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Today I wanted
to bring up the topic of school uniforms. I remember my surprise when
I first learned that most all junior high and high school students in
Japanese public schools wear uniforms. (In America, while some private
schools require uniforms, most public schools don’t). But what really
surprised me was that at almost any hour of any day (including weekends
and late at night), you could see Japanese students out in public wearing
their uniforms, and they didn’t seem to mind wearing their uniforms in
public at all.
Because I went to a Catholic grade school growing up (1st-8th grade),
I also had to wear a school uniform. And, as I think most students in
my school did, I HATED it. I didn’t like having to dress the same as everyone
else and I felt frustrated that I couldn’t express my personality and
my individuality through my clothes. I always changed out of my uniform
when I came home from school, and if I ever had to go directly from school
to another place, like a store or a doctor’s office, before going home,
I would bring “regular clothes” (jeans, etc.) to school with me and change
in the school bathroom or somewhere before I left so that I wouldn’t have
to be seen in public in my uniform. This was partly because I felt more
like myself in my own regular clothes but largely because I was embarrassed
to be seen in public in a school uniform.
I think my feelings and actions were typical of the students at my school.
We disliked wearing uniforms and eagerly looked forward to “special days”
when we were allowed to wear regular clothes. “No uniform days” were sometimes
used as special rewards, such as a prize for the class that raised the
most money in a school fundraiser. When we had field trips, our teachers
would usually let us wear regular clothes on that day because they knew
that it was embarrassing for us to be seen in public in our uniforms.
I guess what embarrassed us was looking the same as everyone else, feeling
conspicuous as part of a big group, and being seen as just another member
of a group instead of as individuals. We were even afraid of being teased
by public school kids for having to wear a uniform.
Given all this, I was surprised and impressed that Japanese students don’t
seem to mind wearing uniforms, even in public, and I wondered why. Perhaps
because the majority of students in Japan have to wear uniforms (rather
than the minority as is the case in America), it is considered normal
and students are used to it and not bothered by it. (Perhaps another point
to consider is that the Japanese uniforms, at least those of the high
school girls, are a lot cuter than ours:). We would never have been allowed
to get away with having skirts that short:).) But I think also that many
Japanese students, aside from even just being used to or accepting having
to wear a uniform, perhaps look upon it positively because they like to
feel like part of a group, to which they feel loyalty and solidarity,
and because they take pride in showing what group they are part of. I
always considered my uniform a source of embarrassment, but thinking about
the attitude toward uniforms in Japan has made me realize that perhaps
they can also be a source of pride and community spirit.
The subject of whether uniforms should be introduced in public schools
has been debated in the US, usually on a school-by-school basis rather
than as a national or state policy. Some parents and teachers, as well
as even some students, think introducing school uniforms would be a good
idea because it would eliminate the need for students to spend time trying
to decide what to wear the next day and might eliminate the teasing and
bullying that sometimes goes on toward kids who wear “uncool” clothes
and the pressure to keep up with the latest fashions. Some people argue
that wearing uniforms would cause students to be judged more on their
personalities than on their outward appearance (which would be a positive
thing to be sure) and that kids who couldn’t afford the most stylish clothes
wouldn’t feel inadequate or be ridiculed.
All these are good points. However, I also feel that clothing can be a
way of expressing one’s personality and individuality, as well as creativity.
I think it’s natural for human beings to want to express these things
and that uniforms can stifle this. And if students feel like they can’t
express these things through basic things like clothes, they may start
to try to express themselves in other, less constructive ways. Of course,
it’s what’s inside us that counts, not what’s outside. But sometimes the
outside can be a way of expressing what’s inside. Wearing a T-shirt with
your favorite music band or video game on it can be a way of sharing your
interests with others, even those you’ve never met, and may be a way of
attracting the attention of others who share your interests, showing you
and others things you never knew you had in common, and helping to bring
people together make friendships. A shirt with a political or religious
or philosophical message may stimulate discussion among people who otherwise
may never have talked to each other or never have discussed such issues;
it can encourage people to share their views and ideas with each other
and to learn from each other. When I came to teach in elementary schools
here in Japan, I was a little nervous, teaching by myself instead of with
another teacher as I do in the junior high schools, and perhaps the students
were a little nervous too. But when they saw my Donkey Kong Country sweatshirt
(that’s one of my favorite video games:)), I heard happy exclamations
of recognition, and we all realized that we shared an interest. A simple
thing like a picture on a sweatshirt sparked an instant connection and
perhaps helped to set us at ease.
Thus, I believe there are both positive and negative aspects to uniforms,
and perhaps this is why they remain controversial among many who discuss
them in America. What do other people think?
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