Speech essay

School Uniforms

 

            Having gone to a small private school for the majority of my life, and now attending a huge public school I know both sides of the story regarding school uniforms. And although I hate to say it, there is a bigger advantage of having school uniforms incorporated into the school rules. With these guidelines in place, it gives parents the opportunity to cut back on spending, brings the student body closer together, an improvement in academic records, healthier amount of sleep, a judge free environment.

Honestly the thought of having to put on a school uniform again causes me to grimace; nobody really wants to be told how they have to dress. But what if I said by doing this you could improve your test scores, behavior, and environment of your school. Wouldn’t you begin to consider this point of view? Being in the academy, I think we can all agree that right about now we wish we had those few extra points added onto our grade. Well many people are quick to say that school uniforms have no impact on these types of things, and I used to be one of those people.  But when I read that Scott Imberman and his graduate student Elizabetta Gentile from the University of Houston did a study on this, and found out that there was indeed a jump in academics, attendance records as well as behavior in those high schools I was dumbfounded. These researchers surveyed the administrative data regarding attendance, grades, and disciplinary records of 160 public schools from 1993-2006. Statistics have shown that there is in fact an increase in all of these categories, yet people still don’t believe in the uniforms ability to help the school’s overall performance. And trust me we really need to step up our game to surpass Dunbar.  Being in the academy, I think we can all agree that right about now we had those few extra points added to our grade. By mandating school uniform policies, we could statistically improve our grades next semester with school uniforms, making this option one to be heavily considered.

Another thing to consider on this outlook is cost, The economy hasn’t been this bad in decades, The middle class is shrinking, and the dollar is losing its value. Yet we Americans continue to spend until are wallets and bank accounts are dry. People everywhere are cutting back here and there to save that extra penny for a rainy day. So why not try this approach when it comes to clothing? Women have been noted to spend an average of $125,000 in their lifetime on clothing. One of the major factors for this substantial amount of money is that women have the idea that once you wear an item, it has lost all of its original spzazz and spunk it had when the price tag was still attached. But If we had school uniforms,  parents wouldn’t be forced to waste so much on clothing, instead they could just buy a couple days worth of uniforms that will last your student all year long. So if school uniforms were implemented into the school system we could reduce the amount of money squandered on the clothes that will be used on a measly Tuesday.

            When you walk into your first hour, the majority of people are groggy, tired or already asleep. How nice would it be to have that extra 10 min to sleep in the morning?  People always fret over what they want to wear to school, whether if it’s: is this outfit cute enough? When was the last time I wore this? What brand name is it?  Girls are notoriously known for taking large amounts of time to choose an appropriate outfit for the day. But imagine waking up every single morning and knowing exactly what you are going to wear, plus you don’t have to worry if people will judge you for your attire because they are wearing the exact same thing as you.  Not only does this give you a healthier amount of sleep to end your grogginess, but also gives you an environment free from judgment.  You no longer have to sleep in Mr. Pope’s first hour, fuss about your apparel, and even worry about what all of your haters say about your style of clothing.

            One of the strongest arguments against school uniforms is that by forcing someone to wear the same clothing everyday you are taking away their individuality and creating an Orwellian type of school.  But although you are taking away one’s ability to express themselves through clothing, you are creating a stronger bond and connection between you and your fellow classmates. A common characteristic of joining the army is that you have to shave your head and wear your uniform, just like every other soldier. They don’t do it to take away the soldiers uniqueness, but rather to bring everyone together and view each other as a close knit group of people, a family that would always be there for each other.  So why not try this at schools? Everyone knows of the stereotypical cliques in high school, the jocks, the nerds etc. So why not try to reduce the friction between these groups by building a common ground amongst them. Why not try to bring every person into a working unit? A school that establishes a uniform policy creates an atmosphere where kids feel like they are truly a part of something bigger than themselves.