Letter: Uniforms don't harm children's 'identity'

I am writing in response to the article, “School uniforms may be elementary students’ future,” released in your Dec. 3 issue.

I am the mother of an 8-year-old third grader attending Woodson Elementary and I am fully in favor of having uniforms implemented for students. As I myself attended a school where uniforms were required, I can testify to the fact that uniforms in no way take away from a child’s uniqueness or “identity,” as clothing is not the only way to express oneself. Uniforms can give a sense of unity and equality among the students, as no one student is styled any “better” than another.

Also, uniforms can be a form of training for later in life when children become adults and enter the workforce where uniforms are often required. They teach students to begin to realize that there will always be certain regulations they will be required to meet at different times in life.

Instituting uniforms should not be looked at as taking away “freedom of individual expression,” but as a tool to help students learn to adhere to a code of conduct, including appropriate attire.

Even sports teams have uniforms; yet players still manage to express their individuality quite emphatically through their personalities and athletic performance.

I wrote this letter in an attempt to give a new perspective to the uniform debate, hoping that it might give other parents a different way to view the situation. I am by no means knocking expression of dress. By all means, allow children to create their own styles!

But I do feel that in a school setting, which helps to prepare our children for the future, a “uniform” dress code would be a constructive tool to help educate our children, not to mention saving parents’ money throughout the school year.

Nikki Birchfield

Corning