School uniforms would be incredibly beneficial to both students and the schools. According to Marian Wilde, a school uniform “is an outfit worn by a specific community of students.” While some students may hear “school uniform” and panic, having uniforms in schools “is a common practice around the world” (Wilde). Many students wear school uniforms every day, and it is normal to them, and it should be normal to all students. School uniforms should be a requirement in all schools, because they make things simple and would definitely ease up the stress of spending money on school clothing.
The quote “Our life is frittered away by detail…Simplify, simplify” stands for something stronger than a school uniform but the idea behind it can be applied to the situation. (Thoreau 776). The idea of the quote is that the more we focus on details of certain things, the more our life floats away from our reach. If students spend less time focusing on the smaller details of life, like their outfit, hair, or their weekend plans, they will have more time to focus on more important things that are essential for their education. Taking away their ability to focus on what they’re are wearing to school and placing every student in the same outfit will turn the students focus to their schoolwork and grades.
The cost of school supplies, fees, and clothing is a major issue for many families. Having a set price for the clothing needed for schooling could reduce the amount of stress put onto low-income parents. On average, a school uniform costs “a mere $249.00” per year; making it less expensive to purchase rather than going out and spending “as high as $500.00 or more per year for non uniform attire.” Studies have proven “that parents spend less per year for school uniforms than regular clothes” (Nitteberg). The study confirms that it is more cost effective for families to purchase a school uniform than to go and purchase “regular” clothes for students to wear to school.
The rule of wearing a school uniform can be traced back for centuries. While no one is certain on the fact, it is believed that “the origin of the modern school uniform can be traced to the 16th Century England.” Other sources say that “the first recorded use of standardized dress in education may have been in England in 1222.” Regardless of the origin, the school uniform policy has been around for a very long time and according to the National Center for Education Statistics, the number of schools that have adopted the concept of a uniform has “ increased from 13% during the 2003-2004 school year to 19% during the 2011-2012 school year,” which means that the policy is not only here to stay, but it is also increasing in popularity. (ProCon.org).
Some people argue that making a student wear a school uniform takes away their ability to make their own decisions. But, a student’s ability to make their own decision with what they want to wear is already limited by a thing called dress code. According to Marian Wilde, “dress code is a policy that regulates what people in a certain community are allowed to wear” (Wilde). Applying a more strict dress code on a population of students would not take away their possibility to make decisions; it would give them more time to focus on other, more important things.
The above are facts that prove that making schools mandate a school uniform will increase simplicity in schools and make going school shopping less expensive and stressful. School uniforms have been proven to be useful in schools based on the statistics that show their increasing popularity among schools. They take the focus off popularity through clothing and for this reason school uniforms need to be made mandatory throughout the world.