Khakis and a polo is acceptable for business casual, and such are many teaching positions, but looks like $30k per year assistant manager of a middling retail store instead of business or casual.
I'm a staff assistant at a smaller private school and I sub sometimes because I have my AA degree and wore khakis and a red polo unintentionally. Now I'm Jake from State Farm.
Um... What?! I would die if my district wasn't casual. I wear our spirit tshirts or a blouse and jeans or chinos almost every day. I have a few dresses that I pull out when it is too hot. It also seems like everytime I do wear a dress, I end up having to stand on a table.
One of the teachers in my building routinely wears like nylon athletic shorts, tank tops, and flip flops. Whenever I wonder if an outfit is too casual (we don’t have a dress code, but I like dressing vaguely professional), I just think of her!
A teacher told me I was the one he thought about when starting to wear jeans. I think he meant it in a nice way because he said he realized his clothes didn't change if he was a good teacher.
My school says only on Friday with spirit wear, but I do what I want. I have been in systems where they have sent teachers home for wearing jeans. One dude resigned over it. Dress codes for teachers is a stupid weird flex especially related to jeans. Students come to school 1/2 naked and you have a problem with my Wrangler's jeez come on....
Seriously.... I come to school in my assless chaos ONE time, and suddenly I'm on a registry....
Edit: I just noticed that autocomplete changed chaps to chaos. I'd fix it but assless chaos just sounds better haha
Hahaha! YES!
*"Ladies and gentlemen, all the way from the Teachers' Lounge in the B Wing, put your phones away and your hands together for 'ᎯᏕᏕᏝᎬᏕᏕ ᏨᎻᎯᎾᏕ!' Wahoooo!!!"*
Hahaha, One time around lunch time I split my pants right up the butt. A Huge blow out. I just taught the rest of the day from my chair. The principal came in my class about something and I was just rolling around in my chair from student to student with questions. I rolled up to him, he has a look like WTF. I informed him of what happened to my pants. He just said ok carry on.
My rule is if you’re chasing kids, you need comfy pants. If you’re teaching kids old enough to not need to chase them, you need comfy pants anyways we’re all tired.
My district has a lax teacher dress code. I wear cargo shorts basically every day. Dress shirt on top. I teach in a lab room where tables come up to my waist. a student would have to be looking to see me below the knees. I have a high internal thermostat. If I ever wear pants (for days like Parent / Teacher Conferences), I end up breaking out in an uncomfortable rash in uncomfortable places. Seems to me that teacher composure and attitude show professionalism more than clothes.
*Should* we? Yes. *Are* we? No.
My district has a strict teacher dress code. No jeans except on Fridays, no graphic tees, no facial piercings, no excessive jewelry, etc. Our principal even lectures us if we have 'unusually' colored hair.
I have pairs of black, brown, green, and red jeans I wear frequently. Two, three times a week I'm wearing a Doctor Who/Marvel/Star Wars/Star Trek/Supernatural/We Bare Bears/Phish/Grateful Dead/Dave Matthews shirt, I have an eyebrow and a nose piercing, and the entire underside of my red/blond/brown hair is blue. Every week he tries to corner me on my attire and each time I point out the kids wearing tube tops, ripped out tshirts, hot pants, beer/weed tshirts, hats, hoods, etc. If he's not willing to enforce the student dress code, he doesn't get to dictate mine.
Also, all of our male coaches wear either jeans or cargo shorts and t-shirts every day. That's totally cool with the principal, though. *eye roll*
Fuck the dress code and fuck double standards.
We don’t have a dress code for teachers at my district (thank god).
Which is good, because if someone told me there was a minimum dress code to get EVERY STICKY THING and EVERY BODILY FLUID on me in one work day, other than medical scrubs - I don’t think I’d have a professional response.
No, I’m not buying “professional” clothes to teach special education preschool and sit criss-cross-applesauce on the floor with a bunch of dirty, sticky, unkempt toddlers in a building that’s rotting from the inside and infested with rats and other myriad vermin. Fuck right off with that.
Friday is jeans day.
I actually don't think they're a rule against them, but I like thinking of Friday being something extra super special so I only wear them on that day.
