Out with Self-Expression, In with Uniforms
Many different blogs caught my attention about school uniforms. The two that held my attention the most were “School Uniforms-Good or Bad?” and “School Uniforms: Still a Good Idea”. Just the title of these made me have the desire to read them. The authors of both blogs used interesting persuasive stories in each, but the one I sided with more was “School Uniforms-Good or Bad?”.
This blog is about a mother, Kathy Lauer-Williams, who has put her son in a school with uniforms and a school without them. Her blog was short and sweet with only one picture of a girl in a school uniform; knee-length plaid skirt, white turtle-neck shirt tucked in, with close-toed shoes. In her blog, she states: “When he wore a uniform, I never had to think when laying out his school clothes.” All she would have to do is make sure his uniform was clean for the next day. When he was transferred to a school without uniforms, she says, “I was faced with a shortage of outfits”, and she did not want to send him to school in his old uniform clothing. She loved seeing him in not so boring colors and she felt like he could express himself better (Lauer-Williams). This is very important for child development. It helps the child feel better about themselves when they can pick out their own clothing and helps them feel like they have an opinion about themselves. I know this from experience. An interesting statement she makes that helped me favor her blog over many others was, “Proponents of uniforms says they level the playing field and prevent kids comparing each other by brands and styles. Opponents say uniforms stifle a child’s creativity and self expression.” I strongly agree with what the opponents say because, personally, I have experienced uniforms, and they squelched my creativity, particularly with how I expressed myself through dressing.
The second blog I read and chose to discuss was “School Uniforms: Still a Good Idea.” There were no pictures in this blog, and the page itself was quite boring. It only contained the blog itself and who posted it. I did not agree as much with this blog. When I read the title, I automatically knew I was not going to agree with the information in this blog. After reading it I did not, for the most part. Joseph DiSalvo, the author, mainly talks about how he agrees with the wearing of school uniforms and because teachers do not enforce regular dress codes, he thinks schools should go to uniforms. This blog is mainly directed to the attention of gangs in Santa Clara and San Jose. Some parents were concerned with what their children could wear to school because gangs were becoming a big factor on certain colors of clothing and even mascots associated with the school. The school mascot is a shark and if students wore this, members of certain gangs would beat them up (DiSalvo). If the teachers and staff at this school would enforce the dress code and suspend the students who wore the gang related clothing, then this would not be a problem. However, Disalvo states the following:
“Allowing students to wear what they wish in a vaguely enforced dress code is not good enough in these times, even though many of my liberal friends would argue that students’ freedom of self-expression is one of the most important elements of our public school system.”(DiSalvo)
Enforcing a dress code in a public school should not be too difficult, but it obviously is sense so many schools are adopting the uniform policy.
School Uniforms are becoming more common in every public school (Bodine 1). As I was researching school uniforms, I found an article with some shocking information. One of the statements that made my jaw drop was in a journal by Ann Bodine. According to one of her sources: “All distinctions of wealth will be done away with. Every pupil in the school will be required to wear a uniform”(qtd. in Bodine 2). Yes, this is true. Parents will no longer have to be concerned about what clothes to buy their children; they will have a boring list. Students will not be able to express themselves or have their own style because they do not have a choice of clothing to wear for school. Students will suffer because teachers could not enforce a simple dress code policy in the first place.
Self-expression is very important in the development of students of all ages (Bodine 2). Yet, with all the studies shown in her journal, every student will be wearing school uniforms and that is all they will know. They will not even realize self-expression is being taken away from them. Teachers, school board members, and even parents who are for uniforms, do not realize they have hindered self-expression for students, or how uniforms will affect students’ lives in the long run.
Works Cited
Bodine, Ann. “School Uniforms, Academic Achievement, and Uses of Research.” Journal of Education Research 97.2 (2003): 67-71. Academic Search Complete. EBSCO.Web. 19 Feb 2010.
DiSalvo, Joseph. “School Uniforms: Still a Good Idea.” (2009). Web. 19 Feb 2010 http://www.sanjoseinside.com/sji/blog/entries/school_uniforms_still_a_good_idea/.
Lauer-Williams, Kathy. “School Uniforms-Good or Bad?” (2009). Web. 19 Feb 2010 http://blogs.mcall.com/parents/2009/11/school-uniforms-good-or-bad.html.
Bibliography
Cole, Ryan L. “School Uniform Option Anyone?” (2010). Web http://spectator.org/blog/2010/01/20/school-uniform-option-anyone.
Pytel, Barbara. “School Uniforms Popular.” (2007). Web http://www.suite101.com/blog/pytel/school_uniforms_popular.
