Individuality And Conformity In Schools

Schools consists of varieties of teachers , who are responsible for teaching and caring for the students throughout the day. People may argue that schools should support both individuality and conformity to an extent.These two goals are completely contradicting to one another, the betterment of individuals and the betterment of society as a whole. I argue that schools need to focus on individuality more than any else. Schools fail to do this by enforcing dress codes, having mandatory classes and control of the school day structure. Dress codes are claimed to help students focus on the lessons rather than each other. In reality, all students want is the freedom and ability to choose what they want to wear that day. Their choice of clothing

The following expectation is written, “dress in appropriate attire which does not distract or offend others.” By changing the uniforms and creating a guideline for the students, we can encourage both individuality and professionalism. The students still have a choice as to the color, style and brand.This issue takes place in a majority of schools systems. In my school, Windham High, we have a uniform. They have changed the “appropriate attire” multiple times over the past year. We are only allowed to wear maroon, blue, white and gray with our school logo. We are not allowed to wear sweatpants, leggings,jeggings, yoga pants or jeans. However, we are allowed to wear Levi’s slacks. People who retaliate this rule commonly wear leggings or jeans rather than the appropriate “slacks”. Reducing the strict rules of the uniform could lower the amount of rebellious students and show them that individuality isn’t a privilege but a right that they must have. You must also keep in mind the cost of the slacks. Most families in my area are housing at least two to three children, who don’t always attend the same school. This leads to the issue of money. The schools all have different

Bell schedule (Source B) shows a public high schools bell structure, “Period one is 8:20-9:06. Period two is 9:10-9:56. Period three is 10:00-10:59..” as so on for eight total , daily periods. Each period is 51 minutes long. The students have approximately 4 minutes to go from one class to another, no time to socialize,use the bathroom or talk to teachers after class. The shown bell schedule doesn’t include lunch or any breaks, the students are sitting in the same building for about 8 ½ hours total. The classrooms, in my experience, all set up the same, take away their individuality. Everyone having the same schedule and classes also take away the students individuality. The school could offer flexible classes which do not interfere with the students plans. Perhaps a student had to attend therapy or a program during the school day, the students could maybe take the classes online or schedule a time with her teachers in the evening where she could go over the materials. The school should accommodate to the students needs , and if that means giving them more individuality then thats what should