I met one of my professors in the hallway last week and for some reason we start discussing life lessons for students, you know, things professors teach you thats not on the syllabus. The School of Business Dean held a faculty meeting, and one of the things that came out of it was students' dress code. Fortunately I had class with him later on so I was dressed nicely (not that I am a sloppy dresser if I do say so myself, and anyway us MBA students tend to think of how we dress).
Being an hour away from New York, and having many students from the suburbs, we inevitably have a large body of students that follow the stereotypical African American thug-style dress code with oversized clothes all over the place. In fairness I should also mention the athletes who go to class in slippers and tank tops, and let me not forget the ones from further north who think pyjama pants are appropriate. So, said professor will henceforth no longer allow the wearing of caps in his class, will more actively discuss attire with his students, and as an added bonus will no longer allow students into the class who are more than 15 minutes late. How does the late thing tie in with dressing? Are students taking longer to dress sloppy and therefore arriving late to class?
Of course not. It's all a matter of discipline he is trying to underline. And I completely agree. I have been meaning to do a post about school uniforms for a long time, not that we necessarily wear "uniforms" at this level but I think the wearing of school uniforms instills a certain level of discipline and self awareness that certainly comes in handy later on in life. Why uniforms in ""? Because most of us comform, we wear what is considered appropriate, follow loose guidelines; all similar to the concept of a uniform.
I for one am all for uniforms and all the stuff that goes with it, the discipline, belonging blah blah. The opposing views about freedom of expression is bull-crap! There are so many other ways to express onself. But let us stay with the question of dress: how is it better to allow this freedom when it leads to teenagers dressing like bums to go to class? Does that not say "I don't care"? or "I don't know better"? There are no enforced standards in the name of freedom of choice/expression (mind u we are talking about pre-teens and teens) but then later on they are criticised for the way they dress and are suddenly expected to change. However there is no sense of what is appropriate, no sense of neatness, just wear the same "comfortable" (as opponents of uniforms would say) clothes all the time.
At least in Trinidad, where all schools enforce uniforms, when people get to university/college and they can wear whatever they choose and they wear the huge shirts and the baggy jeans, when the time comes for it they still do know how to wear a shirt and tie with pants that fit. Unfortunately there are some students here that you don't know if you want them at a school function or dinner because you are afraid of how they will dress.
So I applaud, and fully support, this professor in having the concern and courage to take a small step in repairing the damage.
Till nex time...
p.s. I wanted to add a pic but blogger playin de ass
Subscribe to:
Post Comments (Atom)
3 comments:
i've thought about posting on uniforms as well. i have to say after my experience in trinidad i think there is real value to it. will kids try to push the boundaries? of course. it is their nature and who can expect less. but at least with uniforms there is waaay less wiggle room for it and ultimately less distraction in the class room as a result.
I agree with it. I spent my life wearing uniforms before coming to the US (In Brazil, unforms are also mandatory for all schools below college), and I never had a problem with that. In fact, I think you learn to separate your life from your school life. You put on your uniform - it's school time. As psychological as it may sound, you kind of "get your mind set" for studying - it doesn't work as simple as that, but I think it helps. Also, you know that when you go out, you don't wear your school uniform, you will dress appropriately for every and each occasion. And to finish, uniforms don't eliminate, but help diminish, the popular/unpopular groups of people in school. We still have those in Brazil, of course, but it's not as accentuated as in American high schools. Why? Many reasons, but the fact that everyone is dressed the same homogenizes students a bit.
Costa it is precisely this homogeneity that some think is so wrong, but they don't seem to care about it in the corporate world (shirts, ties, and UNIFORMS). and it also seems, like u point out, you actually don't wear your school uniform outside of school, plenty of time for freedom of choice then.
Post a Comment