I still think we are missing the point. School uniforms do have a place. But they are not a cure all as they are promoted as. It was said in a previous post that personality (not clothes) creates individualism. What do you think is the cause of most conflicts is the school setting. As was also said in a previous post uniforms must be part of a larger structure. Anyone who says uniforms are the beginings of socialism is full of S***. Alot of companies have dress codes so maybe they should get used to it now. My father works for a transport company and has to confirm to a dress code that dictates not only the type of clothes but also the color and shade. The same story when I worked at Wally-World.

 

no no, kids are all the same trying to be "different" and "unique"

i often wonder just how many different hollister shirts, american eagle and abercrombie and finch clothes can poeple have?

around where i live those are the only places anyone shops, they all look like a bunch of little (or should i say fat) robots walking around.

but hey, it provides amusment for me and my wife at school.

 

"get use to it now"

a very lame reason.

it does not take getting use to to wear a uniform.

a person finds a job that requires it? then just wear it, it is not something a person must condition them selves in getting use to.

there are many things kids do that they will not do as adults, perhaps we should remove every thing from them so they "get use to it"?

 

This attitude of "there just kids" is exactly what has led us down this road. And your right maybe they will choose a job that does not require a uniform. But even so what harm will come from them wearing a uniform from 8AM to 3PM. Yeah there are certian kids who would protest it til eternity. But you know what? kids don't like green vegetables either but does that mean we let them fill up on sugar? Let them get used to a uniform and if there job they they choose does not require one one then there are not out much are they?

 

no, it is not the attitude of "they are just kids" it is the taking of responsibilty one little bit at a time from parents that have led down this road. now many just expect someone else to show their kid the right path in life, heck, the gov does about every thing else for them, even now soon telling them how to dress!

nothing will harm them wearing a uniform, but it will still never change who they are, which seems to be the call for the uniforms.

just like in england they wear uniforms, the school ho will still hike that uniform skirt up as soon as she steps off the school property and the dude wanna be gang member will still flash his signs.

 

How did I become capable of what I am?

Although then again - how did I sink so low.....

 

Lets see now, if I do not wear my standard issue uniform to my place of employment, I will be dismissed. The kids will see me as unemployed. Which of the two scenarios will be more prominent in the kids memory ? Me being unable to provide food and shelter for them or me having to wear the same old uniform to work everyday ?

School uniforms takes away the peer pressure for students of who is looking better than who, on a given day. They take away the need for the thoughts for the student, of what they should wear that day to look as good or better than their peers. What they need to wear to school that day doesnt even enter their mind before,during, or after class as they grab the standard uniform from their closet. ...

Why is that significant ? This means the students mind has more space to absorb WHAT they are supposed to be doing. Getting that education, so they will have the better opportunity to have the choice of what they wear when they become an adult. When at the time in their life, what they wear daily really does matter to them.

Military talk now eh ? Excellent point in helping me to state my position on the need for school dress codes. So, why doesnt the military not let its recruits just were their street clothes rather than military issued uniforms ? I see it as being the need for regiment,discipline and simplification of carrying out duties and instant recognition of ones duties.....

The recruits are at that boot camp to do one thing, become a soldier. Keep their minds focused on one thing, being the best they can be at what they are there for. When I see a military field presentation/drill performed by a platoon all in their dress whites or standard colors, it gives me goose bumps of pride and joy seeing their accomplishments...

There they are, all dressed alike on that parade field, doing their drill in perfect uniformity as one well oiled machine , all focused on one goal , to be their best. No soldier on that field is worried about if his buddy at his/her shoulder has a better designer shirt on that day..

Oversimplication here I know, but put those idealologies in the school class room. Oh yes, it wreaks of socialism doesnt it ? I do not care if it does. These kids are kids, they need to grow up to be the best they can be by getting the best and most education they possibly can. The designer clothes they wear in school on the big picture of life doesnt matter. It is what they become as an adult, as a productive citizen in our nation, is what matters....

If something as simple as the kids having to wear all blue and white uniforms to class provides them that little added edge in preparation for adulthood, then great, do it ! jmo

 

What better way to prepare them for life than to let them go through their early years thinking they are equal to everyone else and entitled to the same. This is where poor parenting comes into play. Had the parent done their jobs, these kids wouldnt have such a problem with this. Thats life, some people are rich, some are poor, some waste their money on expensive clothes to be cool and some dont. The sooner they realize and deal with this, the better off they are. I NEVER had to wear a uniform in school, i was also in the lower to middle class and never owned a pair of levis. My parents did their shopping at wal mart. This actually made me a stronger and better person because i didnt have all the fancy crap handed to me on a platter like the rich kids. It also taught me that if i didnt want my kids to wear rags to school, i better get my but home to study...go to college, get a degree and get a great job so they would be better off than i was. So, the not wearing uniforms affected TWO generations for the better. Uniforming kids it a bandage for poor parents, plain and simple. They are going to be pretty dam sad when they get out of school and into the real world and realize that everyone is not the same.

