Most folks are familiar with the TV show by that name. Many schools do their own version of what not to wear. They have a long list of clothing deemed inappropriate for school and spend a lot of time and energy monitoring how students are dressed every day. That is time unwisely spent, in our opinion—time that should be spent on the business of education.
That is one reason that La Paloma chose to have a basic, easy-to-interpret dress code. While we still have to spend some time making sure that everyone adheres to it, we aren’t having to decide whether a slogan on a particular shirt can be considered offensive or deal with the delicate issue of clothing styles that are immodest.
But there are other reasons we adopted standardized school clothing. Standardized dress:
- Is less distracting/puts more focus on academics
- Creates a serious/professional school atmosphere
- Levels the playing field among socio-economic groups
- Enhances school pride/represents the school positively
Many parents tell us that our dress code eliminates the stress related to shopping for “appropriate” school attire. It also makes it easier to get kids dressed and out the door in the morning because choices are limited.
Sometimes students raise the issue of personal expression. But we know our students have better ways to express their individuality: character, academic performance, athletic or artistic expression and service, among others.
Thank you for supporting our dress code and all the ways you help us keep La Paloma a place of learning!
