Students Should Wear School Uniforms on School Days

Bi Mingxing (1101011301) Li Jie

Essay Num.4 Position Argument Advanced English Writing 9 December 2013

Students Should Wear School Uniforms on School Days

In this fashion-swept society, clothes, a symbol of one’s identity, taste, and individuality, have been attached much more importance than any other time in China. people of all walks of life put much emphasis on what they wear. Students, a special group, whose psychology are immature, are easily affected by this fashion trend. Thus, problems on whether to wear students’ own clothes or to wear school uniforms has been heatedly discussed. Some websites, inside or outside China, have made surveys on this matter. Buzzle, an American website, shows that 52 percent of students are in favor of wearing school uniforms, while Chinese website, Sina, shows the approval rate is only 43 percent. These two groups of statistics form a distinctive contrast between American students and Chinese students. The statistics clearly illustrate that the majority of Chinese students are not willing to wear school uniforms. After taking all aspects into consideration, I think it is a good idea for Chinese students to wear uniforms on school days, because wearing school uniforms can reduce bullying, drop peer pressure and improve students learning.

One benefit is that wearing school uniforms can reduce bullying. Often times,

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bullying in school is a result of how a student dresses. In the essay, “What’s the Point of School Uniform,” Chole Spencer, a school teacher writes that “ in America, where majority of schools do not have a uniform , roughly 160,000 students miss school every day due to fear of attack or intimidation by other students. Thus, having a uniform can be a safety net for students who might otherwise suffer from bullying.” Spencer points out that bullying are directly linked to what they are wearing. So, if students wear uniforms to attend school, there will be less bullying. Puja Lalwani, a sociologist, in the article “Should Students Have to Wear School Uniform?” Lalwani provides a group of statistics concerning the result of school uniform policy, from which, the Spencer’s view can be well proofed. The statistics show that “in the year 2011, the school uniform policy was effectively implemented in 26 states in the United States of America. What was found upon implementation of this policy is that the overall bullying had dropped by 91 percent and students were less to bully others.” Thus, wearing school uniforms largely reduce the rate of bullying and create a harmonious atmosphere. Without being afraid of bullying, students will not attach much more importance to what they are going to wear. The tendency to compare with each other on dresses will also be suppressed. Then the reduction of peer pressure is for sure.

Another advantage is that wearing school uniforms can impair peer pressure. Students feel the pressure from peers on fashionable dress that is advocated by television, commercial magazine and the advertisement. However, we can not ignore the fact that in China, based on WangYi website, students from the countryside

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account for 62 percent, which means those students can not afford the fancy dress. More often than not, those students will feel depressed and pressured. According to a survey conducted by Sina website that 58 percent students would rather keep to themselves rather than have friends with the fashionably dressed. They think, on the one hand, it will definitely create a divide every time turning up together with those in craze. On the other hand, people tend to judge a person by what he or she wears, which really hurts a person’s pride. Nevertheless, if schools make wearing uniforms compulsory, everyday students just wear the same clothes without distinctive demarcation, they will not feel pressured on dress. Hence, the reduction of peer pressure caused by clothes can guide students to compete with each other on academic achievements and make them become more focused on study.

Last but not least,wearing school uniforms can improve learning. Russel Baker, a psychologist, writes in the article “ Should Kids Wear School Uniforms?” that “from the education point of view, when students are allowed to wear clothes of their own choice, more than studies, they spend time on choosing a wardrobe which would make them a hit in the school, especially with the opposite sex. This can have a negative impact on their education and their grades can fall.” Baker believes that if students wear school uniforms, an atmosphere of learning will be created. Again, Lalwani’s statistics give a strong evidence to Baker’s opinion. The statistic shows that there are percent of parents have found that kids are more focused in school after wearing uniforms. Consequently, wearing school uniforms make students become more attentive on studying.

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Some argue that students should not be compelled to wear uniforms. They contend that clothing is a medium of expression and a means to promote individuality, if students are forced to wear the same clothes, their individuality will be taken away. However, it is just valid on the surface and its inherent flaws can be found on closer inspection. In the Oxford Advanced Learner’s English-Chinese Dictionary, the word “individuality” means the qualities that make a person different from other people. From this explanation, we can see that it is the quality that makes one unique. Matt Buesing, a school uniforms examiner, further explained the “individuality” in his article “Pros of School Uniforms”, he writes that :

school is termed as a second home, where students are going through formative years to improve themselves.Instead of demonstrating their self-expression through the latest contemporary styles in the hallway, students focus on more appropriate ways to express themselves during their school day, most notably through personal or academic achievement.

Buesing confirms that students should have a deeper understanding of the word “individuality”. They should come to realize that not the latest clothes make one have individuality, but one’s personal or academic achievement dwarf others. Hence, by advocating the wearing of school uniforms, students will become more concentrated on study and they will touch the texture of individuality.

In summary, wearing school uniforms play a positive role in terms of reducing

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bullying, dropping peer pressure and improving learning. The fact is that there are more and more schools advocating students to wear school uniforms on school days. According to a survey conducted in America, the percentage of students in public who are required to wear uniforms has skyrocketed from less than 1 percent before the 1994-1995 school year to about 65 percent today. Hence, it is time for Chinese students to wear school uniforms on school days.

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Works Cited

Spencer, Chole. “What’s the Point of School Uniform.” The Guardian Education. com. Web. 3 October. 2010.

Lalwani, Puja. “Should Students Have to Wear School Uniform?” Buzzle.com. Web. 18 June. 2011.

Baker, Russel. “Should Kids Wear School Uniforms?” Kids Fashion .About.com. Web. 12 July. 2010.

“ individuality” The Oxford Advanced Learner’s English-Chinese Dictionary. 7th ed. 2009 . The Commercial Press. Print

Buesing, Matt. “Pros of School Uniforms”, Examiner.com. Web. 8 October. 2010.