High School Uniforms Essay, Research Paper
High School Uniforms in our Country
School uniforms have been an issue in our nation for quite some time. Many of today?s teens, find that it is very uncomfortable to wear uniforms to school. The biggest question that school uniforms raise, is weather or not wearing uniforms makes the students more disciplined to do their school work. Researchers have now found the facts of the continuing issue of school uniforms and the effects they have on the student body.
Students of today, are very self conscience about themselves and the clothing that they wear. If someone where to take a student that is very self conscience and told him/her to put on the uniform that made him feel uncomfortable, what is the point? The point is children have the right to wear what they want and to be an individual. Every child in this country has the right to get a public school education, and that right can not be conditioned upon compliance with a uniform policy. Some parents and children will have religious objections to uniforms which brings on another issue to deal with. In our nation today, Americans have the choice to support any of the thousands of religions that our society offers. Many parents do not want to send their kids to a school in which religion takes place in a big part of the school. In an interview with Robert J. Quackenbush, he replied “If I wanted my children to go to a school which supported school uniforms, I would send him to a private school. Since that isn?t the case I dont feel that my children should have to wear them in any circumstance.” Individuality is one of the biggest issues that high school students deal with every day. Since individuality is such a big deal, why not let them be who they are and not what someone wants them to be.
The behavior of the students is a big concern to all of the teachers and staff members of high schools around the nation. Some think that if young teens are dressed in the same manor, they do not have to go through the fight of who is wearing the most expensive clothing. “I am a 9th grader at Northeaster high school and I think that uniforms are nice because you can?t tell the rich from the poor but a lot of kids dont like them.” As anyone can plainly see, students have mixed feelings about wearing school uniforms and there is nothing wrong with that. As adults it is our responsibility to make some decisions in our children?s lives. Dr. Harold Goldstein of “Bethlehem Trinity Lutheran high school” is the superintendent who also has a very strong view on school uniforms:
In all of the 15 years I have been teaching, I have never seen a school that resembles an institution atmosphere as much as B.T.L.H. At first, we believed that the uniform would improve academics and increase order in the classroom. But in reality , it is an unspirited group of children who no longer respect the adult authority (qtd. In Time 17).
This quote shows a person with much authority who does not like the idea of making students wear uniforms. From the facts, anyone can see that there are more negatives than there are positives.
Last but not least, the cost of school uniforms is something that people look at as a big negative. Uniforms do cost more money but not enough for a school to disregard the thought of students wearing uniforms. “The cost is very similar to the cost of an ordinary run of the mill outfit that someone would buy from J.C. Penny which includes everything to cover from head to toe” (Chicago Tribune 33). When we talk about our children?s education, money should not be an option. However, in some families forty dollars might make or break the family one month. In a national survey of school uniform manufacture?s, the cost of school uniforms fluctuated anywhere from $20.00-$60.00 (National Survey).
COST
$60.00
$50.00
$40.00
$30.00
$20.00
Company “school uniform” “the boss” “better clothing” “Ankur garments”
As this chart shows, there are many different clothing company?s with a range of prices. Cost is not a factor in the decision of making hundreds of children wear uniforms to study in their local high schools. The fact that hundreds of family?s would be spending more money, does not seem to bother any of the staff members of the high school. However, it does in fact raise question in the home of the children across the nation.
School uniforms are indeed a big issue in the United States of America as well as in fellow nations. The facts are clear, uniforms are a nuisance to all public schools in the United States of America. Although some of the facts point to uniforms being a positive idea, there are more negatives than positives. Will school uniform polices change in the 21st century? For the sake of my children and my grandchildren, I hope we will have a stronger government that will be able to help decide some of these questions that we all have.