Picking out my outfit for school in the morning is one of my favorite things to do and I’m sure many other students could agree, but I never think about the dress code while picking out what shirt I want to wear or what shorts would go well with my outfit. The dress code here at Bowie High School does not seem to be strict which I really enjoy because it allows students to wear whatever makes them comfortable without the anxiety of being dress coded by a teacher. 

Being comfortable in what you are wearing could also have a big effect on students’ ability to learn, at least for me being comfortable in what I’m wearing allows me to focus better in class and makes me way less distracted. I think whatever helps students do better in school by allowing students to wear what they want should definitely be permissible. But the problem of allowing students to wear what they want might be distracting for other students who are trying to focus in class.

There have definitely been times where I have been distracted by a student wearing a super bright colored shirt or a funny hat but I eventually get used to it and allow myself to be able to focus in class, but this might not always be the case for other students. The focus of the school dress code is to allow a better learning environment for students with less distractions, but I haven’t had any problems with Bowie’s current school dress code and don’t think it needs any change.

Taking a student out of class just to make them change because of the dress code seems super unnecessary and can mentally affect the student for the rest of the day. I have never been “dress-coded” before but I have had friends that have been and their day was completely ruined, this also affected their ability to focus in class. 

Dress code should be the least of teachers worries, they should be focusing on students grades and their mental health not the clothes they are wearing. Making a student change could also lead to body image problems for the student which is the last thing a student should be worrying about in school, they should feel comfortable in their body and clothes so focusing on the learning part of school is easier.

Overall, I think the dress code is fine as long as it is not super strict causing mental health problems for students. Students will always focus better when they are comfortable in their clothes and worrying about being dress coded is the least of their problems. I understand teachers’ worries for other students that may be distracted by other students’ clothes, that’s why I think there should be some limits for dress code at school. Mental health and students’ ability to focus in school should always come first before the worries of what a student is wearing.