Should AISG Students Wear Uniforms?

Do you think our school should start wearing school uniforms? Yes? No? Do you know anyone who wears uniforms at their school? Well, in this article I talk about the pros and cons of having a school uniform. As of now, the students of AISG are not required to wear any kind of school uniform and are free to wear what they want as long, as it’s not too revealing or offensive. There is no right or wrong answer to the question of whether or not AISG students should wear the uniform because the answers may vary, but of course, it’s always a question being asked within our community.  In my article, I will be talking about the pros and cons of wearing a uniform.

Pros:

When students don’t wear uniforms, it’s easier to spot the kids that have more wealth in their family in contrast to other kids with less wealth. This can affect students’ self-esteem and can potentially lead to bullying because they don’t have the rich kids’ status.  Another argument that is often brought to the discussion is that having uniforms can increase the focus in class and school. By having students wear uniforms, schools make sure that attention is not brought to the student’s clothes—the comments, responses, and notices about clothing would be very limited, possibly down to none. With that being said, students can be more focused on their academics rather than their peer’s clothes.

Cons: 

As we all know, schools don’t just hand out school uniforms: they are purchased. The price of these uniforms can be very costly, especially for those who are not as financially well-off.  This would mean that they have to spend money on uniforms instead of things their families need more. Another reason why having school uniforms would be a bad idea is that it limits the students from expressing themselves. School uniforms limit students from expressing themselves or their heritage. My second to last reason is that the uniforms can be sexist: students registered in the official system as girls are often forced to wear skirts and students registered as boys are forced to wear pants. This also ties back to the idea of students not being allowed to express themselves. It also would be really uncomfortable for transgender students to wear clothes that don’t represent them. And for my last and final reason, making students wear uniforms can lead to more policing students, that means teacher constantly looking if the students are following the school requirements. On a similar note, it is also bad because the strict uniform policies can have a negative impact on kids that will lead them to rebel against the school requirements of the uniforms.

Opinions:

Personally, I don’t support having school uniforms. I asked around in our school community if AISG should start to wear school uniforms and I got a lot of similar results. About this topic, Josh H. said “No [to uniforms], because when we wear uniforms it’s restricting our creativity and forces us to all be the same.” I agree with Josh’s statement and it also supports my point for why it would be a con to have students wear uniforms. Evan T. also does not support having school uniforms by saying “No, because it is a waste of money and you have to buy multiple pairs for each day.” Evan T. also agreed with my opinion, arguing that “if the school uniform rule was applied, parents would have to buy more than one pair, which costs money. If the students are at the age of growing rapidly, the parent would also have to buy more pairs to fit the child.” My final interviewee was senior Sameer S. and he believes “AISG should not wear uniforms because we are an international school that follows American school guidelines. [He feels] as though having uniforms will make no difference. [He thinks that] if a school wants to be unique, the school should focus on making their student’s good people and excellent students rather than wearing a uniform.” I think Sameer S.’s statement is very true and very accurate because we are in an international school and many people come from different religious backgrounds—having uniforms will prevent them from showing who they are and what they represent.  I personally would prefer to continue not to wear school uniforms just because I think it will be more of a hassle for teachers and students. I also think it takes away your character, and what kind of a person you are.