Students should be able to express themselves with clothes and fashion
Enterprise file photo — Michael Koff
A sense of fashion is clearly evident in the outfit selected by Julianne Stone, 6, of Altamont, as she competes in the Little Miss Altamont Fair pageant earlier this month, wearing a red posy in her hair to match those on her dress. Rachel Brucker writes that kids develop a sense of self by choosing the clothes they wear; she argues against a recent trend at public school — 18 percent now require uniforms.
To the Editor:
Do you like to express yourself through fashion? Did you just buy a cute outfit that you really want to wear to school? Well, what if you didn’t have a choice on what to wear to school? Would you like to wear a school uniform, or not?
Today, in the United States, many public schools are starting to have students wear school uniforms; in fact, 18 percent of schools are. Many experts say that school uniforms improve learning because kids aren’t focused on what they are wearing.
Many principals say that school uniforms are a good idea because kids can’t hide weapons under baggy clothes. Also, kids do not get bullied because they don’t have the latest brands.
School uniforms could also save you time when getting ready in the morning, and they are more affordable for kids who can’t afford the latest brands.
School uniforms could also be a bad thing. Schools have the parents buy the uniforms and they can cost just as much as a new pair of Jordans or Uggs. Another reason is that, if kids wear school uniforms, they don’t have practice for later on in life when they have to dress themselves for interviews and special occasions.
Also, the styles of the uniforms can be unflattering to most body types, which can be a distraction for kids who already have self-image struggles. Kids also cannot express themselves through fashion.
A few years ago, my cousin’s public school decided to have school uniforms and she said she really did not like wearing a school uniform at all because she wanted the freedom of wearing her own clothes and having a choice of what to wear every day. I totally agree with her because, when I choose what to wear, I get to make the decision myself, not my school.
So what should be done?
Schools shouldn’t require uniforms because students should have a choice of what they wear every day; it’s not the schools’ decision. Schools shouldn’t have to be a student’s mom and pick out what she or he has to wear every day.
Also, students should be able to express themselves through clothes and fashion. Kids should not have to wear the same boring old thing every single day. So, I say there should be no school uniforms.
Rachel Brucker
Guilderland