Uniform checks are an awkward experience and a disruption to class. Uniform checks involve the deans coming in classes and inspecting students’ tops, bottoms, and IDs. This public display in the learning environment in front of classmates and teachers can make students feel exposed and can also affect workflow on classwork.
Currently, the deans come into classes without a warning to check students’ uniforms. Some students feel anxious and embarrassed when the deans enter in the middle of a lesson, in an intimate setting with twenty students or fewer. When students get written up or told to pull up their shirt to see if the skirt is rolled, students may feel uncomfortable in the classroom setting afterward. After the deans have come and gone, the students may feel that their reputation with the teacher or friends is affected due to the disciplinary tone. This disruption can make getting back into the flow of lessons mentally and physically challenging for students and teachers alike.
After the deans leave, students usually gossip walking about what just happened and who got written up, broken out of the educational mindset. Teachers often struggle to get their class back together after the disruption.
We as students understand that wearing a school uniform represents community, belonging, and group identity. The uniform check makes sure the school culture can keep students comfortable and presentable. However, we think during class is not the best time to conduct uniform checks.
It would be more respectful and less embarrassing if this happened in a larger environment. Uniform checks could instead happen in the snack or lunch line, on the way into recess or grade level meeting, or during passing period. When a student is checked during these times, the movement of other students in these scenarios keeps the focus from being on them. These periods may help the inspections feel more casual and less scary and intimidating. It will also foster a better dynamic among the students, the teachers and the deans.
