Black hair is very dry and fragile. So locs or dreadlocks are a way to style the hair with that in mind. (My college roommate who was black helped me appreciate this. Her hair routine took up about all of Saturday for Sunday and the rest of the week.)
Teacher had no business messing with the kid’s hair. If teacher doesn’t have boundaries there, where else does Teacher not respect boundaries.
But I too find it hard to grasp a $150 hair style on a 4 Y/O .
Dreadlocks and braids are certainly an improvement on the health of the hair and scalp, compared with all the chemical straightening the ladies used to do.
(But it does amaze me how people can sit through the time it often takes to do this; I couldn’t do it unless I had a really compelling book to read. I’m not good at sitting still.)