mitigate bullying - no doubt about it. The question is whether students must really depend on that more than other things. If uniform was so beneficial, Then ask yourself, What about college? Yet bullying in colleges is far less compared to schools - this is no rocket science. Uniforms don't have a major impact on bullying. That bullying due to "economic reasons" did not make it to the list of the report I linked, Which, I shall take the liberty of announcing, Was authored by an eminent educator, Just reflects its relative obscurity amongst other reasons. Uniforms do nothing to promote the "equal image" that prevents bullying. In fact, The equality is reduced in most cases - to the eyes of a teacher, A student with a Head Boy badge appears "better" and more reliable than someone who's not elected. Isn't this a sort of dormant discrimination based on uniform? You say that uniforms victimize poorer students, Leading to an economic sort of bullying. Uniforms don't promote unity then, Right? Uniforms must be done away with because of this - if a student can appear poorer or richer just from their uniform means that in reality, Uniforms discriminate. Making them compulsory only promotes, Not inhibits, Such forms of bullying. My opponent has claimed that uniforms are cheaper - when parents don't need to buy an extra pair that their children CANNOT wear outside of school, Isn't it economically less viable than having them pay for uniforms. Instead, One's daily clothes can be a much cheaper option. Time - is it logical to think that choosing alone takes so much time, As to make uniforms more viable? The stereotype of the trendy girl/boy who wants to do everything fashionably must be dealt with here. I appreciate the complements about my poem. On a side note, That got me the first place in a school-wide poetry competition. Certainly, The clothes someone wears impacts their image in general. I agree. Yet let me put it this way - does this confined image reflect anything of the person's true character? I revisit my point of self expression and freedom - a person best suits himself to the surroundings in the clothes he defines himself by. So for someone to express themselves and to have the freedom of choice is an invaluable benefit. Regarding safety, The cases are scattered. Very rarely do in-school crimes occur, According to at least 3 statistics by a verifiable authority - in most cases, Crimes involving students take place outside of schools, Where the so-called uniform safety that we debated on takes place. Freedom at recess was not the freedom I was referring to. I was talking about the basic freedom to choose what you wear, The freedom to convey the message you wish to express. In a society that's rapidly progressing till modernity, One must expect that students are familiar with basic freedoms. It becomes, As one commenter rightly predicted, A freedom vs equality debate. Freedom trumps equality. In fact, As I pointed out, If one can distinguish amongst students by their uniforms (are they ragged or ironed/white or dirty) reflects poor unity. My points, So as to summarize - Not having uniforms does away with any problems that arise out of them - strict punishments, Low grades, Etc. The statistics show that students would much rather not have uniforms. In fact, There is no single piece of conclusive evidence showing that uniforms are beneficial in any way. Uniforms convey a rich/poor divide - those with tattered, Unkempt uniforms are treated as relatively poor compared to those with clean, Neat uniforms. Hence, If anything, Uniforms disregard unity. Uniforms are less economically viable - why must parents buy an extra pair of clothes that can only be worn at school, When a child's normal clothes can be used, Saving money. There is no logic that choosing one's clothes takes time. Hence, Not having uniforms, Saves, Or takes as much time, As having compulsory uniform. Freedom is promoted when students are allowed to express themselves. A uniform kills that expressive freedom. Hence above all else, One must see the aspect of liberty of choice of one's clothes, That is necessary as the society moves forward.
School Uniform Should be Compulsory
Thank you Con for understanding. :) Firstly, I would like to clarify the main contention of my argument: while I do believe that schools should have compulsory uniform, I do not necessarily agree with the way every school that has compulsory uniform enforces their policies regarding school uniform. You mentioned that in Asia, You went to a school with a strict system, And that you could be punished for wearing a dirty uniform. This is not something I agree with at all, And I do not believe schools should be this strict with regards to uniform. Schools should have compulsory uniforms (for the reasons I already mentioned), But they should be lenient with regards to dirty or lost uniforms (this is what the schools I attended were like). This issue of dirty clothes is not unique to schools that have compulsory uniforms either. For schools that do not have school uniforms, I believe that students should not be punished if they accidentally dirty the clothes which they wear. You also state that wearing our own clothes eliminates the need for unnecessary fear of the rigid codes of uniforms which school students have; this is an exaggeration. While there are many students who disagree with the concept of uniforms being compulsory, Students tend to accept that uniforms have benefits and they are certainly not "fearful" of it. A survey conducted in Nevada found that 90% of students dislike wearing a uniform to school, But 54% of students think uniforms do not compromise their identity and 41% thought that school uniforms reduce gang violence. School uniforms may not be universally loved, But they are certainly not feared or demonised by students. You linked an article regarding the causes of bullying. The issue with this is that the article does not prove whether economic bullying is common. In nowhere in the article does it say that the list of causes is exhaustive; bullying is an extremely complex issue and there are many possible causes for it. In addition to this, Economic bullying can "fit within" the causes that are listed in the article. For example, Cause #10: Untaught. This can include economic bullying, As many children (especially younger children) may not realise that they should not judge people based on how they look or dress, As they were never properly taught it, And as a result participate in economic bullying. While there is a difference between a rich student wearing a clean uniform and a poor student wearing an untidy one, It is not as large as the difference between a poor student wearing dirty, Cheap clothes and a rich student wearing clean, Expensive clothes. A large proportion of child psychologists in Australia have said that having compulsory uniforms remove distractions for students and removes pressure for them to keep up with the latest fashion trends. Uniforms may not eliminate bullying, But they do reduce it. My school gave students a choice as to which business you can buy your uniform from (all businesses sold the same school uniform for a given school), And also had a second hand uniform store. (I believe this is something all schools