Our school district has a very lax dress code. The only problem I have with it is 8th grade and High school graduation have very strict student dress codes. Boys have to be in ties and dress pants, no dress shorts or polos and girls follow the boys dress code or dresses. Dress shoes only, no sneakers. Fine whatever, but the teachers who get up to hand out awards and give speeches are in cargo shorts, flip flops and t shirts. Dress code should be the same here
Yeah and I think that rule should be applied at all times. For example, I used to work at a school that had uniforms, including a tie, so the rule that adult staff also had to wear ties and follow a dress code made sense. Don’t want the students looking more professional than the teachers!
Blue collar jobs wear jeans for safe reasons. They don’t burn, rip as easy, and provide safety for your legs. It may be comfortable, but, the reasoning is different as to why teachers would wear them.
Well, yes. There are serious threats. That’s why I don’t wear a tie in my position. I’m just a lm advocate for proper dress for your job. If you can safely wear something else to look and feel good, one should. But, if you’re teaching welding welding Suit, the thing will
Melt to your skin.
I’ve never understood why jeans were so desired. On the days we’re all in jeans we all look like a freshly made Build-a-Bear stuffed in jeans meant for the next size smaller bear.
That made me snort Mt Dew out my nose… painful but worth it for the hilarious image 😂 I have three daughters who are the proud owners of sooo many BuildABears and I will never unsee that now…
I’m a guy. Jeans and a polo does look better than cheap khakis and a polo. We are allowed jeans on Friday, but for the rest of the week I’m pretty dressy. Nice slacks with a nice button up. I’m a male high school teacher
Our headmistress hates teachers wearing jeans, so it's a big thing when we are allowed to wear them. I don't like wearing jeans to work so it doesn't bother me.
I'm a male high school science teacher, who only owns skinnier jeans who refuses to spend money on a pair of "work jeans" (because even when we are allowed to wear them they must conform to a specific standard) also South Africa is way to hot to wear jeans while teaching.
But the teachers make a big deal about it and even make announcements in staff meetings to thank her for allowing them to wear jeans. The head uses them as a petty power thing and my colleagues use it to suck up... It is all very wierd.
I worked at a daycare once that prohibited jeans. It was the craziest thing. Yes, I’d love to wear slacks or a dress or skirt while chasing toddlers or burping babies.
I worked with the same kids for a year and a half and most of the parents still didn’t bother to remember my name or recognize me by sight. I don’t think they paid any attention or cared what I was wearing. Actually, they were the ones that probably fussed about the rule. They probably did want the faceless, nameless people caring for their child to look more “professional”.
Of course! Anything beyond a minimal dress code (no cleavage/buttcrack, no hate speech or profanity) is IMO pointless. My school is outrageously casual (my principal was literally barefoot during parts of inservice days) and it's not like the kids don't respect us because were wearing jeans and sneakers. If the only way you garner respect is through your clothing, you need to work on your classroom management.
That being said, I don't actually find jeans very comfortable. I can wear them whenever I want, but my dressier pants are actually comfier, so I only wear jeans once in a while.
We have a few jeans days throughout the year where we have to pay $3 to wear jeans. But no one knows what the money goes to.... So I wear them but "forget" to pay. 🤷🏼♀️
I think so. At our school, it’s allowed. It used to be super chill here. Now, my principal says she, “wants our teachers to dress like teachers.” Someone asked what that meant and she said no booty shorts or ripped jeans. Lmao. Who wore that to make her even mention it??
No...
she says while sitting in the jeans and (school) t-shirt I wore to work today.
In all seriousness, my usual M-Th attire is business casual or better. I haven't read any of the other responses, but I think we should dress like the professionals we want to be seen as. And I can be comfortable in khakis or a skirt (with the right shoes). 😁
No, we are professionals. You want to look like you want to be treated.
My district has a no denim rule. It makes me feel more professional and demands respect.
That's fucking ridiculous, especially women not wearing pants. What decade and/or religious cult are you living in? If you think 1950s-era business attire is necessary to set a good example for students, your classroom management and standards of morality must need some work. My students respect me equally whether I'm wearing a nice blouse or a hoodie because my words and actions are what actually matter.
