I recently attended an appointment at a local public school. I must admit, I have not stepped foot in one (for various and sundry reasons) in a very, very long time. From the second I walked on to the school grounds, I was SHOCKED!!! Never mind school uniforms; I think a music video allowed to play only after 10 pm featured more modest clothing than what the people at this particular school were wearing. In the first ten steps, I saw belly-bearing tank tops, super micro mini shorts, an A line skit that was more of a no line skirt and jeans hanging so low to the ground; I had to physically restrain myself from pulling them up! And these were just the teachers!

I, myself, attended public school in the somewhat distant past (after the dinosaurs but before cell phones). While there was no school dress code, there was a broadly accepted, unspoken line that was not crossed. We did not wear anything that was more appropriate for the beach than for the classroom: no shorts; no sleeveless tops, no bellybutton baring t-shirts. It wasn’t that we dressed more modestly because we had some higher consciousness that dictated our clothing choices. We did not call it modest clothing, we just called it appropriate school clothing. We simply did not have the blurred line between the appropriate and the x-rated.

I had the biggest urge to call an emergency assembly in the school auditorium and give the kids (AND teachers, AND the administration) some fashion tips. Girls! If you want to attract attention, put on a comfy cotton t-shirt, a classy knee-length skirt and leave a little to the imagination. Boys! A short sleeve polo shirt and a nice pair of khaki pants makes you look polished and smart. Teachers! Dress respectfully and age-appropriate and watch your students take you just a little more seriously. Maybe we don’t need a school dress code for the class, but school clothing with some class!