 

You make some interesting points.


There's plusses and minuses to both...I grew up on the poor to middle class side too. Never hungry, but never rich either. Seems to me that most folks around me were more or less in the same boat. There was one rich family, but the kids were "normal" and likeable by all. There were a few very poor families, but frankly, the rest of us just pitched in where we could and we all got along fine.

 

i can not beleive someone even comapred the military to school age kids.

totally 2 differnt things.

college students do not wear uniforms (most), perhaps you think they should be made to? would that apply to all students? full time? part time also? or what if just one class in the evening? after all, we are preparing them for the big bad world, but wait, not all college students are out of high school, so should everyone in college regardless of age and back ground wear a uniform?

my job before the military did not have a uniform and my job after does not have a uniform. niether one of my parents where a uniform to work nor does anyone in either of the companies they work for.

you may wear a uniform but that does not mean everyone does and you have a choice, you can always quit and find a job where you do not have to wear a uniform.

so we all should feel sorry for little johnny because his parents were not successful in life. we should disgrace little suzie because she cares about her appearance before she goes in public.

 

Yes. And no.

If little Johnny doesn't have clothes to wear or food to eat, we should feel sorry and help where and when we can.

If Suzie chooses to ridicule little Johnny because he's poor, then YES she should be disgraced...and ashamed of herself. There's nothing wrong with caring about ones appearance, there is something VERY wrong with carrying that to the extent of publicly humiliating those who cannot afford whatever the new thing is.

There's a line in there somewhere...look harder.

 

Actually, that brings to mind an interesting point. One of the reasons my son's school has uniforms is to reduce social pressure, since some very wealthy kids go there, as well as many low to middle income kids. His uniforms were comparable in cost to decent quality clothes, and were well made and affordable. We are decidedly on the low end of middle class, and sacrificed a lot to put him through that school, but didn't find the cost of uniforms excessive. Now, participation in band was $900 a year! We found the money for that, too.
When I was a kid, I didn't know anyone who wore uniforms, but kids were very respectful, and had to wear decent clothes to school. Parents were involved (most mothers didn't work back then) and morals were still the standard in small-town America. Unfortunately, it's no longer fashionable to punish children (or adults!) so now we have the problems we have, uniforms or no. My son's school is so nice because the teachers and parents use the time-tested combination of love and discipline to raise the children. Lest you get the wrong idea, I've never hit my son. But he always knew right from wrong, and we are good friends today- no 'Daddy Dearest' stuff going on. I credit both my wife and myself, along with an excellent school. Uniforms probably wouldn't have made much of a difference, but at least we were never under any pressure to buy expensive designer clothes. As a matter of fact, he wears pretty much the same type of clothes he wore in school, minus the school logo on the shirts. Other than the logo, they were pretty much 'business casual'- Docker-type pants and a polo shirt. On Fridays, the seniors could wear a dress shirt and tie. Worked for us.

 

Well, that certainly makes sense.

 

I do think that. Does your daughter go to a private school or a public school?

Ones personality most definitely gives them individualism, however I don't see how restricting their ability to express that through their choice of clothing does them any good.

 

You all talk about peer pressure and this kids making fun of that kid because they arent wearing the right clothes.
Doesnt it all come back to parenting though? I dunno about the rest of you, but when I was a kid my parents sat me down one day and told me that no matter what I have, Im no better and no worse than anyone else.
Perhaps if more parents actually did their jobs, we wouldnt have so many problems in schools today.
I went through high school wearing flannel shirts, blue jeans and work boots. None of them were fancy, designed brand names. I bought whatever flannel shirts were on sale at Farm and Fleet, Wrangler jeans ($20 each and I bought them because they fit the best, not because they were "cool") and whatever workboots were on sale at Farm and Fleet (usually Work 'n Sport). No one ever made fun of me for dressing like that because they all knew thats the kind of person I was.
Its kind of funny that it wasnt until I got out into the adult world that people started calling me a, "redneck" as if that was some kind of insult.