But it's in dress code!!

This is the quote we hear all. the. time. From our female students. There's never any problem with modesty with boys. Their problem tends to be "too casual for school" (aka: tee shirts), or ripped pants or something.

But the girls. Oh, the girls and their ever-changing bodies. I can't tell you how many pairs of underwear I've seen because their skirts just aren't long enough when they are sitting. And if I can see them, everyone can because my desks are in a great big circle!! Forgive me for my frankness. But who can blame them? They are growing up and all of their energy is focused on attracting the opposite sex. Their mission is boys.

We've had more faculty meetings addressing (ha!) modesty than I've seen pairs of underwear, so that's saying a lot. A typical student's definition of modesty does not match an adult's, so I've learned. Same for the word "casual," which is also a no-no. And let's not get started on the difference between "tee shirt" and "knit top". Please.

Monday is the first day of school, and there is a gender meeting immediately after classes. Oh, how I remember those. I hated them because I knew (or did I?) I wore modest clothes. I always thought the teachers were calling us skanks. I certainly hope our students don't feel that way. What we want to communicate is this: A) they are beautiful, B) we like their clothes, C) there is such a thing as "too sexy for the classroom" and although you are beautiful and stylish, please change.

So here's the plan for the gender meeting. A dozen or more female faculty members are going to dress up: what to wear, and what NOT to wear. Most of us are in the second category. We were given all these "roles" to play: the Too Tight Shirt, the Gappy Shirt, the Too Low Shirt, the Too Short Shorts, the Too Tight Skirt, the Raceback Shirt, the Gym Clothes, the Too Casual T-Shirt, the Perfect Knit Top, the Denim on Non-Denim Day, the Too See Through Clothes, etc.... You get the point.

I have to be honest: I'm having too much fun with this one. I'm the Too Short and Tight Skirt--EVEN THOUGH IT'S IN DRESS CODE. It's nearly impossible to find knee-length skirts, so we word it "to mid-thigh" but that's still pretty short. Hence our push for Modesty Above All Rule. I've pinned up the tightest skirt I own to my mid-thigh, and I'm going to strut across the stage (our meeting is in the chapel of all places!), and give them this thought: "Yes, it's mid-thigh, so it "technically" is ok. But by the look on your faces (I'm hoping some of my students will hoot and holler in shock!), you and I both know this is too sexy for school. Fine for a date with my husband, but inappropriate in an academic setting. It makes you uncomfortable to see so much skin on a teacher, just as it makes others feel uncomfortable to see a young lady look so sexy in the classroom. Especially the male teachers."

And that, my friends, is how you make a lesson stick.