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Editorial: Students dress for success
Sunday, November 18, 2012
Luis Romero, Rayshaun Gravely and Michael Richardson are showing wisdom beyond their middle-school years. And we hope it is contagious.
Luis, Rayshaun and Michael wear coats and ties to class at Martinsville Middle School virtually every day. They do not save their suits for special occasions or dress-up days. No, they put them on nearly every day, in school and, for the most part, outside of school.
These boys have discovered what people generally learn later in life — that first impressions count, that people will think better of them when they are well dressed, and that their attire shows respect for themselves and their surroundings. Those are mature ideas coming from seventh-graders.
But if these three understand that, why don’t others? We are not suggesting that all boys wear coats and ties or all girls wear dresses and heels every day. But we are suggesting — and Luis, Rayshaun and Michael apparently agree — that “if kids have their pants sagging, it doesn’t look good for the school,” as Rayshaun put it. It doesn’t look good, period.
Maybe the schools could encourage students to dress better by holding “Dress for Success” days monthly, or by incorporating lessons on clothing, self-image and a professional impression in various classes. The goal would be for other youth to realize what Luis, Rayshaun and Michael already know — that clothes do make the man, or woman.
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