Maus

The Necessity for School Uniforms in Public Schools Today’s youth are faced with many challenges, from getting a date to the school dance or mending a broken friendship. Being a teenager is a difficult stage in ones life because it is a time of trials and tribulations when comfort and safety are highly necessary. Unfortunately, in today’s world it is very hard for children to grow and learn in a safe environment. School, a place meant for the acquirement of knowledge has become a violent and competitive place in which students do not feel safe. One of the main factors contributing to violence in schools is clothing. Students use clothing as a way to attack their peers emotionally and physically. This pain would be minimized if public schools implemented school uniforms. By enforcing uniforms, schools will decrease violence, teasing, social stratification, and competition among peers while also saving the parents of student’s money. The increasingly violent environment of today’s public school would be minimized through the implementation of school uniforms. The statistics for students who carry weapons to school are staggering. According to the National Center for Educational Statistics, “in 2009 8 percent of males carried a weapon on school property, compared to 3 percent of females” (Indicators of School Crime and Safety). Even though these percentages might seem low, they are still too high because even if 1 percent of students carried a weapon, another student’s life could be endangered. Clearly, weapons are a serious threat to students and schools can minimize the threat of these weapons by implementing a dress code that will make it impossible for students to carry or hide weapons in their clothing (such as under their baggy shirts or pants). Mr. Wider, Ed.D states that “Some schools even require students to have the belt line exposed at all times for fear of guns concealed under clothing.”(Wilder and Key) Therefore, through strict dress codes the possibility that a student will carry a weapon will decrease and schools can ensure the well being of their students. On a more personal level, imposing a dress code in public schools will help to minimize the constant teasing that many students endure due to their choice of apparel. It is obvious that today’s youth chose to express themselves in many different ways. Some students like to wear what is referred to as gothic clothing (predominantly black clothing), and others choose very tight fitting clothes. The difference in style gives students the excuse to pick on each other. Most people judge others and judging by appearance is easily done. I have been guilty of looking at someone who I feel is overly exposed and judging him or her based on his or her appearance because as Dr. Jeong-Ju Yoo, Ph.D. and Dr. Kim K. P. Johnson Ph.D. of West Virginia University state, Clothing was the most frequent focus of teasing perhaps because clothing is visible and could easily serve as the stimulus for teasing” (Jeong-Ju,Johnson, 17) .Sometimes this judgment can be harmless; however, sometimes judgment can lead to violence. Many students will take the opinions they form of others based on appearance and will initiate a physical conflict with the other person. This physical conflict can be physically and emotionally damaging. Reinforcing school uniforms in public schools will decrease the possibility of unfair judgment due to apparel, because everyone will look the same. Sure, there are other facets students can use to hurt each other’s feelings; however it is impossible to control all of the hurtful comments that are shared. Schools can decrease some of the negative comments based on apparel by implementing a dress code. A study done by the U.S. Department of Education “suggests that school uniforms can help reduce…the negative effects of peer pressure caused when some students come to school wearing designer clothing and expensive sneakers” (The Challenge of School Violence). If students look alike, there will be one less thing to separate them and to provide a reason for hurtful comments. Difference in clothing not only creates tension between peers but it also affects the parents/guardians of the children by creating class stratification inside of the schools. Clothes shine a spotlight on how deep ones pocket is – or more specifically how much money ones parents make. If a student is not wearing the latest trend or comes to school with a hole in his/her t-shirt other students will criticize and judge them because they are not wearing the latest trends. Since most students like to be popular or simply to not be made fun of, they will plead with their parents for new brand-name outfits. Some parents might be able to gather money in order to satisfy their child’s need for belonging and peace; however, others are simply not financially stable enough to buy brand name clothes. As my co-worker Dia put it “clothes give you a hierarchy of whose family is better off”, Dia also said “as a parent you don’t want to buy your kid something that will single him out”. School should not be a place where people are known for being wealthier or less fortunate it should be a place where people support each other in the process of achieving their educational goals. Apparel can also lead to unnecessary competition between peers. I know from experience that kids can become very competitive with one another. When I was in high school there would be instances when a verbal argument would begin because two girls were wearing the same outfit. Peers are in a constant mode of worry and preoccupation about their looks and the next outfit they are going to purchase. As M. Sue Stanley, Ph.D. states “The introduction of uniforms can reduce the emphasis on fashion wars and reinforce the acceptability of more practical, less costly school clothing.”(Stanley M.S.,428) Wearing uniforms will decrease competition and time spent on choosing tomorrows outfit, which can be used for productive purposes such as studying. Competition among girls also leads to a hypersexual environment in school. Girls not only attempt to outperform one another through their clothing, but they also use clothing as a way to compete for male attention. Society and parents need to realize that teenagers are becoming more mature for their age. In high school females use clothes as weapons against other girls but ones that can reel in the boys. When they flash extra skin they form a distraction for their male friends and also unnecessary competition with their female friends. Therefore clothing creates a very tense and distracting environment where students ability to focus on their studies is decreased. By enforcing uniforms in public schools sexual distractions will be minimized and students will pay more attention to the actual process of learning. Some people such as Scott Key, Ph.D. might argue that with dress codes “Individuality is suppressed. Student voice is suppressed.”(Wilder and Key) therefore imposing a dress code in public schools will have a negative impact on students by restraining their opportunity for self-expression. They will say that students should be able to choose their clothing and style based on their personality. However, students can express themselves outside of school. School is a place for learning and not for expression through clothing. By limiting expression in the clothing department, students can focus on vocalizing and expressing their unique educational views. Therefore self-expression is not stifled through the reinforcement of uniforms; however, it is encouraged through a more productive and empowering way, through the use of knowledge. Others might also argue that school uniforms are simply too expensive and that many people cannot afford them. However, as previously mentioned, there is increased competition between peers over the clothes they wear; this competitive nature leads them to plead with their parents for new clothes every couple of weeks. That is not to say that every high school student is extremely fashion conscious; however, a majority of students will spend an overwhelming amount of money on clothes through the school year. However if uniforms were implemented they can “ease the strain on parental budgets a particular advantage in low-income families or during economic times when adults are struggling to do more with less” (Stanley M.S.,427) Therefore, even though school uniforms might form a slight dent in a parent’s pocket at the beginning of the school year, in the long run they will save money for parents and students. It seems that today’s society is more focused on providing a school environment that is tolerable to self expression through clothing due to fear of suppressing the students individualism, and in turn their ability to learn. However, students use this loose constraint on the dress code to promote physical and emotional violence. Clothing is used as a destructive weapon that creates an environment where bullying, social stratification and competition are placed before education. Therefore it is highly necessary that school uniforms be reinforced in public schools. With school uniforms there will be increased concentration, decreased violence and more focus that students can pour into striving for a bigger and better future, one where education is highly valued. Works Cited “Indicators of School Crime and Safety: 2010 – Executive Summary.” National Center for Education Statistics (NCES) Home page, a Part of the U.S. Department of Education. Web. 29 Oct. 2011. . Stanley, M.S. “School Uniforms and Safety.” Education and Urban Society 28.4 (1996): 424-35. Sage Publications. Web. 1 Nov. 2011. . “The Challenge of School Violence. “Constitutional Rights Foundation. 2011. Web. 2 Nov. 2011. . Wilder, Larry, and Scott Key. “Pros and Cons of School Dress Code.” FPU News. Web. 01 Nov. 2011. . Yoo, Jeong-Ju, and Kim K.P. Johnson. “Self-Objectification and Appearance-Based Teasing During Adolescence. “Journal of Family and Consumer Sciences Education 26.1 (2008): 14-28. Web. 3 Nov. 2011. .