Scene 1: Interior shot of average home on any weekday morning:

Mom! I can’t find my purple pants!”

They’re in the dirty clothes, honey. Find something else to wear.”

But I CAN’T wear anything else! Nothing else matches, and I really wanted Sandy to see my purple pants with my new blouse!”

Sandy won’t care what you wear…!”

Oh Mom! She ALWAYS notices and tells me if I wear something weird!”

Huge sigh.) “Ok, ok….dig them out of the hamper. But you’ll have to at least iron them before you wear them!”

But I’ll be LATE if I iron them!”

And the scene degenerates from there. From personal experience, I know this is not a hypothetical, nor a rare scenario in many households. Even in godly, loving homes, sometimes the pace of preparing for a school day can produce severe temptations to frustration in the most solid saint-of-a-parent. There are just a lot of things to think about, from lunches to homework, to needed books for that day, to after-school plans to double check on. Knowing precisely what clothes will be worn the next day might just lift one major burden from the backs of the students and the parents alike.

Scene 2: Interior shot of much-beloved Christian school on an average weekday:
The students, albeit with many smiles and friendly attitudes, move from class to class dressed as though they had dropped in on their way home from a four-day hike through uncharted wilderness. Rumpled sweatshirts, t-shirts, and semi-clean blue jeans, supported by well-worn sneakers or scuffed boots abound. An untucked sports shirt flaps over a dull-colored t-shirt, the attire of the student slumped in the desk at the front of the room. She is a bright, friendly student, as are most in this school, so no one comments on her combat-weary demeanor. Meanwhile, the teacher in front of the room wears his tie and jacket everyday, and hoping, somewhere in the recesses of his mind, that his “modeling” of maturity in dress will somehow affect the students’ understanding of the adult life.

Scene 3: Exterior shot featuring the selfsame female student from scene 2:
Dressed in matching mauve top and pants, and sporting a quaint cap with a monogrammed yellow letter, the young lady dashes a hot food order to a waiting car in the parking lot. She doesn’t see any disparity of thought between her unique attire for the few hours she weekly puts into this fast-food restaurant, and the daily grungy appearance she flaunts in school most of her waking hours.

When Logos School first began in the early eighties, the idea of student uniforms was as remote from our considerations as the idea of e-mail. In fact, a number of very serious discussions were held at board-level to decide whether we would require the students to wear shoes in class, or if they could be “free” to go barefoot. Sanitation won out over individuality. Had uniforms even been mentioned, I am confident that all present, self included, would have had a hearty laugh, and then gone on with more practical school business.
But why would we have laughed? And why is it that today, when the idea of student uniforms in Logos is even mentioned, reactions from thinking adults are never in the ambivalent range? It seems people either love the idea and would embrace it immediately, or hate it, and see the wearing of uniforms as a step in the unraveling of civilization as we know it. Not long ago, in a meeting with the staff, I broached the idea of some selected school clothing, not uniforms per se, for the students. Shortly afterwards, I received a strident, three-page letter from one father. Among other objections to the idea, he equated the wearing of school uniforms with the advent of hippies, Nazis, and Chinese communists. In other words, he was against the proposal. Not wanting to risk a Logos version of the War Between the States over dress, I retreated.
But, I still love a student in uniform. Consider these points:

1. Uniforms would eliminate those wonderful morning madness times.

2. Uniforms would teach the students that school is indeed their place of work. This would not only prepare them for part-time jobs in “the real world,” like the fast-food scenario above; they would understand why adults dress in their “uniforms” for work.

3. Uniforms, like other nice clothes, affect the attitude of the wearer. Both logic and experience have demonstrated that students will act differently, depending upon how they are attired. When our students dress up for our Protocol nights, they assume the sophistication their clothes require. Even public schools that have tried uniforms attest, often to the surprise of doubters, that much improved behavior among the students resulted (ask Salem, Oregon).

4. Uniforms can and have actually saved money for parents. Considering the normal life-span of styles and the cheaply-made clothes today, this point is very easy to substantiate.

5. Uniforms, whether in the military, on the sports field, or even in fast-food restaurants, often contribute strongly to a sense of pride in the institution. There is nothing wrong, and much right with students having a sense of pride in the school their uniform and they represent, especially if that school is a worthy institution. That pride and bearing can also contribute to the community’s awareness of the reputation of that school. To anticipate a common argument raised by that last point - elitism is only an attitude. Uniforms don’t produce arrogance, anymore than uniforms produce excellence in education. Humility comes from the heart and is seen on the outside, regardless of the apparel.

6. Uniforms eliminate clothing competition and its attendant feelings. No matter how little it may appear kids seem to care about clothes and style while at school, they still care. Why else would there be so much “uniformity” already among the appearance of our students?

But uniforms at Logos? “The kids wouldn’t want to all look alike!” “The kids don’t want to look dorky!” “They would lose their individuality!” Oh, well, maybe someday…maybe…