John Darnall 1/12/2012 English 3 Editorial

Dress Code
Schools are a place of learning. At school you learn what you need for life and the real world; showing the fundamentals of striving in this world. Plenty of these attendants will grow into hard working lawyers, doctors, accountants, and managers. In our society we have a standard of the working environment: dress codes, but whats so bad about them? Though many people will announce that the school dress code is not something to complain about and relaxed from the years past, it still is highly unnecessary, causes more issues than solves, doesnt show what the real world is like, and has no bearing on students in the school as a whole; merely opinion of few to represent many. Upon which schools release new members into a community with the knowledge of surviving the economy, job challenges, and relentless worldly pressures, theyre sending out people that are actors, artists, inventors, musicians, designers, and writers. Students are taught (brain-washed), through the acts of dress codes, that obedience and compliance is more crucial and creativity is not. The authority is permitted to abuse its power and imprison our constitutional right of free speech and expression. In the theory of schools, theyre supposed to prepare you for what careers will be like and what employers will expect. But in this exaggerated attempt at simulating the workplace is nothing more than teaching students that suppressed individuality, enabled malpractice of self-control/restraint (including teachers), and conformity over adapting and practicing ones own judgment skills; one must physically do something to understand the full extent of the pros and cons. In which they do this they learn through decision-making and

John Darnall 1/12/2012 English 3 Editorial trying, rather than authority figures using the Because I said so line or warning them not to do something--which if the teachers and school administrators knew as much as they present, theyd know that a simple warning isnt going to cut it. Self-control is a pressing issue among students and teachers. Students are growing up, chemically and mentally, while teachers have already gone through this phase. As I said before, one must experience things for themselves, not be shielded from what others fear will happen. Each person has their own perspective and way of experiencing events in their life. So, who are teachers and administrators to order them what to do? This isnt a tyranny, but a democracy. Back to the original point, teachers push all the blame on students for becoming distracted. Yeah, well I say that its them who are becoming distracted. By enforcing this ridiculous dress code policy they have forgotten about practice of control: self-control. For all sanity, whod want teachers that cant stand up in front of a large group of students and not be staring at the cleavage in the first row or maybe the wife-beater guy in the back? They seem to be the ones with the distraction issue, not the students. For a pro-opinion view: The National School Board Association estimates that approximately 135,000 guns are brought to Americas 85,000 public schools each day. This is one reason school districts use to implement dress codes. (FPU News, Pros and cons of school dress code) This is a pathetic excuse for a dress code! In making students dress like puritans you subsequently give them more places to hide guns. So, if they were truly intending to reduce the guns brought to school, youd require students to wear less clothing. Another suggestion and/or case the pro-opinion view is that dress codes reduce distraction and increase focus. Errr...no. Thats false and theres no scientific

John Darnall 1/12/2012 English 3 Editorial evidence of this. The pure basis of their rules are opinion. This goes back to the idea of If it happened to me, it happens to you. Yes, folks, people will most likely learn the same things as the previous generations just through living, but not through force. The force will only push them away from the concept--very few will assimilate and few will do it without being brain-washed. And who is it distracting anyways? The kids become used to the weird, abnormal, and strange rather quickly. If the adults--after considering the aspects and requirements of being a teacher--cant adapt and adjust to the new fashion, speech..etc, then why are they teaching? They reviewed the challenges and knew that changes throughout society would happen. Heck, they even did it to their teachers--whether they know it or not. Finally, theres a connection here. Self-control and distractions. If a teacher doesnt know how to manage them, they SHOULDN'T teach. Wrapping this all up in one paragraph is a mess. But nevertheless, concluding this, going through the ideas of pro and con, leaning more to the con side (bias, duh), and met a simple solution. But, first, those ideas were as following: conforming to authority is apparently more important to schools, self-control isnt a cared practice, dress codes dont change when the next Virginia Tech occurs, and lastly distractions are an excuse for teachers. Now, what to do? Abolish dress codes and treat the dress policy equal to that of state regulations. There you go. Its easy, simple, and doesnt make constant excuses.