Education: Dreadlocks or Uniforms

We're going to discuss those layers of "who we are," again.  This time I want to touch on who we are expected to be, because what others expect of us has an impact on, not only how we might be perceived, but possibly who we choose to become.

There was a little grade school girl in the news the other day.  She was attending a school where uniforms were required and a dress code was enforced.  When you read what the dress code says, it leaves little doubt what was expected of the students.

 

This girl's father is a barber and had her hair in dreadlocks, unacceptable according to the school code.  She was told her hair was non-conforming and was asked to change it.  Father says it was that way the year prior and there was no issue, so why now?  The school has photos, they tell the father, showing he was mistaken.  Bottom line is, instead of conforming to school policy, she now attends a public school where non-conformity is accepted and the possibility for an education worth the price of admission is more than probable.

 

So, typical of our declining culture of real exceptionalism, instead of redoing the hairstyle so she can get that quality education and become an exceptional member of society making an exceptional wage, she now gets a mediocre public education from union teachers that could give a rats ass how she dresses, or whether she actually learns anything of substance, as long as she buys into their far left ideology.  This ideology buys into conforming to, what American communists would refer to as, "American exceptionalism."  Unfortunately, this has no comparison to real exceptionalism.

 

Sorry, got political there for a moment.

 

In every society there are rules that must be conformed to.  The rules are there for a purpose.  In this case they were in place to try to instill a sense of pride and professionalism, as a way of removing the distractions of fashion in favor of attention to the quality education being provided.  So what has the family accomplished?

 

The brick and mortar of who she is, or might become, has been corrupted.  The solid foundation so desperately needed by the young, particularly in today's society, has developed cracks.  What follows next, when parents defer to the child for the rules they will adhere to?  Smoking, alcohol, drugs, multiple tattoos and piercings, early pregnancy, and maybe some semblance of an education?  And what will she be able to do with this education she gets?  Doctor?  Lawyer?  Judge?  Politician?  What chance does she have now that her world has been opened to "no rules" as a life option?

 

Her coat of fresh paint, planned for a background of solid brick and mortar, is now decorated with gang graffiti.  She will struggle with her sense of self.  She will become another of the "do for me" generation where mediocrity is the rule and not the exception.  If, by some miracle, she finds God and does not blame who she is on a lack of one, she may look to the heavens for the reasons behind her plight, instead of placing the reasons squarely on her parents where they belong.

 

The strong foundation, brick and mortar, and the colorful paint of who we are in society is a product of the rules and regulations, moral and societal, we are taught to respect.  Without this respect, we as individuals limit ourselves and our potential.  As a nation we begin to collapse into a rabble of the homeless and unemployable.  Our system of government becomes a joke as we become a welfare state and helplessly watch our economy fall apart.  Civilization becomes a runaway train with nobody at the controls, heading toward an inevitable wreck.

 

Kind of where we are now, isn't it?

 

So, why the dreadlocks?  Why not just conform to the rules which the parents and student knew were in place when they opted to enroll her for the quality of education this institution was going to provide?  It is easier to not conform.  It is always easier to not follow rules.

 

I leave you with this final thought from a quality lady, back when I was growing up:

 

“A quality education has the power to transform societies in a single generation, provide children with the protection they need from the hazards of poverty, labor exploitation and disease, and give them the knowledge, skills, and confidence to reach their full potential.”

-- Audrey Hepburn