Introduction and Thesis
A reflection on the history of school uniforms dates back to the year 1994, when Long Beach, CA became the first district school that required students to wear uniforms. Since then, various schools, especially public schools have made it mandatory for students to wear uniforms to school. In the year 1996, the then president; Bill Clinton made a speech supporting the need to have uniforms in schools. The topic of schools uniforms has sparked a debate between those supporting and those opposing the same. Nonetheless, the notions supporting the need for students to wear uniforms to school are more credible.
The first reason as to why students should wear uniforms aligns with the fact that uniforms allow students to have a sense of belonging to school or the educational institutions that they are enrolled in. School Uniforms allow students to identify with each other; hence, makes them develop a sense of oneness. This allows the students to work together in harmony towards attaining their educational goals.
The second reason as to why I support the notion that students should wear schools uniforms is that uniforms are less costly. When compared to other clothes, uniforms are cheap; hence, parents do not experience financial difficulties purchasing them. If students were to wear other clothes, parents would incur expenses buying clothes, especially the trendy ones that children would likely to prefer.
On another note, I support uniforms in schools because they enhance safety in schools. When students wear uniforms, intruders in the school premises can easily be identified. Overall, the safety of students is enhanced when students wear uniforms. Notable is the fact that violence has been eminent in certain school premises. Such violence often increased in cases where students do not wear uniforms. Lack of uniforms in schools allows different gangs to wear identical clothes, which interferes with the safety of students.
Counterargument
Those opposed to uniforms in schools often argue that forcing students to wear uniforms discourages diversity, yet schools should be places that encourage diversity. Besides, opponents of schools uniforms argue that when students wear uniforms, they can easily be targeted by bullies, especially those from other schools. On another note, schools uniforms have been opposed because they infringe on the democracy of the students to wear what they prefer.
Rebuttal and Conclusion
The arguments put forward for those opposed to schools uniforms are not credible because of the primary fact that students are only required to wear uniforms when in school. For this reason, school uniforms do not discourage diversity because students can wear the clothes they prefer when they are not in school. Besides, uniforms do not hinder the democracy of students to wear what they want. In conclusion, students should wear uniforms in schools because they offer more benefits than disadvantages.
