Every school in the religious world has some kind of dress code or uniform. Some allow cargo pants, some don’t. In some the shoes have to be dark dress shoes, some allow sneakers. Each has their own code.
As a parent I do my best to ensure that my sons are dressed according to the dress code of the school. I don’t buy them school clothes that veer off the guidelines – even just a tiny bit. I try to teach them about respecting the rules in every environment that they find themselves, whether or not they agree with the rules.
I recently overheard a discussion between two grade school boys complaining that one of them had been told to colour over his white sneakers with a black marker by his teacher. “I paid $90 for these sneakers – there is no way I am colouring over them”, said the incensed pre-teen. The other kid commented “why do you wear them then, to school, if you know it’s against the rules?”
The dress code specifically states that the pupils should only wear dark shoes or sneakers. Whether you agree or not that this is a good idea, you have chosen to send your child to this school, and therefore you should abide by the rules. What message does it give your child when you allow them to think it’s ok to bend rules occasionally? Does allowing him to wear white sneakers give him the message that all school rules are made to be broken? Or is a shoe just a shoe and should nothing be made of his choice of footwear?
What are your thoughts?
