I've been teaching college for many years, long enough to note the gradual relaxation of attention in matters of student dress. And I've long been used to the worn jeans, flip-flops and shorts. Still, I took note recently when one of my students showed up in pajama bottoms. I couldn't help asking, "Did you just roll out of bed?" "Five minutes ago." he responded.
I'm familiar with the school of thought that says that how students dress is not important, so long as they're learning. This is much the same when they say "Grammar and spelling don't matter, so long as they're expressing themselves." Perhaps. But I also wonder about the wisdom of blurring(模糊)the line between bed and desk. I should think that a careful consideration of clothes before entering a formal environment is a sort of visible reminder to oneself (and one's teachers) that impressions are important and that we have come together to get down to business.
I suppose that I come from a time when there were "school clothes" and "play clothes," and never did the two sorts meet. I grew up in a working-class family, to whom "looking sharp" was important. Personal appearance might have made the difference between getting and losing a job. So yes, I'm all for freedom of choice in matters of dress, and yes, I do want my students to be comfortable. But I also want to pay my respects to those students who believe that appearances matter.
I think of this lady I had in class a few years back. She was someone to whom science was never easy: She worked hard for respectable grades on every task. But I was impressed by how tastefully she dressed, day after day. When the course ended, I mentioned this to her. "You always looked so nice," I remarked," as if you were ready to take on the world."
