Understanding The Pros And Cons Of School Uniforms
It always becomes a matter of debate whether children should wear uniforms. Some may say uniform is important because it's integral to student life. What's a student without a school uniform? School uniforms make children feel like they are students, which is why students need to wear them. Because if they do not wear school uniforms, they will lose the essence of being a student. And some believe uniforms are unnecessary. They frame an authority over young children. Those same colored uniforms limit their creativity. It's a form of control that tells them to never be out of line. Children aren't prisoners. Uniforms are old school, then why follow these rules?
And both of the above statements seem equally agreeable. Then what to do, what to support? To conclude, we need to scrutinize both pros and cons of school uniforms. Only then can we get an answer. Let's start with the pros and then further move to the cons.
Pros of School Uniforms
1. Saves time
School uniforms are efficient because you don't need to wonder what to wear. It brings havoc early in the morning when you don't know what to wear. A heap of clothes in your wardrobe makes it harder to decide what will be the best option for you to wear. Half of the productive time goes to waste, wondering what to wear to school.
Sometimes students feel shame in repeating their clothes to school. Therefore, school uniforms relieve that anxiety. Sometimes even after wearing a particular outfit, your mind still wanders through other options which take your focus. Wearing the clothes and then changing them back continues, whereas, with school uniforms, there's no such trouble.
2. Creates discipline
Uniforms are helpful because they bring discipline to young students. And discipline is the most significant need in student life. Doctors, lawyers, police officers, and every profession have uniforms, so why should a student be bereft of this opportunity?
A uniform connects a student to their Institute, reminding them of their school life once they complete their education. The attire gives them a feeling of belonging and nostalgia of having spent countless days in the school with fellow mates. School uniforms teach young students how to be responsible and follow proper instructions.
3. Breaks status walls among student
When all students are clad in the same uniforms, they are unaware of each other's economic status, making it easier for them to establish friendships. The lack of awareness of financial background is equal to a lack of judgment based on how much money one's parent has. When there is no such status wall among students, they understand each other more. They build a true friendship that lasts forever. They judge each other on their behavior rather than bills, which would have otherwise given them a sense of superiority. And even if later they find out each other's economic backgrounds, it becomes easier for them to accept each other based on their personality.
4. Frees from insecurities
One of the most prominent problems children usually do not share with their parents is their growing insecurities. Appearance has become a more significant issue nowadays. No one ever knows how often a person looks at themselves in the mirror and feels ugly. In such conditions, the lack of school uniforms may force young children to participate in a fashion race.
This fashion race can cause a lot of frenzies and appearance-related insecurities in young students later in their lives, which may cause depression, anxiety, and several mental disorders. Hence, school uniforms guarantee the elimination of such fashion races. No student should feel that they should wear expensive shoes and clothes to fit in a crowd; therefore, school uniforms are a great way to maintain discipline.
5. No worries about buying new clothes every week
In the presence of school uniforms, students will not have to buy new clothes every week to impress their peers or show off. The lack of uniform builds pressure upon students to wear new garments daily, which is undoubtedly not pocket friendly. Plus, school is a place where you increase your social skills and knowledge and not a place to flaunt your fashion sense. Students are young and don't understand the value of money quickly and pressure their parents into buying more clothes for them, which can be evenly stressful for parents as well. Hence, school uniforms don't pose such problems.
Cons of School Uniforms
1. Brings discomfort
Many times uniforms cause discomfort to children. The style, the cloth, the pattern, anything can be uncomfortable for a child. Sometimes certain types of uniforms become the cause of anxiety for students. Maintaining a uniform is a challenging task. Students may lose their focus while studying because their uniforms are troubling and may affect their learning process.
2. Uniform doesn't keep up with the trend
Often you have seen students complaining about how bad their uniform looks. Uniforms are indeed styled according to the need of the specific institution. And the needs of the institutions don't sound similar to the wants of students. They want something that can look flattering on them. And the same uniform may not look flattering on all the students. It may not look suitable for specific body types, and the color of the uniform may not suit certain complexion types. So, there are a lot of issues that come with school uniforms.
3. Reinforces gender norms
"Trousers are for boys, and skirts are for girls." How many times have you heard these sentences? School uniforms control what a girl should wear and what a boy should wear, and they don't give way to students to wear whatever they want by their own choice. And often, students struggle with this. School uniforms imply the idea of having two genders only. And you have to fit in those two genders. In contrast, the lack of uniforms enables students to explore their gender. Clothes do not have a gender, but school uniforms have. And even if you set one type of school uniform for everyone. It still doesn't allow students to wear clothes according to the gender they identify themselves with.
4. Prevents students from exercising their choice
School uniforms often come in the way of students when they want to choose. In some schools, even wearing hair bands of colors that do not match school uniforms is prohibited, and usually, the child is punished for such a trivial mistake. Can a student not even wear their favorite color hairband or hair clip? Uniforms come in the way of a student's decision-making because everything is already decided, making students feel dependent or controlled by the institution. The lack of colors in school uniforms can also put students' identities into gray. Hence, school uniforms can become a threat to a student's personal choice.
5. Gives in a way to moral policing
Often young students are morally policed by their educators on how they dress. "Your skirt is too short; your shorts are too short." Students have heard these types of sentences often in their institutions.
These moral policing teachers dictate even the way a student wears their hair. "Don't wear your hair down, and don't put color in them." These are things said to boys and girls in their schools. These things may discourage a child, and in the future, they may feel uncomfortable wearing the outfit of their choice because they fear they will make others uncomfortable with their businesses. Even the personal problems of some students are not considered. Teachers see the length of skirts and shorts and ignore the weather condition. Students may learn to adjust to harsh conditions, which can later prove harmful. It can establish trauma in children or fear.
Conclusion
School uniforms both have flaws and advantages. You can check the pros and cons and decide what you support. Do you still think a child must wear a school uniform, or are school uniforms not helpful? Do you support the presence of uniforms in education-providing institutions, or do you feel there's no need for it? Your opinion matters, and if you want to know more or read more about education-related things, visit educationalcraft.com and form your opinions.