Should Middle School Students Have To Wear Uniforms

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According to a 2007-2008 study, made by the National Center for Educational Statistics, 16.5% of all schools in the United States wear uniforms; while 54% have a strict dress code. Proponents of uniforms agree with the rise of uniforms (Fast Facts). They believe uniforms improve schools. Opponents believe the rise of uniforms is a problem. What most adults do not realize is how much students dislike uniforms. Middle school students should not have to wear school uniforms because this takes away freedom of expression, common knowledge, and even leaves room for more rebellion.
To begin with, wearing school uniforms takes away the freedom of expression.When students dress, they dress with what they like. Wearing the same outfit does not allow
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Uniforms force students to pick the same outfit every day. If there is a formal event at school, students do not have to choose a formal outfit. Students will never have the chance to truly learn what outfit fits a certain event. Picking their outfit out also helps students with decision making. ‟Children, after all, learn how to make good decisions by making decisions, not by following directions,” claimed Alfie Kohn, MA, education activist and author, stated in his Oct. 2, 1996 article. Students learn by making decisions. The students must choose an outfit to wear. To choose, they must think of what is happening at school that day. Wearing uniforms does not allow decision making to take place. The strict school uniforms finally take away the talent to choose clothes that are appropriate for school and other certain situations. Once again, uniforms force students to choose certain clothes everyday for school. Middle school students will not know what kind of clothes are appropriate or inappropriate. There will be no time to show the difference between the two. The students may think it is okay to wear a tube top wherever they please. Certain symbols are also extremely inappropriate; such as certain gang symbols. Since the students never got to learn appropriate clothing, they will think any symbol is okay to wear and display. To summarize, uniforms take away lots of common knowledge from middle school

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