More Hogwarts, please
Given how unflattering my judgment is toward how many of us dress nowadays — I once wrote an essay titled “Capital Punishment for Flip-Flops”; astoundingly, it was never published — it’s only natural that I be in favor of school uniforms, in both private and public schools. (I went to Catholic school for several years and found the required uniforms there to be much more preferable to the sartorial sloppiness of public school.)
But since society regularly conspires against my views, this story from my home state of Arizona comes as no surprise:
YUMA, Ariz. — Justin Wright wants his Arizona middle school to do the right thing by letting students choose their own school clothes.The (Yuma) Sun reported online Saturday that 14-year-old Justin has collected 250 signatures from fellow students at Centennial Middle School to repeal the dress code.
There is, of course, the requisite line in the article about how dress codes violate students’ free speech rights.
For those who think that school uniforms are akin to straitjackets and have no redeeming value whatsoever, I ask you: Would the Harry Potter books and movies be more appealing if the kids at Hogwarts wore their school uniforms or if they dressed like public school kids?
Idea Anaconda 
May 24, 2009 at 10:07 pm
Not to rain on your parade or anything (I’m actually in favour of school uniforms if handled properly) but at Hogwarts the kids generally wear their own clothes in plain sight, underneath the open robes that make up the uniform. I fact, as it’s described the uniform robe is more like an overcoat. That’s why much fun is had over the Weasley sweaters and how it’s plain to see who’s Muggleborn and who’s not – the clothes show it clearly, because the uniforms are arbitrary, really.
So Hogwarts is actually a rather poor example of school uniforms in my opinion.
But other than that… well, I’ve never actually been to a place with mandatory school uniforms. Only one school I know of in my entire country uses the concept, and I’m not even sure they do so anymore. 10-15 years ago, they did.
I like the idea of school uniforms because no one will be singled out due to their clothes that way. On the other hand, kids can be mean and will merely find other things to single people out for, and we can’t go and make glasses, a lisp, a limp etc mandatory as well. The mere thought is ridiculous.
I am sceptical about uniforms because all the ones I’ve seen (in different sorts of media – obviously) involve skirts for the girls and showing of legs – even if it’s just the part of the leg above the stockings and below the skirt. That very fact alone would have made me cringe and refuse to ever wear them. I dislike most skirts in the first place, but I very much dislike having to show a part of my body (even if it’s just a little leg) without any choice in the matter.
Also, the same model of clothing do not fit all shapes, no matter how many sizes it comes in. For men and boys this is not all that often a problem, because their clothes are made to allow for movement. Women’s and girls clothes are not. They are usually fitted and thus unless you fit the exact shape the clothes are designed for you’ll end up looking ridiculous, which is what kids often get bullied with, and was one of the reasons for having school uniforms in the first place.
But generally, if proper care and some freedom of choice is exercised (for instance how some English boys’ colleges have a choice of a pullover, a cardigan and a jacket to wear over their shirt and tie, that sort of thing) I believe school uniforms could be a very good thing.
May 28, 2009 at 9:04 pm
Thanks for the thoughtful comment! Sorry it took me so long to reply.
I can’t claim to have as much knowledge as you on the Harry Potter, since I’ve never read the novels. I just made my case about the uniforms from watching the movies, where I think the kids all look spruce and orderly.
As far as the question of why there should or shouldn’t be uniforms, I think we come at it from a different angle. The major reason I support them is behavior. I believe that a school uniform, like any other uniform, instills self-discipline in someone. It is a visible reminder to the wearer of his identity — in this case, a student — and that there is a certain behavior expected of that identity. Since a student wearing a T-shirt and jeans to class does not have this same reminder of his identity, he therefore might feel less incentive or pressure to elevate his behavior.
As far as what the uniforms would actually look like, my opinion is, they’re good as long as they’re classy.
May 29, 2009 at 4:59 pm
I don’t think the uniform has half as much to do with behaviour as the culture of the school and community does. But then, I have no first-hand knowledge to base that theory on :-P.
It is my general impression that schools with mandatory uniforms have just as many disciplinary problems as other school, they’re just of a different nature, so I’m not really sure how much is gained by using them.
July 4, 2010 at 12:43 pm
I agree, I’m sure that school with school uniforms have just as many discipline problems as school that don’t. The uniforms may make it harder to tell the difference between the rich kids and the poor kids, but that is the only good reason I can think of to have uniforms.