Reggie Ruggie

1

Reggie Ruggie

LA – Core 1, 3, 4

February 7, 2016

The argument that is most strongly supported (my pro stance) is highlighted in blue. The highlighted yellow segments represent the opposite viewpoint (known as the con). NOTE: The pro is the argument you are in favor of. Notice that my pro might be someone’s con. The grey highlighting represents the transition between the con viewpoint and the pro viewpoint. The essay requires an introductory segment with a thesis, headings, sub-headings, and a concluding segment. This paper was written without real sources, but I have inserted citations as if they were actual notes from research and the Works Cited sheet features the “sources”. The references used in this paper are not real – they are used for the purpose of showing how citations would be employed in an argument paper that relies on research.

It May Be Ugly, but it Works!

On Monday through Friday mornings in communities across America, teenage girls wake up and head to their closets for one of the most important decisions of the day: what to wear to school. This is no simple matter. Many factors must be considered before an actual choice is made. School rules and dress codes must be followed according to Marlowe (17). Girls must adhere to parental opinions about appropriate school attire. Additionally, choosing “just the right outfit” weighs current fads or trends. In other words, after parental and school rules are taken into account, a girl’s decision-making may include the positive (and negative) votes other girls will cast for her wardrobe choice. It is the rare teenage girl that thinks a red plaid skirt, white blouse, and grandma shoes are the height of fashion. Only a unique teenager actually wants to wear a uniform to school each and every school day (Toyla 23). So why do so many parents choose private schools that require uniforms for their children? And why do parents who prefer public school education vote to have public schools adopt uniform codes? The answers may lie in a few simple facts: wearing a uniform promotes school identity, it reduces bullying that results from non-conformity, and it saves parents money.

School Identity

Parents send their children to school for an education. However, other things result from school attendance. In addition to preparing young people for the future, schools teach basic and advanced knowledge in a variety of disciplines, how to be reliable, how to negotiate, how to socialize, and even how to forge a personal identity. There is another element taught in school: forging a school identity. This is an important concept for promoting school cohesion, but also for helping students to feel like they belong in the school setting.

A Sense of Community Gained Through Uniforms

Whether private or public, schools constantly strive to build a sense of community and cohesiveness. Many avenues lead to this destination according to a study conducted by the Brezin Group (44). Students who have school pride and school spirit report that they are happier individuals, and their parents think a sense of community is an important focal point because students who feel as if they belong do better in school. Many events lend themselves to supporting this level of cohesion – school dances, bumper stickers that proudly display the name of the school, and sporting events. Athletic participation is a key factor used to instill a sense of community. Sporting activities usually require uniforms and school spirit is readily evident at games.

Pep rallies are other avenues that increase school spirit. During a pep rally, athletes and cheerleaders generally don the team uniform to lead the student body in cheers and songs designed to encourage school spirit and school identity (Cross 85). Team names and school mascots achieve the same goal of identification. The same can be said for schools where uniforms are worn – they work as a sort of advertisement for a particular school. The pairing of school colors and particular items of clothing inculcate a sense of school identity. Those who wear the school uniform exhibit school pride, and the message is clear: everyone who wears the uniform and flaunts the colors belongs. Similarly clad comrades know at a glance if someone is part of the pack, stands for the same ideals, and supports the endeavors of the school. School uniforms serve to proclaim one’s allegiance and this is supported by Blevin’s study (99). Perhaps one of the boldest uses of symbol, wearing a uniform signifies support for the organization and what it stands for.

Wearing Uniforms Shows Conformity, Not Cohesion

Yet, others would argue that just donning a plaid skirt and a white blouse does not necessarily equate with identification, it just signifies conformity. Students neither pick their schools, nor their uniforms. It’s unrealistic to think that they do. So, if parents choose a school with a strict dress code that requires a uniform, are the students really promoting a school’s identity? Dubone’s study on 2,000 schools across America proved that just wearing a uniform does not mean a student will feel like they belong (66). In fact, just putting on the plaid skirt and the white collared blouse does little more than prove that one knows how to dress themselves in order to comply with a dress code. Wearing a uniform requires neither independent thinking nor skill; in and of itself, it reveals little about what a student thinks about their school or what they feel in their heart about their personal identification with the school chosen for them by their parent.

While that is true, it is more than a first step towards building awareness that one does belong to a unique group of individuals. The group adheres to a particular school philosophy that includes wearing a uniform, and this is one end towards promoting school identity and enthusiasm.

Uniforms Reinforce Anti-Bullying Stances

Many studies have been conducted trying to determine the best way to reduce bullying in schools. Theories abound, but there is some evidence that uniforms reduce bullying.

Does Wearing a Uniform Create Kinder Students?

Even if school identity and philosophical compliance are not fully achieved, uniform conformity reduces the incidence of bullying according to Smith’s studies of students in Los Angeles, California (212). When all students wear the same clothing, the notion of belonging is established, and this belonging encourages acceptance by others who attend the school, one’s peers. It is a well-known fact that teenagers find faults in others and they often make clothing choices a target. Because uniforms take away coolness and conformity issues, bullies will not target other students over this issue.

