School Uniforms, Mandatory or Not?

[AJ Collector]

I think with the difficulties our children go thru of just being a child growing up fashion should not be a distraction to keep them from learning! Just think if a family of three or more has to buy school clothes the cost is substantial and that money could be used to help pay for their future education, not to mention lower income families who’s children now get ridiculed because of their attire. Let’s face it if you feel good about your appearance, you feel good about your self and can focus on what’s important…..learning!

Since I just spent a ton of money on school clothes, which could have been put to better use, I was wondering what the majority thought....

[LadyZod]

When I was in high school, we all pretty much dressed alike anyway. We wore our club jerseys on one day. Club or honor society T-shirts on another day.

Heck, if I recall I think Friday was the only day of the week we didn't have an unofficial mandatory club shirt day... and that changed when I became a senior, and we wore our senior class shirts those days.

We all wore the same things without being told to. School uniforms would have been fine.

[HardyGirl]

Our public schools (til Jr. High) are supposed to have uniforms, but some have strayed. And the funny thing is, all the parents who think their kids should be allowed to be "individuals" shop at pretty much the same places, so their kids wear the same types of things and have the same backpacks and lunch satchels (can't hardly say lunchbox, but they are out there too). The way I see it, when these kids get older, many of them will have jobs where they have to dress a certain way, whether it be uniform, or suit and tie. School is their job, and they should wear uniforms b/c it's good training for the future. There's plenty of time after school and on the weekends to be an individual.

[AAAAA]

Uniforms,I wore them.white shirt, gray pants & tie, black or brown shoes
money not an issue when i see low income family kids having 50-75 dollars sneakers ,designer jeans, Hillfinger shirts

[Mikey]

Some of my relatives went to Catholic school and they had to wear uniforms.

I always thought it was unfair they made the girls wear skirts (even if they didn't want to).

[AAAAA]

Some of my relatives went to Catholic school and they had to wear uniforms.

I always thought it was unfair they made the girls wear skirts (even if they didn't want to).

I would change that to skirt or pants or jumper.
In japan they have summer and winter uniforms

[Zemo]

We wore uniforms, a concert tee and Levi's.

[LadyZod]

Where my parents come from, in Uruguay, kids have to wear smocks.

It doesn't matter what they wear under the smocks. All schools are pretty much public schools, and all the kids look like altar boys.

[Mikey]

Where my parents come from, in Uruguay, kids have to wear smocks.

It doesn't matter what they wear under the smocks. All schools are pretty much public schools, and all the kids look like altar boys.

http://ipsnoticias.net/fotos/Escuela...ni%C3%B1os.jpg

I like the cravats

[The Toyroom]

No uniforms....I think being a teen is an important time where they express one's individuality...as long as it's not too risque or offensive. I don't want my kids looking like a bunch of zombies from Village of the Damned....

[spamn]

I never wore or had to wear them, and I'm sympathetic to the 'individualist' argument, but I think they're a good idea, so long as buying them isn't an undue hardship on any family in the district, or a scam to enrich some uniform-making company that charges three times what chlothes cost for each article of clothing.

[generic]

I had to wear a uniform for High School and it wasn't really that big of a deal. As for the cost, it seems like it was cheaper to buy a few of the same shirts and pants which would last a year or two (or in my case, 3 or 4 years) than to have kids wanting the latest thing all the time. Also, I'm pretty sure they have programs for used uniforms for the families on a budget. I never felt like it crushed my individuality or freedom to express myself. I just changed clothes when I got home. That's just my 2 cents.

[AAAAA]

I had to wear a uniform for High School and it wasn't really that big of a deal. As for the cost, it seems like it was cheaper to buy a few of the same shirts and pants which would last a year or two (or in my case, 3 or 4 years) than to have kids wanting the latest thing all the time. Also, I'm pretty sure they have programs for used uniforms for the families on a budget. I never felt like it crushed my individuality or freedom to express myself. I just changed clothes when I got home. That's just my 2 cents.

same here

[Mikey]

My highschool "uniform" was a Lynyrd Skynyrd Old Number 7 black T-shirt and a pair of Wranglers

[UnderdogDJLSW]

I had to wear a uniform for High School and it wasn't really that big of a deal. As for the cost, it seems like it was cheaper to buy a few of the same shirts and pants which would last a year or two (or in my case, 3 or 4 years) than to have kids wanting the latest thing all the time. Also, I'm pretty sure they have programs for used uniforms for the families on a budget. I never felt like it crushed my individuality or freedom to express myself. I just changed clothes when I got home.

I agree with this. For folks on a tight budget it is easier to wash the same uniform over again during the week than to have someone notice that a kid keeps wearing the same "individual" shirt over again.