School, Dress Code and Creative Expression

With school beginning in a few short weeks (for me and my girl), the one thing that has a constant presence on our mind is… the dress code. Every time we pick up a new piece of clothing, we ask if it will meet the dress code. My girl is attending a new school this year and it comes with a new dress code that we must learn. It’s a simple dress code, requesting that the students’ appearance is neat, clean and modest. I am in agreement with dress codes. I think they provide adequate guidance in helping students learn how to dress appropriately, especially students who may not have parental guidance at home.

But the question that has been floating around my mind these past few days is this… Do dress codes hinder creative expression?

Junior high and high school are times when students are truly learning who they are. Those are the years when they try new hairstyles, experiment with makeup and go through phases with styles of clothes. One day they want to wear six-inch heals, and the next day are Converse. This week the favorite subject is English and next week it will be History. Last night your student watched My Little Pony on tv while braiding her doll’s hair, but tonight she will ask if she can watch a rerun of Grey’s Anatomy with you (which, by the way, the current answer is “No”).  She is constantly growing and learning who God designed her to be.

I don’t yet have a question to my answer, though I’m sure a child psychologist might. But I know that we will continue to work with the dress code and find ways to allow my girl’s creativity and self-expression ring through. Not by trying to find ways to go around it or press what we can get away with, but by remaining within its guidance and allowing God to continue telling her who she is.