Argumentative essay on school uniforms

Uniforms are used for identity purposes. They assist to identify individuals with particular institutions or organizations. This is one of the heated debates that is ongoing in the United States. The question is who are to wear uniforms? At our times we grew up seeing most kids who went to school wearing uniforms. But personally I would not ascertain as why they wore them. Wait until my turn came to go to school, this is when I got the answer (Barrows, 2009, p. 28). These uniforms are not only worn in schools, most of our parents also who work in different organization have been seen putting on uniforms. Nurses and medics of certain hospitals are seen also putting on uniforms. The way adults wear uniforms and children are taken differently by both groups.

The issue of not putting on uniforms is not actually meant to encourage bad behaviors amongst the students. Uniforms rather on the real and actual side help us to be identified with certain schools which enhances on behavior shaping. The major problem here is that uniforms are bad, but when do they actually become bad to both the school going children and adults who are forced by their occupations to wear these uniforms on.

Since child hood, I used to go to school in my own clothes. I would see my colleagues in smart and well ironed uniforms and at one point I would feel isolated. But this however didn’t demoralize me as at one point I was in uniforms and I had that sense of belonging. However up to date. Not all of us in school like the whole idea of putting on uniforms. Some of the students criticize the idea of putting on school uniforms while others are happy to be in uniforms. All the same, there are mixed reactions on the idea of putting on uniforms as debated in this essay. There are scholars who argue that uniforms are good while there are those who argue that uniforms are bad (Bennett, 2013, p. 36).

In both arguments however, they can be validated. However the advantages for putting on school uniforms by scholars are more as compared to the disadvantages of not putting on school uniforms. With the current political changes that have adversely affected the education sector, we ought to stand up for what is right for us. In our current education system, uniforms have and are a mark of identity to us.

Schools with uniforms help in creating a sense of belonging to the students and acts as an identity mark. Uniforms enhance the social relations among the students and thus promoting unity among them. It is worth noting the unity that is brought by the uniforms. Uniforms for instance athletics and soccer players have that feeling of unity among themselves by putting on similar outfit. Uniforms imply that the students have a collective consciousness and that they are determined to work together as a team in achieving a common objective in their academic journey (Besanko, Braeutigam, & Gibbs, 2014, p. 66).

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It is important to note the costs that are associated with the school uniforms. Buying uniforms are economical as compared to buying many clothes that are to be used on a daily basis. Uniforms eliminate the need of our parents buying us clothes to use in the schools just to ensure we keep up with the ever fluctuating fashions. Uniforms also create social equality among us as students. They enable us to view each other in a manner that we are equal. The uniform doesn’t identify the students from lower class as well as those from higher living standards. There will be competition between the two classes as they will see each other as equal to one another by the identity of uniforms.  Uniforms are also said to keep our communities safe. They help to identify intruders who may cause harm to the school communities. It is easy to identify someone who is not in uniforms from those putting on uniforms. This is the most important among all the advantages of wearing uniforms because it ensures that we are safe. They also help our teachers to easily identify us in occasions like sports day or academic trips. In case there are schools misbehaving, it is easy to identify them and this avoids generalizing all students who are present in such events (Harr & Hess, 2010, p. 72).

On the other hand uniform can be seen as bad because of several issues as highlighted below. Uniforms are added expense in the budgets of our parents. This is because parents have to buy us clothes regularly whether we are attending school or not. This is very unfair to those families who are less fortunate and thus struggling financially. The uniforms are an additional burden to such families. Also it is important to note that uniforms do not prevent formation of cliques among students (McNamara & Bell, 2012, p. 43). Uniforms do not necessarily create a homogenous group and also they don’t affirm the promise of positive social environments.

The points above both for and against are equally important. However in my own opinion, I would wish that we as students have our own choice on what we put on in schools. It is important that we get used to what we will be putting on in future because we won’t put on uniforms forever.