Dress codes are arbitrary, capricious, time-consuming, and pointless.
They are supposed to be.
Dress codes serve an important role in kids growing up: the desire to be
rebellious. It is their nature to fight authority and find their own niche.
So we should give something to rebel against--and something safe please, so
that the only consequence if they succeed in rebelling is a detention.
When a kid comes in with green hair, I am shocked. At least I hope that I
seem to be shocked, I may not be a good enough actor, as I don't really
care.
They want me to be shocked, and if I am not, they will have to do something
more shocking. I like to make life easy for my students; then, they can get
onto the serious stuff.
Getting rid of dress codes doesn't prevent kids from being rebellious; it
just changes about what they will be rebellious.
Marc "Zeke" Kossover
Part of the dress-code police at my school. My wife is the dress code czar.