This, then, would be the post on school uniforms, completing by 2 part series on junior high. The reason why this is about junior high and not about elementary school or high school is that in elementary school you have no choice; while in high school, you can always leave. In junior high, you think you have a choice, but really don't. Junior high seems to be the point where people really start to feel frustrated with their limitations. But more about school uniforms.And, FYI, I define junior high as grades 6 to 9. There are variations, such as 6 to 8 or 7 to 9, but 6 to 9 will fit for my purposes.
Uniformly bad: There are several problems with uniforms. The first is that they impose the will of the person who select the uniforms on everyone. As anyone who has been forced to wear clothes they don't like can tell you, forced clothes are horrible. They never look good, they itch, they fit horribly. And the person who picked them doesn't have to wear them.
The next problem with school uniforms is that they aren't fair. That is to say, the teachers don't have to wear uniforms but the students do. This may not seem like much - I mean, life is unfair, right? But this has a stronger negative effect in that it teaches kids that authourity is to be obeyed, even if the authourities aren't following the rules. This leads to an unquestioning population, which while may seem like a good thing actually leads to things like totalitarianism.
The last major problem is that they encourage two archaic beliefs. The first is that boys will be less distracted by girls (and vice-versa) if they all dress the same; and that if all the kids look the same, they will be less likely to form cliques. This is a problem because kids will form cliques based on whatever they want - clothing is only one part, and besides, kids will dress however they want outside of school anyway. And the former is a problem because the simple acknowledgement of that belief perpetuates and encourages it - it teaches boys and girls that they should be distracted by the opposite sex and their appearance.
We're all the same, and have the uniforms to prove it: Any small problems with uniforms are vastly outweighed by the benefits. Uniforms come in many sizes; it's not like they are one size fits all. One of the strongest benefits is that uniforms teach kids to dress in accordance to a certain set of standards. Virtually any workplace, expect for virtual workplaces, will have a dress code. Just as english class teaches kids how to put thought into a coherent argument, so uniforms, so uniforms teach kids to dress appropriately.
True, kids will form cliques. But in order to do so, they will have to actually talk to the other kids and make a judgement on more than just a first cursory glance. If uniforms make kids have to place less value on appearance, that's a good thing. And maybe dealing with the symptom - boys getting distracted by girl's clothing and vice versa - is a good step to find the cure. Most junior high school teachers don't really care if they are perpetuating some archaic belief. They just want to have the student's attention. One less distraction is a blessing.
Lastly, uniforms are cheaper. Kid's clothes can be expensive. Every person who was a teenager remembers this, and not having to buy 8 million outfits for their kids is great. Any parent will tell you that if they can save money on a cosmetic part of their kids lives, they will be able to spend more on the things that really matter.
What I think: I personally disagree with school uniforms, which shouldn't be a surprise to anyone who read my last post. The caveat to that is always that it really comes down to the parent. If the parent wants their kid to wear a uniform, then they are going to wear it. When I have spoken to people who went to schools with uniforms, girls (now women) were fairly consistent in their approval. They felt much less the intense need to compete with all the other girls. One thing I find ironic is that, while some parents may want their daughters to attend a school with uniforms to help prevent them from wearing sexual clothing, they are putting them in one of the most sexualized uniforms in current pop culture ( the school girl). And yes, the term ironic was used properly in the last sentence.
How I relate: Again, never went to a school that requires uniforms. Had some friends that did. I definitely notice the students who do go to uniformed schools - because they look so different than students from other schools. I don't know how I would feel if I did have kids, but I would probably still be opposed to it. Now that I am an adult, I do have a dress code but not a uniform, although some jobs have had uniforms (like McDonald's). I think that if I had been forced to wear a uniform when I was in school, I would be wanted some freedom from that once I finished.
I'm not sure where I'm going to go from these posts, I don't have any specific ideas right now. I will reread some of my old posts as I have put some topics in there that I haven't touched on yet.
1 comment:
I haven't had to wear a uniform for school, but in jobs. And from personal experience from that, it was horrible to walk around anywhere outside of work with the uniform on, but was easier for working without distraction.
I would think that wearing a uniform in school, particularily for girls, would be a good thing for that reason. having once been a teenaged girl i know the stigma clothing and accessories have... especially if you are a "have not", which I was.
Making a uniform for school, to me, levels the playing field a bit. Sure, you will still have cliques, groups, herds, you will never get rid of that. But there is alot of general anxt surrounding apperance, and that is not apparent in uniform readied schools.
Normally i would be oppossed to something that squashes expression and learning about yourself through expression, but when I was in high school I often thought things would be easier (not totally, but still) if everyone had to dress the same at least in school. You can wear and be whom ever you choose when you are done school... but school has a purpose. Much like a job has a purpose. And instilling things like uniforms to get performance is one of those things that I totally understand.
Post a Comment