Figure 1.--
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Figure 1.-- |
Opponents insist that there is no creditable evidence that uniforms improve school discipline or result in superior academic achievement. The principal evidence offered here is that some good students are scruffy dressers. There is no doubt that children can learn even if they dress as they want. The question not addressed is to what extent fashion, and the tendency of moden children to focus on fashion, distracts from the academic program. This issue is generally avoided by those who argue that dress is unrelated to academics.
Students, mostly tennagers in highschool, express the following opinions. Spelling and grammar have been left as the various individuals wrote them. HBC is a bit worried about some of the individuals descibing themselves as good students.
I was in public high school without any uniform rules. I shave my head, wear trenchcoats and worn-out shirts and pants and I'm a straight A student without
having to study anything. Those who can't learn won't be able to learn because they have shiny new uniforms.
I wore a halter top and shorts that were probably too short one day. and guess what? My abilty to learn was not affected! I didn't suddenly become a (real) discipline problem! The kids who are going to be discipline problems are going to be like school
REGARDLESS of what they wear. If the kid is stupid, he's not suddenly going to become a straigh A student because he wears a tie!
Teachers are often too worried about molding the next generation to be their clones, than about kids' education. Personal experience. Your mileage may vary.
I tend to learn more in the clasrooms of teachers who aren't totalitarian. I think this is because if the teacher spends more energy on the lesson than in enforcing pointless rules, the lesson is taught better
It depends how spiffy the little urchins look and if they are "provided" (as opposed to being too pricy for some parents). IMHO, if you're
gonna make them wear uniforms, you should go
all out. None of this plain blue slacks and white shirts... We're talking school ties,
blazers and matching slacks/kilts, crests,
berets, caps, sperries etc... Seriously though, the only thing it will promote is dress sense
between 7am and 3pm. It won't stop violence which seems to be the motivation now. The only upside is that the little monsters will have no excuse to
leave high school without learning a how tie a half-windsor. Getting up to college level math
and reading levels by graduation is not guaranteed.
(We never needed it when I was in high school since we were perfect in our shallowness when it came to clothes. Say what you will about the decade of greed, but we sure dressed better.) - Bill
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