Breaking Out Is Good to Do

Every now and again, breaking out is a good thing. It’s no different at Al-Noor Academy in Mansfield, where things are run in what might be called an old-fashioned, disciplined way.

The daily uniform is a constant: boys in khaki or blue pants (crease preferred), and collared shirts; girls in the by-now emblematic hijab and abaya. Those are by choice outside of school, as I’ve noted before, but in school the rules are the rules.

Shoes, often overlooked in uniforms, are also included: black for both, and for the girls usually a kind of ballet slipper. The Holy Quran dictates that Muslim women make no noise when they walk, thereby calling undue attention to themselves. A contrast to the distinctive clip of high heels in many a Boston office, no?

But the Quran also demands that every Muslim practice regular charity, and at Al-Noor the students do, finding interesting ways to do so. Witness Crazy Shoe Day: for the paltry price of two dollars, students are given the priceless privilege of wearing the kicks of their choice. And oh, the choices!

We had high-heeled sneakers (which don’t clip), work boots, thigh-high boots, and slippers of every description: ducks, cows, wooden shoes. Even a pair made especially for the occasion from duct tape. I guess it’s true, with duct tape anything is possible.

Crazy Shoe Day was such a success, we may have to have a Crazy Hat Day, as we did last year. Then again, perhaps not. After all, Al-Noor Academy is a pretty serious place. The list of colleges and universities our graduates attend, and have graduated from, is long and distinguished. And our placement teeters on 100 percent, the dropout rate a crisp zero.

So yes the work is hard and the standards high. All the more reason to break out now and again. A little craziness can be good for the soul.