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Each person has a unique set of likes and dislikes that forms their personalities. Some people like to make bold statements of who they are. They do this through the way they dress and how they interact with others. Other people like to blend in with their environment.  They also do this through dress and actions. In that way we are similar to the animal kingdom. Some animals have distinctive and flashy appearances like the tiger and others are camouflaged to blend into their surroundings.

One of my friends in college went out of her way to stand out in a crowd. She was not loud or offensive, but you always knew when she walked into a room. We belonged to the same sorority and even when we all dressed in black skirts and white blouses for events she some how stood out amongst the rest of us. It was a tradition with our sorority to buy a similar ring when we were in our senior year. This friend suggested that we buy black pearl rings rather than the traditional pearls. A few of the other sorority sisters were against this idea. They felt that a big part of being in a sorority is carrying on traditions. We went shopping together to the jeweler that has supplied the rings for several generations. He had four basic styles to choose from that have been used in years past. Our one sister asked to see what he had in black pearl rings. He had three settings with the shiny beautiful black pearl in. He told us that he had a very nice selection of black pearls and that they could be placed in any of the traditional settings to replace the white pearls.

We all liked the black pearl rings. We were discussing making the break from tradition when the jeweler told us that several years ago one group from our sorority bought ruby rings because four of the women that year had a July birthday and the ruby is the birthstone for that month. Once the head of our sorority found out that others had made a break from tradition she agreed that we should buy the black pearl rings. She did feel very strongly that since we were breaking from tradition we should all have the same setting. Eventually we all agreed on a setting and the jeweler sized us and let us know that the rings would be available in two weeks. When they were arrived we all knew that we had made the right choice. The rings were distinctive and classic at the same time. I still wear mine on a daily basis.

There are times when the school systems seem to be completely out of touch with the communities they are in. Our school is struggling with poor teacher parent relationships. There are a number of reasons for this. One of the main reasons is that the new principal for the middle school is new to the area. He does not have a good understanding of the community and the people in it. He is also retired from the military and tends to treat the students as if they were in boot camp. I do not mind discipline, consequences and rules, but he seems to take things to the extreme.

My son is in junior high school. He is growing so fast that we can hardly keep clothes on him. It seems like I can buy him a new pair of pants and two weeks later his ankles are showing. He is getting close to the same size as my husband, so for a few months they will be able to share pants. My son came home from school with a note from the principal stating that all the participants is the choir concert must wear black pants, white shirts and dress shoes. Anyone wearing anything else would not be allowed to sing. He included that black jeans would be allowed if they were not faded out. We had gone through this dress code for choir a few years ago. So many parents were upset about not being able to afford new clothes, that we held a fund raiser and purchased robes for the choir. I asked my son what happened to the choir robes. He said that the new principal did not like them because it took away from each person’s individuality. I could not believe a man that spent most of his life wearing a uniform would be concerned about this. He told me it was no big deal because dad’s black jeans fit him. I told him it was not about him getting new pants or wearing black jeans, it was the fact that the parents had pulled together as a community to purchase the robes.

I called the school. The phone rang for several rings before it was picked up. I asked to speak to the principal. I was told that he was on the phone and that there were three callers holding to speak to him. I guessed I was not the only parent upset by the note. The concert was three nights away so I told my son he needed to try on the black jeans to make sure they fit and we also had to find a white shirt with sleeves that were long enough. We made a suitable outfit out of his dad’s clothes. The black jeans were a bit too long, but this was better than being too short. The next day my son came home with another note stating that the choir members would be wearing robes for the concert. Evidently the principal changed his mind after spending several hours on the telephone with angry parents.