Debate: anti-school uniforms
Thursday, December 11, 2008 3:06 PM
A little opinion of mine
A few points against mandatory school uniforms
School uniforms were first implemented to stop violence within the school, bunching up of the school into social classes, and to give the students a sense of unity. Pro-school uniform-ists also state that money is wasted buying new clothes instead of using the same old school uniforms all the time.
First and foremost, mandatory school uniforms affect the diversity of the school population, and rids us students of the freedom of expressing ourselves. Isn't youth the time to experiment, to find out what we like and what we don't, to decide how we want to present ourselves? We should be allowed to find our unique style and not be like a big army of ants. And, in a case that relates to Crescent, uniforms don't have to be exquisite and stylish, but come on! Not those uber ugly colours that who the hell knows chose. What's more, if a uniform really needs to be implemented, the parents and students should get a say on the design too. It can be conservative but attractive - the skirts don't need to be that short (parents will never agree to that) but a nice blouse fixes that. And what about a nice, maroon striped tie to match the skirt (Nothing like the ugly green and yellow one we currently use)?
EDIT: Just occurred to me that some people would use "tradition" as an excuse. Tradition isn't always the best way to go, is it? Do girls still bind their feet to make them dainty? The answer is a big fat NO!
Secondly, this solution was supposed to solve the problem of violence in the school. However, I don't see how what students wear will change how they feel inside and what they decide to do. In addition, it will be even more difficult to spot these supposed "gang" members (girls rarely bully single-handedly) because they are hiding in a sea of the same uniforms and will be difficult to single out. For instance, the bullied girl might be able to tell a teacher what the bullies were wearing and the teacher can then identify the bully\ies. I agree that the bully may be identifiable by nametag, but nametags aren't permanently stuck to her uniform. She can do this thing called taking it out when she bullies, no?
About social classes; pro school uniform preachers claim that the "poorer" of the school population would receive pressure for not buying designer\expensive clothes and the like, and thus be considered "outcasts". However, there will almost always be social classes in school, regardless of whether a student is wearing a uniform or not. For example, some people consider me rich because I have a "branded" bag and I bake, and I consider M&M rich because she upgraded from branded shoes to branded shoes, got a (lousy may I add, sorry, it had to be done ;) )crumpler and takes taxis, so of course there will always be an indicator of a person's economic status regardless of what a person wears. The mandatory school uniform rules does not solve this problem at all.
On the topic of giving students a sense of unity, that doesn't really apply. Survey all students in Crescent and see how many percent think that their uniform actually makes them feel a sense of unity among sutdents in school? It makes us feel more like we're stuck in a prison and forced to wear the same thing to school everday like jailbirds. It's such a monotonous life because of uniforms, and tablets don't fix that. In fact, tablets aren't even used to their full potential in school. They're mostly just for taking notes, the odd project and watching powerpoint presentations. We don't even play any, say, educational games. But that's not the point. The point is, we are like entrapped in a prison for 90% of our primary (actually maybe it's good for primary school kids to wear uniforms to prevent vain-ness and bimbo-ness BUT NOT sec students) and secondary school life.
School uniforms save money? Maybe, but not as much as you think. Contrary to what some principals think, students actually need clothes to wear when they're not in school - thus negating the "save money" point because, without school uniforms you can wear what you wear to school at home. However, no one wears their stupid yellow and peacock blue (that is actually a shade of green) uniform at home because it's so unfreakingcomfortable.
Is a school uniform policy worth the effort? Will violence decrease? Will gangs in schools be prevented? Will students be more disciplined? Will uniforms reduce peer pressure among students? Will uniforms help students concentrate more on their school work? The most concise response to these questions is 'nobody knows', but I sure as hell don't think so.
So, what have you got, MOE?
Thursday, December 11, 2008 3:06 PM
A little opinion of mine
A few points against mandatory school uniforms
School uniforms were first implemented to stop violence within the school, bunching up of the school into social classes, and to give the students a sense of unity. Pro-school uniform-ists also state that money is wasted buying new clothes instead of using the same old school uniforms all the time.
First and foremost, mandatory school uniforms affect the diversity of the school population, and rids us students of the freedom of expressing ourselves. Isn't youth the time to experiment, to find out what we like and what we don't, to decide how we want to present ourselves? We should be allowed to find our unique style and not be like a big army of ants. And, in a case that relates to Crescent, uniforms don't have to be exquisite and stylish, but come on! Not those uber ugly colours that who the hell knows chose. What's more, if a uniform really needs to be implemented, the parents and students should get a say on the design too. It can be conservative but attractive - the skirts don't need to be that short (parents will never agree to that) but a nice blouse fixes that. And what about a nice, maroon striped tie to match the skirt (Nothing like the ugly green and yellow one we currently use)?
EDIT: Just occurred to me that some people would use "tradition" as an excuse. Tradition isn't always the best way to go, is it? Do girls still bind their feet to make them dainty? The answer is a big fat NO!
Secondly, this solution was supposed to solve the problem of violence in the school. However, I don't see how what students wear will change how they feel inside and what they decide to do. In addition, it will be even more difficult to spot these supposed "gang" members (girls rarely bully single-handedly) because they are hiding in a sea of the same uniforms and will be difficult to single out. For instance, the bullied girl might be able to tell a teacher what the bullies were wearing and the teacher can then identify the bully\ies. I agree that the bully may be identifiable by nametag, but nametags aren't permanently stuck to her uniform. She can do this thing called taking it out when she bullies, no?
About social classes; pro school uniform preachers claim that the "poorer" of the school population would receive pressure for not buying designer\expensive clothes and the like, and thus be considered "outcasts". However, there will almost always be social classes in school, regardless of whether a student is wearing a uniform or not. For example, some people consider me rich because I have a "branded" bag and I bake, and I consider M&M rich because she upgraded from branded shoes to branded shoes, got a (lousy may I add, sorry, it had to be done ;) )crumpler and takes taxis, so of course there will always be an indicator of a person's economic status regardless of what a person wears. The mandatory school uniform rules does not solve this problem at all.
On the topic of giving students a sense of unity, that doesn't really apply. Survey all students in Crescent and see how many percent think that their uniform actually makes them feel a sense of unity among sutdents in school? It makes us feel more like we're stuck in a prison and forced to wear the same thing to school everday like jailbirds. It's such a monotonous life because of uniforms, and tablets don't fix that. In fact, tablets aren't even used to their full potential in school. They're mostly just for taking notes, the odd project and watching powerpoint presentations. We don't even play any, say, educational games. But that's not the point. The point is, we are like entrapped in a prison for 90% of our primary (actually maybe it's good for primary school kids to wear uniforms to prevent vain-ness and bimbo-ness BUT NOT sec students) and secondary school life.
School uniforms save money? Maybe, but not as much as you think. Contrary to what some principals think, students actually need clothes to wear when they're not in school - thus negating the "save money" point because, without school uniforms you can wear what you wear to school at home. However, no one wears their stupid yellow and peacock blue (that is actually a shade of green) uniform at home because it's so unfreakingcomfortable.
Is a school uniform policy worth the effort? Will violence decrease? Will gangs in schools be prevented? Will students be more disciplined? Will uniforms reduce peer pressure among students? Will uniforms help students concentrate more on their school work? The most concise response to these questions is 'nobody knows', but I sure as hell don't think so.
So, what have you got, MOE?
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