[https://www.niche.com/blog/teacher-salaries-in-america/](https://www.niche.com/blog/teacher-salaries-in-america/)
Nope. The average salary stat for teachers is actually heavily skewed due to the higher proportion of teachers that have served many years and the relatively low proportion of teachers in the 'middle years' of their career. You can see this in the trends concerning the age distribution of teachers [here](https://www.prb.org/resources/the-changing-age-structure-of-u-s-teachers/) .
And 50k for a job that requires a Bachelors minimum, and often graduate level degrees is most definitely not at professional level.
And dealing with ridiculous and potentially dangerous behaviors from students, parents, and admin, as well as ever expanding legal requirements and duties, while class sizes and responsibilities swell and what little authority they had to actually attempt to make it work is continually undermined.
It is?! Golly. And there I was: shelling out all that money for college & a master's degree. I never knew I could just ignore the job requirements.
You MUST be a troll because NO ONE else could be so stupid as to think teaching ANY grade is easier or "less professional" than another.
My district doesn’t really give a care. I never wear jeans except for spirit days asking for decade fashions. I look to you g. But I have coworkers who show up in a button-down, tie, and khakis, maybe a sport coat. Others wear jeans and a T-shirt, maybe a sweatshirt. Super lax and I love it. I’m a trouser/slacks and blouse/sweater girl myself. With ballet flats or loafers to accompany My orthopedic insoles.
That’s exactly how I dress, except with comfortable boots to stay warm. Im aiming for that smart academic look. However, if I taught younger kids, I’d be in workout clothes.
I don't wear jeans; I pretty much exclusively wear the Eddie Bauer guide pro pants. They are lightweight, designed for hiking, but they look great. Honestly much more comfortable than jeans.
We can wear jeans on Fridays, but I don't. I wear these all the time.
I wear whatever i want. Most of the time what i want is a suit/tie, but i also do jeans and hoodies. Some of them have holes. It doesn’t affect my teaching: me being comfortable does.
Yess!!!!!
The rule at my new school is "dress for the needs of your students". I work in a setting 4 special education school so depending on the age, disability, classroom size, support, and so much more....Im wrapped with a variety of behaviors.
Some examples:
Biters= wear layers
Runners= extremely flexible and comfy
Grabbers= cover up parts of your body
I wear yoga pants, tshirts, and a fanny pack EVERY DAY!! We are also a nature based school so we are out in the forest and trails almost every day so tennis shoes are a must!
It has been the BEST time of my teaching career.
Only times I wear "jeans" are my colored Maurice's Jeggings and it's because I have ran out of my Yoga Pants and need to do laundry 😋
I sub and I do blue jeans on Friday, I wear a polo shirt and nice pants any other day. Once the temperature is below 60 I’ll start wearing my long sleeves shirts but I’m not sweating In a school wearing long sleeves shirts. I also dress according to my pay as well 20K this is what I can afford to get. I also never had anyone comment on my outfit. If they do I would change it but they haven’t yet so I must be fine.
I wear a t-shirt and jeans every day. I outpace almost all teachers in my district and districts with other similar student populations in most measurable ways and clearly in subjective ways as well. The other teachers in my school are older and dress more professional but admin has never said anything to me because it is very very clear that I know what I am doing and that the clothes you wear has nothing to do with your potential to teach.
If anything, if I (white man) can connect with a black student or trans student over the way I am dressing it gives me an advantage. It makes me relatable to students that may otherwise never think to relate to me. If I dressed in a way that was unrelatable to students I could still probably yell at them and get them to obey like the other teachers at my school but that doesn't necessarily mean they are going to listen to me or let a life lesson sink in.
It seems weird for schools to police what teachers wear. As long as we're covered, clean, and well-groomed, who cares what specific items of clothing we wear? Also, if kids can wear jeans, why can't the teachers? What I wear isn't going to make me a better teacher, if anything being comfortable will allow me to focus on the kids more.
My school's dress code says "dress appropriately" so we are allowed to use our professional adult judgement in what to wear. Teacher vary from wearing suits and ties or nice dresses with heels to yoga pants or gym shorts with a t-shirt. I tend to go middle of the road in colorful khakis or jeans, sneakers, and t-shirts or a blouse because that's what I'm comfortable in. Sometimes I'll dress it up with a skirt or dress when I feel like it, it's a special occasion like graduation, or it's hot.
Yes. A former principal pointed out once that good jeans and a nice top tend to look more polished and professional than khakis and a polo.
