Our blackberry cobbler's baking scrumptiously in our oven. The vanilla ice cream's sitting in the freezer. We're moments away from one of those irresistible taste treats of summer.

You see, we were out walking in a remote area when our eyes lit upon a bramble of vines, chock-full of the ripest and potentially juiciest berries in memory.

It had been decades since I'd been blackberry picking, so it was easy to get lost in the moment.

It didn't take long to remember, however, that shorts, tank top and flip-flops are not the survival gear needed for such adventures.

Despite relentless scratches, the berries kept calling, with the best ones — always hardest to reach — calling the loudest!

One hour later, our hats were full of the fruit and dripping purple. We shortened the hike to preserve our "catch" but also to get home to begin working out the thorns embedded in our skin. A neighbor stared at us in disbelief, his eyes asking, "Haven't you two heard of gloves?"

Each syllable of life has its potential crisis. If we aren't prepared, it can be a struggle to get where we want to go. Proper clothing and equipment do make a difference.

Classroom dynamics are no different. Students need backpacks, pens and all the rest, but learning-appropriate clothing tops that list.

Schools across the nation continue the struggle for dress codes that will prevent our campuses from becoming too violent for the survival of our precious children. Many other countries have challenged the role clothing plays in campus humiliation and bullying by establishing enforceable dress codes or uniforms. They've found it overwhelmingly positive.

But it's not just violence that's at issue. We've worked hard establishing tougher academic standards for students from the early grades up, yet our 15-year-olds continue to average below other top G-8 nations. By addressing some social aspects of getting students into a mindset for learning, we will see even greater progress. Lessening the distraction of inappropriate attire does make a difference. When the thoughts and hopes of our students are elsewhere, it is impossible to get them where they need to go.

Affirmative comments come from around the world in support of stronger dress codes to fortify the learning environment.

Teachers claim improved classroom behavior and attitude. Students no longer face the rejection of wearing the wrong outfit and can concentrate on academics, absent the threat of humiliation by political or lewd messages on shirts, caps and visible tattoos.

Our right to wear what we want to wear is protected by law. School boards have come face to face with the Free Speech Clause of the First Amendment and the Due Process Clause of the 14th Amendment for years. My right to wear what I want when I'm blackberry picking is also guaranteed by these articles. If I choose to express myself in shorts, tank top and flip-flops, my country guarantees that choice even though it compromises my ability to reach the best berries.

It's time to give common sense the nod. Appropriate learning attire is ultimately set in writing at school, though it starts in our own homes through family dialogue on the many aspects of achievement.

In the respectful balance of listening and speaking, your kids may offer some surprising insights on dress-related and other classmate issues at school they wish they could change.

As parents, we have ongoing opportunities to encourage better concentration in day-to-day instruction by ensuring that our students arrive prepared (homework completed), brain in gear (rested and breakfasted), and dressed for achievement.

Look at a child's connection to learning as the difference between an unripe berry and the delectable ones sizzling away in our cobbler.

— Judy Fessenden has spent more than 20 years of her teaching career in Ventura County, working with children and parents in the regular classroom, as well as in the arts and gifted and talented programs. Questions for her On Track column can be addressed to judyfessenden@gmail.com.