should do). Some businesses sold uniforms for a low price (you could sometimes buy a complete uniform for under $30), And it was often cheaper than if you had to buy regular clothes for school. Even if you did not have to wear uniforms to school, It means your parents would have to purchase more normal clothes that you can wear to school/outside school, Compared to if they did have to buy school uniform. As a result, Having school uniform can be more affordable for some parents. Regarding the time factor, Some people (in schools that do not have compulsory uniforms) spend a lot of time picking what to wear for school because they feel pressured into wearing something that will lead them to not be judged by their peers. As I already mentioned, Ironing and washing your clothes needs to be done regardless of whether or not you wear school uniform. Therefore, School uniforms are beneficial in terms of economics and time. Your poem on unity is very well written (good job! ) but it is inaccurate. Yes, It is definitely true that people judge each other based on race/skin colour/sexuality etc. (and this is a huge problem), But people also judge each other based on clothes, And this is not limited to school. Imagine turning up to a formal job interview for a medical clinic wearing a singlet (with no shirt), Shorts and thongs. Obviously, Before the interviewer even starts asking you questions, He/she will probably already be subconsciously negatively judging you, Regardless of what your race/skin colour/sexuality etc. Is (and you will be significantly less likely to get the job). Judging people based on their clothing is (unfortunately) something many people do. While uniforms do not completely create unity, They will bring students closer to unity. A similar argument can be made with regards to safety. Class roles and ID cards won"t always work either - the criminal can prey on students during break time, While the supervising teachers will not know every student and therefore will not know if everybody is a student of the school or not. Also, CCTV cameras are extremely expensive (my school had fake CCTV cameras because it could not afford real ones, And they pretended that they were real to scare off criminals, But someone in my school"s bag was stolen, And when they asked if it was caught on CCTV, It was revealed that the CCTV cameras were not real. So now everybody knew that the cameras were fake and they became effectively useless). Uniforms will not make it impossible for criminals to enter schools, But they make it significantly more difficult. With regards to liberal discipline, I would argue that school children already have enough freedom. For example, During break time they are allowed to do anything they want (as long as it is within the rules), And when they get back home from school they have a lot of freedom in many aspects, As long as it is within their parents rules (including what to wear). It is not worth it to give school aged children too much freedom with regards to what to wear to school, Because you have to sacrifice so many other important aspects of a child"s school life that I have already mentioned (for example, Unity and equality). School students should have freedom, But not too much freedom. While school uniforms do not completely eliminate bullying, Or completely allow for unity, Etc they certainly do provide a step in the right direction with regards to those issues. Therefore, Compulsory school uniforms for students are the best policy. I would like to thank Con, This has been a very interesting and challenging debate. Good luck with Round 4. :)
Whether students should wear uniforms Part 2
1)Students should have school uniforms because it creates a feeling of "oneness" and produce a feeling of being on the same team, which would reduce bullying by a great deal. http://edsource.org...... 2) Most of bullying is caused because the less wealthy students cannot afford name brand clothing, which has an adverse effect on their self-esteem and their educational motivation. C) All schools should mandate school uniforms
Teens and kids should wear school uniforms
While school is most definitely for learning, it is also about finding out more about yourself and who you are as a person. Being able to choose the clothes you wear is important in the process of maintaining individuality. I do not believe that individuality creates a disruption in the classroom unless it is either very suggestive or inappropriate. Something as simple as being able to choose the color of your shirt is important in finding one's self. Also, you make the point of whatever you are wearing takes the focus off education, but rather, I believe it can enhance it. According to research done on the subject, there is no effect on academics, substance abuse, or absent days, when students are required to wear a uniform. Students tire easily of repetition, and it is necessary to create diversity in their schooling in order to keep them interested and to be ready to learn. For your next point, students will get bullied regardless of what they wear. Bullying can happen even in uniform based schools. For example, Also, you make the point of whatever you are wearing takes the focus off education, but rather, I believe it can enhance it. According to research done on the subject, there is no effect on academics, substance abuse, or absent days, when students are required to wear a uniform. Students tire easily of repetition, and it is necessary to create diversity in their schooling in order to keep them interested and to be ready to learn. For your next point, students will get bullied regardless of what they wear. Bullying can happen even in uniform based schools. For example, uniforms can often cost a substantial amount of money, and if the parents don't have the income to provide the same quality of uniform as everyone else, they may get bullied. Bullying will happen regardless of what they wear, and very rarely is bullying focused solely on clothing. Sources: https://faculty.unlv.edu...(1998).pdf
school's should not make you wear uniforms
If we make the school kids wear school uniforms they will pay less attention to what Susie is wearing and more on the task at hand. Like I showed on that video that kid was carrying like 13 guns if we were to have kids wearing uniforms that risk would cut down a lot
school's should not make you wear uniforms
Actually, kids might be too upset because they have to wear uniforms to even focus. If you go to the link I posted above, it shows that uniforms have a negative effect on kids' school work and attendance. And like I said before, if someone wants to shoot someone bad enough, they will shoot them at another time and place if they can't do it at school.
Should uniforms rule our lives
People say that uniforms promote identity with the school and class, which emphasizes the common educational purpose. It puts everyone in the same boat so they are more likely to help each other succeed. Wrong!!uniforms take away kids' freedom of expression. What if I wanted to wear a cropped top and short shorts?!!! they would discriminate me because I wasn't wearing a uniform like everyone else and I stood out from everyone else.
uniforms
I ACCEPT! Uniforms are good for kids because they look nice.
