Dressing Well at Livermore Falls

The Bangor Daily ran a feature story this week stating that the new principal at Livermore Falls High School has instituted a strict dress code. Of course all schools have a dress code, it is just a question of how seriously it is taken or if it is enforced.

At Livermore Falls they evidently are taking it serious, having a round of public discussions to make sure all are on the same page. The usual ban on profanity, alcohol, drug references and illegal acts are verboten on all clothing.

Midriffs, cleavage, shoulders have been named as enemies of the state. I have to say that when dropping off my kids to the high school I see kids dressed in a way that sometimes shocks me. Boys may dress like slobs but girls dress like hoochies. Short shorts are the least of the worries.

The principal states he wants kids to think of their time in school as their job. I endorse his thinking. My son will wear sweatpants to school. Now I admit I have a never ending battle with sweatpants in any public places, including my living room and I myself feel uncomfortable without a collar on my shirt. So I have issues but we are not teaching our young people to take themselves seriously. I had to make my son understand that you have to look like you are serious when you apply for a job. He said well clearly I would not wear shorts to work, I told him he needed to present himself in the best possible light.

I think one of the things I have seen from kids is a lack of understanding how much first impressions matter and even more importantly a lack of understanding that we very rarely can control when a first impression happens.

I do not know what level of success they will have at Livermore Falls. I know that I support thier effort and would myself consider going further and put in school uniform policies. I think that the way that clothes can distinguish between haves and have nots and cause stress among an already self concious group could be diminished with a uniform policy.

Would I have felt that way when I was a kid. Probably not. As an adult however I have come to understand that the truth is, more and more every year, young people including teenagers have a pretty serious deficiency in knowing what is good for them. This gets worse every year. Is it me getting older or them being left in their young persons cocoon for longer and longer. Perhaps a little of both.

I think it was Wooden who said Discipline yourself and others will not need to. Clothes require discipline too. I must end this now and get my middle son to turn his hat around the right way.