1 School uniforms are becoming
more and more popular across
the U.S.A. That’s no surprise,
because they offer many benefits.
They instantly end the powerful
social sorting and labeling that
come from clothing. If all
students are dressed in the same
way, they will not be distracted
by fashion competition. Some
students will also not be excluded
or laughed at because they wear
the “wrong” clothes.
2 Some people object to
the “regimentation” of school
uniforms, but they do not realize
that students already accept
a kind of regimentation —
wanting to look just like their
friends. The difference is that
the clothing students choose for
themselves creates social
barriers; school uniforms tear
those barriers down.
3 As in other places, uniforms
remind the wearers of their
purpose and responsibilities.
When a man or woman puts on a
police uniform, for example, he
or she becomes, for a time, the
symbol of law and order. The
uniform signifies to the wearer
his or her special duties and
sends the same message to
everyone the wearer meets.
Many different professions wear
uniforms of one kind or another.
For students, the school uniform
reminds them that their
responsibility for the six or seven
hours they are in school is to get
an education.
4 Some parents complain that
school uniforms will affect their
children’s “creativity.” First, as
noted above, the clothes students
typically wear do not express
their individuality. They just
copy their classmates. Second,
students have the rest of the day
to be as creative as they like.
While they’re in school, their job
is to master reading, writing, and
arithmetic; this should engage all
the creativity they have. Mastery
of those skills will enrich the
creativity the students apply in
every aspect of their lives.