School Uniforms

My son attends a private Catholic School.  He has never had a certain dress code until this year.  He has to wear a solid color shirt with a collar.  All shirts must have collars.  He can wear jeans but they cannot have any holes or faded look to them.  He is 9, so if you ask him he absolutely hates it! I on the other hand really like it.  I am all for uniforms in the schools.  I think for one kids are so mean, especially these days, and if one kid doesn’t have the “best of the best” then he tends to be picked on a lot more.  Kids don’t have a good understanding of what it takes to live and that material things ultimately do not mean a thing. I try to instill it in my boys and give them a good understanding of what it means to be courteous to everyone.  With that said, I also have a 5 year old boy that tests my patience!  He is not as easy for me to get through to. 

Secondly, I have read that professionals say that kids in school uniforms typically take school more seriously. They have done studies that report when kids dress in “work clothes” rather than in everyday clothes they make their studies a priority while in school.  It also promotes discipline.  Reduces fighting and violence while helping to build school spirit. It instills a feeling of belonging.

Individuality, however, is one of the most common complaints that come from kids wearing uniforms.  Educators will argue that an academic program encouraging students to pursue their individual thoughts is much more important than what they wear to school. I personally disagree with this.  I believe that you can still be an individual person without wearing the clothes you want to wear to school.  If nothing else, not worrying about fitting in with a certain crowd may help to boost your confidence and be the person you want to be. 

One of the most important things in a child’s life is their education.  If there is any step we can take to help push them in the right direction and get them focused about school then we should at least try it.  Wearing a uniform may not be the answer but until there are more schools that push the issue we will never know.  In my opinion, there are too many positive studies that have come of it to just brush it off.:)