Poll: "Uniforms" in public school

[Brainsaw]

This is were growing up in a area that's basically a modern town surrounded by farms and woods is an actual advantage: The local schools don't give a rat's ass about your clothes. Basic run down of dress code as follows.

-pants or shorts: Khaki or jeans are fine. Shorts are fine all year round whereas pants are only practical during the winter as forcing students to wear long pants in our hot and humid summers is just cruel. Even the local private schools know this.

-shirts. All range of shirts are fine, just none with gang symbols or have something depicting sex or drug abuse.

-for girls any skirts worn must be within 2 inches of knees in length.

Pretty lax and lets the students wear what they want.

Personally I think strict dress codes in public school is complete bullshit. Bad enough going to school is mandatory and takes up pretty much the entirety of the formative years of your life, even worse is to have something as superficial as clothing dictated to you under the BS reason of: It gets you ready for the workforce where you may have uniforms. They're uniforms, you just stick them on and you're good to go. I don't care how bleak people's outlooks on others is, this is a very simple concept there's no reason to crush a medium of expression for that. Plus if they're in a gang, clothing is the least of your worries and can be countered by other means than taking away a freedom from everyone else.

 

[mjc0961]

I think that's a bit too far. If they want to have uniforms that are provided for the school so people don't have to go out and buy clothes just to keep their kids from being in trouble, then fine. But those rules are quite too strict if you're expecting everyone to pay for them out of pocket. Clothes aren't cheap and the might be defining their students entire wardrobe now: I've seen a few mentions of just being able to change into something else when you get home, but if you can't afford anything else to change into that's a bit shit.

The haircut thing is also quite stupid, especially for a public school. For a private school I can see, it but for a public school? The administration needs to get over itself.

I don't like the "it gets you ready for work uniforms" and "it will stop people from being picked on" things either. You don't need to be prepared for work uniforms. You wear one specific outfit usually provided by the employer while you are on the job, and then you can go home and change into something that is you because the employer didn't decide they need to dictate your entire wardrobe. As for people being picked on, well people are dickheads. So what if they can't pick on you because they have the same clothes as you, there are still plenty of other things they can find to pick on others about and they will.

 

[Fuselage]

My school in Australia has been doing this since I was in Kindergarten. Most Aussie schools do this.

 

[Addendum_Forthcoming]

Your uniform is shite <.<

A uniform should be cute and pretty That being said I'm out of Highschool now so I couldn't really give a toss what you young'uns have to wear ;P

Tha being said I can empathise for my memories of a poorly designed school-endorsed outfit ;_;

That being said, school uniforms are actually a good equalizer. Whilst people (students) may think them draconian they do allow students to see themselves in terms beyond poor and rich. Whilst it's not the perfect system for imposing egalitarianism, it's still fairly effective.

School uniforms are good for poorer families actually, because usually school uniforms are stocked by retailers in the local county for mass consumption.

Not only this, but because whether you are rich or poor it's not likely to be advertised as much so due to your uniform.

So uniforms in public schools also help against truancy. When I say 'help' I really mean reduce the ability for students to easily shirk their education.

Arguable a debate, but regardless still a point in the defence of uniforms.

That being said it's still no excuse for a poorly designed outfit <.< But that argument is born from a dislike of my school's old uniform policies.

 

[thejboy88]

I went through ten years of having ot wear a school uniform at three separate schools. Counld'nt stand them. Much prefer my own clothes. I don't like being made to wear someone else's colours. I don't think kids in this day and age should have to wear them, they're a relic.

 

[superbatranger]

Well, I've never had to wear a uniform. But, I can see why it would be disliked as much as it is. It practically kills individuality and the ability to express one's self. To be honest, I don't think I ever saw anyone get bullied over the clothes they wore.

 

[Addendum_Forthcoming]

I don't understand how this is such a big issue. It's a uniform. Now go learn something.

Whilst a very small-time supporter of uniforms, I have to say that self-expression is directly linked to cultural development and attaining ever higher levels of civility and social mobility. In essence, you learn by setting yourself apart in self-expression.

It's a fundamental skill to indulge in means to deliver extrospective expression in artistic and aesthetic pursuits at a young age as it is a key stone skill in developing a healthier level of social expression later in life.

There's nothing quintessentially wrong with uniforms, but they should allow a greater degree of autonomy. Not saying go crazy with it, but there should be a balance between the need for social cohesion and artistic expression.

 

[Kevonovitch]

eh, i never cared myself, i just thought they would suck, uncomfortable, looks bland, no fun....yeah that would suck :/

 

[Lem0nade Inlay]

Who cares? It's just clothes.

I'm just thankful my school has awesome colours.

 

[Ithera]

School has always been an venue where people can flaunt their material wealth and practice discrimination against those with less. School uniforms eliminates part of this problem and makes this institution a better place for everybody.

Of course, there are those who would argue otherwise. But i fancy those have never really experienced the social downsides that come from a strained budget. One can perhaps deduce that my years of public school were not very happy? you would be correct. I blame some of these shortcomings on dress codes.

 

[smithy_2045]

There is absolutely nothing wrong with school uniforms.

 

[Kraiiit]

Fine, have a school dress code that people can take off when they get home or whatever, but don't make them keep a specific hair-cut. That's just fucking stupid and unfair.

Heh, come visit Singapore sometime. Rigid dress codes, specific hair cuts, and the fucking control freaks even regulate the hairbands and contact lens color tints.

Shit's fucked up till you get out of secondary (high) school, but Polytechnics are more enlightened, fortunately.

 

[cWg | Konka]

If you can get everone in your school to ignore it then it doesnt have any power as it is very unlikly that they will punnish everone in the school

 

[ChaoticKraus]

No i'm not of the belief that your school/education facility is your god and master. That sums up how i feel about school uniforms.

Why should the school be allowed to dictate what you wear? If a school forces you to wear something they are crushing that persons personal freedom in my eyes. Who cares if people dress sexually, shows gang affiliation or look completely gothic? It's up to them how they want to be seen (and subsequently judged) by others. People are in school to learn, not to have discipline drilled into them. It's a school, not a boot-camp.

 

[The Hive Mind]

The only thing that kept me sane was the thought that some other schools seem to have to wear straw hats and kilts (or at least they are stocked in the place where I used to get my school uniform from)

 

[Antitonic]

Yeah, I know. It was meant to lighten the mood in here a little.

*juggles kittens*

Awww, no epic reply to my epic post?

Anything I could have added would have been a fluffed-up version of what I've already said, and I need the sleep I'd have lost coming up with a sufficient argument.

Besides, I agree with points on both sides... :/[/hypocrite]