Conformity is not a Consequence of Schools, it is a Lesson

            We have all heard the cynical views of the modern American education system. About how teachers are stifling the creativity of future generations by enforcing conformity, dress codes, and reserved behavior. And to all of those teachers I would like to say… Thank you. Conformity gets a bad rap. Plenty of movies center around the free-spirited protagonist being repressed by the societal norm, only to realize that being different is good. But this is only true to an extent. We like to think of different as good, but we limit our scope to creativity. People who are different trailblaze musical genres, push the limits of what is art, and inspire future generations. But that is only part of the story.

Being in sync with society is good as well. People can empathize with one another. We recognize etiquette and know how to modify our behavior given different surroundings. If you are dining at a fine restaurant in celebration of your fifth wedding anniversary, only to find the patron seated behind you is shirtless and shouting about how the current administration is going to destroy the country, you would certainly not be thinking: “Gee, I sure am glad no one tried to stifle this gentleman’s creativity.”

So, when your child’s teacher complains of them speaking out of turn or acting out such that they are disrupting the rest of the class, imagine yourself seated at an event you paid to attend, where another adult is speaking out of turn and disrupting the presenter. Imagine the anger you would almost certainly feel toward them, and then work with your child on socially acceptable expressions of their creative side.

On that same note, a common theme among adolescent students and their parents today is the oppressive dress codes that schools enforce. And while there is some justification in the claim of sexism in school dress codes, (they should certainly be enforced equally and indiscriminately), it should also be realized that dress codes are not limited to schools. Most jobs, many events, some restaurants, and even public space all have some degree of requirement in an individual’s dress. The only place you are not expected to abide by a dress requirement is your own private property, reasonably concealed from public view. School is no exception, and students should be expected to demonstrate appropriate dress for the setting they are in. Some may disagree, but I feel that most schools have very reasonable dress codes, and the expectation that your child follows it has nothing to do with sexism or body shaming, but rather preparing your child for life. This you may recognize as one of the main goals of schools.

-AMS