Why do you think we have a school uniform?  Is it just the big, bad, adults stifling your individuality and making sure school is a little less fun?  Is it to look old fashioned?  Or something else?

Well, one way to think about it is to ask: Who else wears uniforms and why do they do it?  The military; the police; sports teams; doctors and nurses.  They often wear uniforms, because we need to know who’s who and who does what. 

But that doesn’t really explain school uniforms—no offense to you all, but we can pretty easily tell who the scholars are and who the teachers are here. 

While there are many practical reasons for school uniforms, it turns out that your suspicions are partly right: It is the big, bad, adults stifling your individuality…at least a certain kind.  The world today largely equates who you are with the image you project—being an individual is a matter of how you perform, and a big part of that is your “look.” 

But we—your parents, your teachers, the administration—are far more concerned with how you are formed than how you perform: That is, not the image you project, but the content of your character.  And wearing a uniform is a daily reminder—to you and to us—that we should imitate God when it comes to looking at ourselves and others: “For the Lord sees not as man sees: man looks on the outward appearance, but the Lord looks on the heart.”

You want to express your individuality?  Then work on being good, rather than looking good.  Trust me, you’ll stand out from the crowd far more doing that.

Now, tuck in your shirts…and have a wonderful day.