Add uniforms to the list of school policies that we don’t concern ourselves with. It’s just another control mechanism that has no purpose beyond control.
There are two arguments in favor of school uniforms. One is the idea that if kids wear them, they’ll be more obedient and learn more. This despite studies which show that uniforms have no impact one way or the other on disciplinary issues or learning outcomes. It becomes just one more rule, imposed from on high, that means more punishments for people who didn’t wrong anyone.
The other argument states that uniforms are egalitarian. They level the playing field because nobody wears any status symbols or anything else that denotes their parents’ relative wealth or poverty. But is this really worth hiding? Our schools are a culture of acceptance. They tend not to rank each other by their family’s money, and they’re used to offering financial aid to less fortunate families without blinking an eye. And if wealth disparity is truly something you want to combat, why wouldn’t you want everyone to see it in the open?
No, uniforms only exist for the sake of conformity, to make everyone the same, to counter individuality and self-expression. We don’t trust conformity at Sudbury schools, which is why we don’t trust uniforms. We’d much rather deal with individuality.
Sean Vivier
There are two arguments in favor of school uniforms. One is the idea that if kids wear them, they’ll be more obedient and learn more. This despite studies which show that uniforms have no impact one way or the other on disciplinary issues or learning outcomes. It becomes just one more rule, imposed from on high, that means more punishments for people who didn’t wrong anyone.
The other argument states that uniforms are egalitarian. They level the playing field because nobody wears any status symbols or anything else that denotes their parents’ relative wealth or poverty. But is this really worth hiding? Our schools are a culture of acceptance. They tend not to rank each other by their family’s money, and they’re used to offering financial aid to less fortunate families without blinking an eye. And if wealth disparity is truly something you want to combat, why wouldn’t you want everyone to see it in the open?
No, uniforms only exist for the sake of conformity, to make everyone the same, to counter individuality and self-expression. We don’t trust conformity at Sudbury schools, which is why we don’t trust uniforms. We’d much rather deal with individuality.
Sean Vivier
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