You said it all. I opted out of my daughter wearing the uniform and we got SO much negativity because we wouldn't conform. It was actally quite an eye-opener and a big lesson in group pressure.

None of the things they tell you as good points about the uniform are true, as the OP has said here. The only thing that IS true is that it is faster to get dressed in the morning. Granted, but do you give up your options in life just for ease? If so, wouldn't it be easier just to let the army select a president? We wouldn't have to be bothered making an informed decision and voting. So much easier..."Surrender your lesser liberties and you shall soon surrender your larger ones, as well" Patrick Henry.

i aplaude your use of the opt out policy, that was very impressive of you, because i find that most parents have been brainwashed to believe in the "good" of the uniform and they wont hear otherwise, you are one of the exceptions to that realization, and that deserves some applauding, i say....

incidently youre liberty arguement is all the more impressive, and i appreciate your deliberation

I guess uniforms are not for everyone! Most of the kids I know love wearing uniforms. In fact, it was one of the reasons why they chose the high school they're attending.

Here, uniforms can only be bought at one store so everyone has the same quality of clothes. And it costs way more than $100... more like $700.

Some of the reasons these kids (including my daughter) like the uniforms are:

- nobody is judged by the type of clothing they're wearing (expensive or cheap, in style or out-of-style, etc.)

- a person is judged/accepted by their personality, not by their image

- don't have to worry about what you're going to wear every day

- they have "dress down" days every month, some twice a month (meaning you don't have to wear your uniform)

And yes, they're are "rules" that must be followed when wearing your uniform.

IMO, it should be up to the student if he/she wishes to attend a school that requires a uniform. I left it up to my daughter. It was her decision to wear a uniform.

One friend's daughter attends a high school that has no uniforms and it's getting ridiculous how these kids are pressured into having the same brand of clothing (even purses) and shoes. If you can't afford it, then you are labelled and considered an outcast. Is it any better???

i suppose i wouldnt really care about the uniform, no never mind i would but to a lesser degree, if they didnt shove it down your throat at every chance.....

700, damn , those must be some expensive clothes.......good god

the only problems are youll always be judged, and if im judged by my clothes the only thing anyone would ever think was "man if i screw with that guy, he'll kill he....everyones deluded about 14-18 year old kids it seems

YOU WILL BE INSULTED TO YOUR FACE REGARDLESS OF THE CLOTHES YOU WEAR....

with normal clothes, you can pick alternative styles to go with the contour of your physique....if everyone wears the same generic clothes then the skinny peolpe will look anorexic and the overweight people will look even more ridiculous......congradulations, you just got judged

go up to any kid now and theyll tell you all the same reasons that anyone ever mentions, but those arent there reasons, theyre just vomiting out the stuff the admin has wrongfully spoon fed them year after year

fashion.....screw fashion

id much rather wear what i feel comfortable in than be forced to remind myself how unattractive i think i am by putting on a uniform that has no bearing on academia

a school isnt a day care, is an academic institution, and if someone is bothering you then either
walk away......kill him(for the extremists).....or ignore him, dont adopt a uniform that makes 3000 people feel incompotent compared to the 20 admin that like the idea

utterly ridiculous..........

hmmmm, more of a rant than a reply, my apologies

Children's little minds are easily molded. They do
not have the maturity or life experience to see the concept behind the conformity thinking.

Personally I think it will be interesting to see if these uniformed children, who will be adults in charge when we are old, will force us into uniforms in our retirement communities? How will we like that? I'll be escaping over the fence in my walker, you can bet!

true , true

with any luck they'll give you an electric wheelchair, and you can haul it

conformity is foolish, plain and simple, i pity the next generation

"- a person is judged/accepted by their personality, not by their image "

Not 100% true. Even though all kids may be wearing the same uniform, the "fit" of the clothing on their frame is not the same. This heightens opportunity for kids to compare how they each look in the same outfit and certainly heightens things that kids may want to hide such as breast development, pudgy tummy, etc.

IMHO, it is far better for children to wear clothing that fits well and is comfortable. This increases their self esteem which has a direct impact on self-image and the image projected to others.

For those who argue that children can be harsh re: designer labels, etc. Welcome to the Real World. Adults can be harsh, too, on many levels. I've dealt with my fair share of young twenty-somethings who think the world will come to an end because so-and-so doesn't think they're the greatest person ever. Grow up.

