Assignment 14: Persuasive Essay: Uniforms

     I have just been called to the principal's office, to share my thoughts on what I think about school uniforms. The principal has just informed me that they are considering school uniforms, and I think that it will be very bad if they continue with their considerations. School uniforms are hardly used in high schools anymore. From the information that I am aware of, all public schools do not wear uniforms. There still are school that do wear uniforms, and those are the schools that are not public, and are usually catholic schools. All high schools that are APS are non-uniform schools. 

     I have gone to a school where I have had to wear uniforms, and I hated it. I didn't like that everyone there looked exactly the same. The school that I went to and had to wear uniforms, they colors that we had were blue, or white shirts, and black or tan pants. The only days that we could dress down was on special occasions and picture day. There were little games that the administration would have for us, and the main one that they had was if we had perfect attendance for six weeks, then we would win a pass to dress down. I didn't like that they would want to bargain with us just so that we would have a dress down day. The subject would come up all the time with the students and the principal, "Why do we have to wear uniforms?" The reason she would give us was "Because we don't want to have any conflicts between the students, just because of what they wear." She would constantly tell us that we would pick on each other, or get into fights because someone liked what the other wore. The school that I went to was a charter school, so they weren't apart of APS schooling, but got all funds and cafeteria food, from them. This school was kindergarden to 12th grade. I think that since they were an all grades school, it should have been divided with the uniforms policy. Kindergarden to 6th grade, have to wear uniforms, and 7th to 12th grade had the choice to not wear uniforms. Along with the certain color of shirt and pants policy, we also HAD to have our shirt tucked in and a black leather belt. If you were caught "out of uniform", even if you didn't have a belt in, then you would get sent to the office. There you would get written up, and have lunch detention. 

     I think that this whole uniform policy is ridiculous. I am so glad that public schools don't have to wear uniforms, and still that is usually only in high school. I think that when we are being forced to wear uniforms, then they are not wanting to see the real us. The adults are always telling us that we need to be ourselves, and to not follow in anyone else foot steps, just make your own, but when they are forcing us to wear uniforms, they are making us look all alike, and that isn't helping us. Making us look all alike, is like not taking us seriously as a person, and not making us individuals. I personally don't like uniforms, would like to see the use of uniforms not being enforced among schools, especially not in high schools. 


     There are good and bad sides to every argument. I think that having uniforms enforced among, high school students bring bigger problems, because they are more rebellious, and will have the courage to go against the rules. For littler children who are still in grade school, it isn't so bad because they don't really care, and pay attention to what they or anyone else wears. I, as a high school student, is grateful that we don't have to wear uniforms, because I don't want to look like everyone else, and blend in. The good side to why there are and should be uniforms, is because it does reduce the chance of arguments between others for what they are wearing, and being made fun of. There still are those students who like to pick on others because they don't like what they are wearing, and those are the ones that are making the enforcement on school uniforms. The bad side is that when kids do wear uniforms they tend to rebel more often, which means more students in the office. 


     I don't like the fact that there are school uniforms, especially in high schools, and I could say this out of experience.  If I were to be called into the office to speak my thoughts on if there should be school uniforms or not, I would proudly say that I would be against them.