I grew up in a small farming and logging community in central Idaho. It was a town where you were expected to work, go to school and play sports. There were very little, if at all any, minorities in our school and to me it seamed as if everyone wore one of two styles of dress. You were either into rock and roll t-shirts or the more conservative prep look. Dress and appearance guidelines were specifically spelled out and for us students it appeared the norm.
Was this my schools attempt to control us, to only allow certain manners of dress, to forbid students from having facial hair and from the boys in the school having pierced ears. For the teachers school was there for us to learn and expand our minds, not to grow our social circle or gain our next conquest. Were the teachers mindfully attempting to oppress us or were they more or less dictating an environment that they felt was the most productive and helpful to us in our quest to become educated.
Now 26 years later I look at the struggles and conflicts within the schools and how the teachers are forced to pick their battles as to not offend someone or some culture. The environment within the schools has changed drastically and in such it is necessary as an educator to change with them and adjust to continue to educate students and prepare them for life after high school
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