Children must be *taught* that judging others is wrong, and self-esteem should be based on personality and inner strength rather than the clothes on the body. Uniforms are a shallow and misdirected effort to compensate for the failure of people to grasp this concept.

I taught abroad and all the kids wore uniforms and it didn't seem to be a big deal. You could def see who had nice new uniforms that fit and who had hand me downs but that would have been the case either way.

Our children went to Catholic school and wore uniforms. The first year I bought three shirts and two jumpers for $100 which she wore for two years. I handed them down to a smaller girl and an older girl handed hers down to my daugher. They were very high quality and lasted for years. Now she is in public school and I can tell you a year's clothes cost me WAY more than $100.

Next year the oldest is going back to Catholic school and her uniform is khakis, required shirt sold at school $12 and blazer $30. I'm planning on buying 3 shirts and 2 blazers, she already has khakis. You can put a student in a uniform against the generic public school fare and more than likely the public school kid paid more for their clothes.

Beyond that I would rather have my daughter corrected for her uniform not being tidy than having to spend the day looking at cleavage, butt crack, navels, underwear, etc. that kids without uniforms are allowed to wear at school. Yikes!

perhaps the international spect is more relaxed toward subjects, unfortunately the us tends to blow them out of proportion

the thing is though that sure youll have to buy something new from time to time, and when it becomes possible leave it to the kids and their own funds to buy new clothes(no skin off your back), and if they tell you theyll die without a new 100$ shirt, well then obviously its a play

you dont have to have a fashion orgie everytime someone in your family wants to buy something, so the extra cost is little to negligient

besides id rather spend the 1000 extra dollars a year (with my money of course) than wear something that makes me look incompotent and pathetic.....its not a matter of money , its a matter of how little im going to do for the admin who think theyre better than me(who are sadly mistaken by the way)

the chief parental concern is money, but that concern can be rendered irrelevant by a simple premise, and then it boils down to the real problem

"why have this ineffective system that offers no value toward school at all in my face all the time-the answer, some people(administrators) went to school and got a degree in "making adolescent children feel like a waste-ology)

and if thats the only reason i have to dress like an idiot, to appease someones dejected taste in clothes and superiority, then i think maybe theyre the one with the problem and that the system that the crazy dude made up isnt in my best interest

It's interesting that the supporters of uniforms think they are just great - for somebody else to wear. If you really believe uniforms are less expensive, more democratic, make the wearer smarter and better behaved - then why aren't YOU wearing one? Oh, I see, because nobody is forcing you to do it. There is a word for that and it starts with H.

I'm not forced to wear a uniform but I have a type of clothes that I wear to work that I consider my uniform and then a certain type of clothes that I wear when I am out and about or volunteering at school that is different.

There are many types of jobs that require uniforms of sorts including business attire, medical scrubs, exercise gear, and actual company uniforms. When I taught overseas, I wore the school uniform every day and it was fine by me. My first two jobs (grocery store and hotel) required me to wear a uniform also not a big deal to me. If the company I work for now said- you have to wear a uniform I would without complaint. I consider myself more than the clothes I wear.

There are many positive aspects to kids wearing school approved uniforms. I support uniforms but I am not passionate at this point in my life. I have worked with kids all my adult life--now I am on a college campus. the girls uniform there is skin tight jeans & skin tight low necked shirts! I want to say at 9:00 AM every morning--this is not Sat night at the bar!! The male profs like it though.

To newgardenelf...

school uniforms and work uniforms are different matters
though in many way, not to mention that in exchange for your services in the workforce youre paid adequately...
besides remember for every job with a uniform there is one without

to debbimc

if for any reason a bit of skin has been incorporated in ones style(and i rather wish it wasnt most of the time) then a uniform wont obliterate that....in fact it will repeat the same exact thing out over and over making it more applicable

besides a simple dress code list or "no halter top" rule could knock some of the right out, so why a uniform......i doubt the alleged positives that people mention but never define

and like you said, college is a free environment, you paid 500 dollars for the class, so you can wear whatever you want to

newgardenself: I was making a joke.....I don't know...being funny ..or trying to..well maybe it missed. Like I said I wasn't talking about uniforms --just those self imposed "uniforms".....?????????

to debbimc:

oops, sorry dude
misinterpreted your post

sorry or gouging into you like that, my bad