Saturdays Are Not for School Shoes

At my school, we follow strict uniform codes that tell us how to dress for school everyday.

While most of these dress codes are great and help make our day a bit easier, there is one thing that could really use some improvement. Picture this: I am walking up the stairs, just going through my day, and I feel my school shoes rip. I start to feel frustration, annoyance, and even sadness over my ruined shoes. Because my shoes break at the beginning of the week, I just have to make it through the week by using a ton of duct tape. Of course, my mom is annoyed because now we have to spend an hour on a Saturday at the uniform store, trying to get a new pair of shoes.

Also, let us not forget that the shoes cost around seventy dollars, depending on where they are bought. This problem not only wastes money, but it also wastes time that could be spent on better, more practical things. Unfortunately, I am not the only student who has experienced this problem at my school. A close friend of mine went through two weeks of eighth grade before her shoes were unwearable; this problem is ridiculous and needs to be changed now. If a student is lucky, her shoes might last her one school year before they fall apart, two years at the most.

The administration will often blame the students, saying that we are at fault for our shoes ripping, but I truly believe that the real reason for our shoes ripping is that they are cheaply made. The solution to this problem is extremely simple; instead of offering cheaply made shoes, we need to be offered stronger, more durable shoes. With the shoes we have now, the fabric often rips as we do everyday things, such as walking up the stairs, tapping our feet, or even just sitting at our desks. If we got shoes that are made with a stronger material, it would make the school year less complicated because we could just wear the same shoes throughout all of our high school years. An example of better shoes would be the Dr. Martens, which the uniform used to require.

A small problem with these shoes would be that they are harder to break in and more expensive, but does it really matter if they can be worn throughout all of our high school years? Instead of having to buy and break in three to five pairs of school shoes, we could buy and break in only one to two pairs. In conclusion, the best logical way to solve the problem of our shoes falling apart would be to get more reliable shoes. If my school got a more durable pair of shoes for our uniform, it would take away the hassle of getting new school shoes. This would improve the uniform because parents would not have to spend so much money on shoes. Instead, they could be investing in other things that could help their child through the day.

For example, parents could use the seventy dollars spent on one pair of shoes to buy their daughter school supplies or a new bookbag. Instead of the Saddle Oxford shoes that we have now, we should go back to the Dr. Martens so we do not have to waste anymore time and money. It is an unnecessary expense to keep buying shoes that are just going to keep ripping. Overall, getting more durable shoes students would be the most efficient and helpful way to improve the uniform.