9 Serious Pros and Cons of Wearing School Uniforms

Should students have to wear school uniforms? The debate goes on in schools and at homes. With most American public schools nowadays enforcing the wearing of uniforms inside schools, teachers and parents are weighting whether a uniform policy is necessary or not. Let us take a look at the arguments on both sides of the coin.

List of Pros of Wearing School Uniforms

1. Helps enforce positive behavior.
Educators and experts who support that school uniforms should be implemented argue that uniforms contribute positively to the behavior of students. They believe that students feel more professional and feel like they belong to something when they wear school uniforms, encouraging them to behave accordingly as a result. In addition, distracting fashion trends and status -symbol clothing are eliminated, enabling students to focus more on their academic goals. Or in other words, there is less focus on fashion in the classroom and more on learning.

2. Makes morning easier for parents.
When there is no debate on what students are allowed to wear to school, then mornings would be extra easier for parents. This means decreased morning arguments as everyone knows exactly that the only dress to wear is the regulated school uniform.

3. Creates a sense of school spirit.
Experts who support the school uniform policy believe that wearing uniforms can help develop a stronger team mentality among the student body. Also, as it evens the playing field, there is decreased bullying and teasing related to clothes.

4. Controls dress code.
With uniform school policy, things like modesty issues, gang colors, offensive text on shirts and the like are eliminated. In addition, teachers are spared the extra task of having to monitor their students’ attire.

5. It is cheaper.
Buying a new school wardrobe every class opening can be hard on the budget. Whereas with uniforms, parents only need to buy a few pieces of school uniforms every year or when needed. After all, uniforms are designed to stand up repeated washings, so it is much more economical.

6. Leaves extra budget for stylish weekend clothing.
With parents able to save money from not having to by everyday clothes for school, parents can afford and can choose to have their children wear fashionable and branded clothing on weekends. Not only that, as students wear uniform the entire weekdays, they might be able to appreciate their weekend clothes more.

List of Cons of Wearing School Uniforms

1. Limits self-expression.
This has always been the major argument raised against school uniforms. Critics believe that forcing kids to wear uniforms to school limits their personal expression. They argue that kids lose their self-identity when they lose their right to freely express themselves through personal fashion.

2. High initial cost.
Although we pointed out earlier that school uniforms are more economical compared to buying a school wardrobe, critics argue that it can be costly to buy several uniforms at once. Also, there are many other types of uniforms parents are required to buy aside from the everyday uniform. There are also the P.E. uniforms and formal uniforms.

3. Can get uncomfortable.
School uniforms are the not most snugly piece of clothing there is. Some kids may find their fabric itchy, while others may find the zippers and buttons restrictive. Then also, some girls don’t like wearing dresses or skirts, which is what most girl’s uniforms require.

Conclusion

Certainly, school uniforms are not for everyone; however, the argument seems to favor the pros more, providing many advantages than disadvantages to the uniform school policy.