School Uniforms

Ms. Pena

Yuanqing Wang

Writing7-Final draft

4/19/2015                                                            

School Uniforms

       Do you have any memorable articles about your childhood? Maybe it is a toy or food that your grandmother made. Some people think that uniforms are very unforgettable and meaningful for them because the uniforms were accompanied their whole youth. In my country, we have worn uniforms since elementary school. In that time, everyone hated the uniforms which are ugly and have nothing in one. We usually took off the uniforms and exposed our own T-shirt in the class. For this reason, I got a lot of punishments from teachers. Now, I do not wear the ugly uniforms. However when I walk in the street, the children who wear the uniform come towards me, that reminds me of my youth. The uniforms are an important article for my youth. In fact, the children should or not wear the uniforms at school arouses some controversies.

       The opponents of school uniforms argue that uniforms stifle a student’s need for self-expression. According to Grace Chen on March 3, 2015. “By denying students the opportunity to fully express their unique personality through the clothing they select, individualism is unable to develop to its fullest capacity. When children select their own clothing, they are able to develop confidence and independence, characteristics vital to personality development and adult success.” In addition, some people think that uniforms may not be comfortable for all students. I support this view because of the poor quality of uniforms in my hometown. In order to meet the most of students’ economic level, the uniforms should be cheap. We usually get the uniforms that use cheap fabrics, some students who are allergic are easy to cause illness. For another reason, according to Grace Chen on March 3,2015. “The uniform standard may require students to wear polo shirts that are tucked into khaki slacks. Students who are overweight may feel very self-conscious about their bodies, female students may feel insecure about their bodies and feel that having a tucked in shirt will bring attention to their developing figures.”

        On the other side thinks that school uniforms make students pay more attention to their studies, not their clothes. When all of students wear the same uniforms, they are less concern about their surface and what they are wearing today. Former US Secretary of State Hillary Clinton, when she was a 2008 US presidential candidate, supported school uniforms as a way to help students focus on learning: "Take that clothing choices off the table and put the focus on school, not on what you're wearing.” (2007, Nov 19). The second reason, the uniforms may decrease crime and increase children safety. If someone is to come into the campus when all students wear the same clothes that make intruder more visible. “In Long Beach, CA, after two years of a district-wide K-8 mandatory uniform policy, reports of assault and battery in the district's schools decreased by 34%, assault with a deadly weapon dropped by 50%, fighting incidents went down by 51%, sex offenses were cut by 74%, robbery dropped by 65%, possession of weapons decreased by 52%, possession of drugs went down by 69%, and vandalism was lowered by 18%.” The third reason, uniforms reduce the inferiority feelings of students who are from  poor families. If everyone wears their own clothes, some students may compare whose shirt is more expensive or whose brand is more famous. This is a bad atmosphere for school life. Some students are very vain, they may compel their parents to buy some expensive clothes or sneakers for them when they see what others wore.