Having uniforms makes school life emotionally easier for students who might otherwise become the brunt of the bully’s jokes and taunts about clothing (Smith 250). If everyone wears the same outfit, the usual teasing and taunts are greatly minimized. While it is not a sure fire way to cure bullying or promote kindness in the ranks of students, any reduction in bullying is good for the school and good for the students according to Toyla (22).

Uniforms Don’t Create Kinder Students

It must be said that putting on a uniform does not automatically enroll a student in a club that promises protection; because, instead of finding fault with clothing choices, bullies will find something else that distinguishes a few individuals from the rest of the group. So rather than being bullied for one’s clothing, the bullying may be over one’s hairdo or a student’s athletic abilities (Wender 310).

Wender’s work explored the idea of bullying and uniforms, and there seemed to be a weak correlation between behavior and clothing requirements in spite of arguments that claim uniforms “fix” the bullying situation (309).

Rather than thinking uniforms are a panacea for the widespread problem of bullying, they should be looked at as one way to reduce bullying. Parents and school administrators should be careful – of course uniforms are not a cure for bullying, but they can help alleviate some bullying targets – clothing choices. Students don’t really bully because one type of jean is truly preferable to another, they bully because they are seeking a power position in a world where they are nearly powerless. School programs that address bullying will still be needed, as will professionals who help bullies and their victims. In spite of that, wearing a uniform is a step that can reduce bullying and it MUST be remembered that this reduction is a positive step, one that should be encouraged and implemented.

Uniforms Won’t Break the Budget

Studies abound that discuss how much a middle-class couple will spend over the course of a child’s lifetime to feed, clothe, entertain, and educate an American child. Many modern figures like those by Cutler, claim the amount it takes to raise a child from infancy through college graduation is close to one million dollars (93). Given those statistics, it is sensible for parents to find ways to save money. School uniforms can address a small portion of this concern.

Less Clothes in the Closet, More Money in the Bank

Another strong argument in favor of uniforms claims that parents no longer have to worry about paying for the designer jeans that will make or break their daughter’s high school experience. Taking away the stigma of not having the latest fashion becomes a moot point when students are only allowed to wear a one-size-fits-all plaid skirt. Cutler argues that a yearly jean budget for students younger than fourteen will typically cost $200.00 or more per child, per year (44).

In an average school week of five days, female students would normally pick five different outfits that would amount to as much as ten items of clothing worn per week. Since most students have enough clothing for roughly two to three weeks’ worth of outfit choices, the math is simple to compute according to Brezin (122). Buying a uniform is easier on a family’s budget – especially if there is more than one child of the same gender attending a school. When computing the laundering and dry cleaning costs, it is easy to see that a uniform is a wise economic choice for parents.

Clothing Expenses – Uniforms & Regular Clothes

Again, the above argument is one side of the coin. Just because a child wears a uniform does not mean that parents will not need to buy other clothing for that child. In fact, Cutler argues that parents who have children in a private school that requires uniforms will still have to provide a variety of other clothes for their children (310). Therefore, not only will parents not save money, they might spend more money by making sure their children have a school uniform and clothing for other occasions.

Parents still need to purchase everyday clothes and clothes for special events. For many schools that wear uniforms, there are occasional non-uniform days. Parents will need to buy clothing that covers those situations too. So, a school that requires uniforms will not seriously improve a family’s monetary outlook (Tovla 24).

However, the fact remains: uniforms can help reduce the total cost of clothing. In order for uniforms to make a serious impact on reducing a family’s budget, parents will need to take a stand about a reasonable allotment for clothing expenditures. It is unlikely that parents will send their child to a school simply because uniforms are required.

Conclusion

In light of these arguments, it would be an over-simplification to say that uniforms will single handedly promote school identity, suppress bullying, and improve a family’s economic outlook. No one would argue that uniforms alone could make those things happen. Yes, there are other arguments that favor wearing uniforms, and there are counter positions that would argue against those stances. However, wearing uniforms, in both public and private school settings, is an idea worth exploring because there can be many positive outcomes for parents and students that include heightened school spirit, and diminished bullying. Former First Lady, Hilary Clinton commented on how it took a village to raise a child. Extending that concept, it may take a village, and a school that requires uniforms.

Works Cited

Brezin, Barbara. Parents Choose Uniformity. San Francisco: Southgate Press,

2014.

Cross, Mae. “Pep Rallys Bring Pep and Identity.” School Psychologist. Volume 5

(2010): 50-55.

Cutler, Alex. Kids Are Expensive. Los Angeles: Owl & Co. Publishers, 2013.

Dubone, Terrence. Uniformity or Conformity: A Study of American Schools.

Chicago: Broken Horse Publishing Company, 2011.

Marlowe, Peter. School Dress Codes Support Parent Chocies. San Diego:

Greenhaven Press, 2012.

Smith, Danica. Be Nice, Wear a Uniform. Chicago: University of Illinois Press, 2015.

Toyla, Bethany. “Teen Girls & Clothing Choices.” Time 15 May 2013: 21-25.

Wender, William. Bullying: Causes & Solutions. New York: Grebler Publications,

2014.

Ruggie / 2011-12 / 2012-13 / 2014-15 / 2015-16