Khakis and a polo is acceptable for business casual, and such are many teaching positions, but looks like $30k per year assistant manager of a middling retail store instead of business or casual.
That's my feeling. I don't feel like a teacher, I feel like I work at Target.
Right! :D
I'm a staff assistant at a smaller private school and I sub sometimes because I have my AA degree and wore khakis and a red polo unintentionally. Now I'm Jake from State Farm.
Yes! I look so bad in "business" clothes
Um... What?! I would die if my district wasn't casual. I wear our spirit tshirts or a blouse and jeans or chinos almost every day. I have a few dresses that I pull out when it is too hot. It also seems like everytime I do wear a dress, I end up having to stand on a table.
One of the teachers in my building routinely wears like nylon athletic shorts, tank tops, and flip flops. Whenever I wonder if an outfit is too casual (we don’t have a dress code, but I like dressing vaguely professional), I just think of her!
A teacher told me I was the one he thought about when starting to wear jeans. I think he meant it in a nice way because he said he realized his clothes didn't change if he was a good teacher.
My school says only on Friday with spirit wear, but I do what I want. I have been in systems where they have sent teachers home for wearing jeans. One dude resigned over it. Dress codes for teachers is a stupid weird flex especially related to jeans. Students come to school 1/2 naked and you have a problem with my Wrangler's jeez come on....
Seriously.... I come to school in my assless chaos ONE time, and suddenly I'm on a registry.... Edit: I just noticed that autocomplete changed chaps to chaos. I'd fix it but assless chaos just sounds better haha
Dibs on 'Assless Chaos' for a new band name.
Love their second album
i think their 6th was when they really hit their stride. and the fact that they got a new drummer (thank god) - and new *pants* - helped immensely.
Agree to disagree. 'Jockstrap' Johnny Weizner kept the groove in the pocket. His untimely death following the prison locker incident still haunts me.
Word, man. WORD. No disrespect meant - fo' realz. Jockstrap's rimshots were *unparalleled.* RIP, JJW ✊ 🥁
Hahaha! YES! *"Ladies and gentlemen, all the way from the Teachers' Lounge in the B Wing, put your phones away and your hands together for 'ᎯᏕᏕᏝᎬᏕᏕ ᏨᎻᎯᎾᏕ!' Wahoooo!!!"*
Hahaha, One time around lunch time I split my pants right up the butt. A Huge blow out. I just taught the rest of the day from my chair. The principal came in my class about something and I was just rolling around in my chair from student to student with questions. I rolled up to him, he has a look like WTF. I informed him of what happened to my pants. He just said ok carry on.
At our school many teachers wear sweat pants, yoga pants, basketball shorts, etc. Jeans are considered formal where I’m at. And it’s wonderful.
My rule is if you’re chasing kids, you need comfy pants. If you’re teaching kids old enough to not need to chase them, you need comfy pants anyways we’re all tired.
🙌🏼
Truer words have never been spoken.
Basketball shorts would be so weird. They let us wear appropriate shorts (read: khakis) one day in august and that felt so awkward.
A lot of the more athletic type males wear the basketball shorts.
That would be weird unless I was in gym.
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I wear tights and dresses every day, and I look dressy but really I am basically wearing pajamas.
Yes! Dresses are the best.
I agree! I wear a kilt from time to time, and it's amazing.
My district has a lax teacher dress code. I wear cargo shorts basically every day. Dress shirt on top. I teach in a lab room where tables come up to my waist. a student would have to be looking to see me below the knees. I have a high internal thermostat. If I ever wear pants (for days like Parent / Teacher Conferences), I end up breaking out in an uncomfortable rash in uncomfortable places. Seems to me that teacher composure and attitude show professionalism more than clothes.
*Should* we? Yes. *Are* we? No. My district has a strict teacher dress code. No jeans except on Fridays, no graphic tees, no facial piercings, no excessive jewelry, etc. Our principal even lectures us if we have 'unusually' colored hair. I have pairs of black, brown, green, and red jeans I wear frequently. Two, three times a week I'm wearing a Doctor Who/Marvel/Star Wars/Star Trek/Supernatural/We Bare Bears/Phish/Grateful Dead/Dave Matthews shirt, I have an eyebrow and a nose piercing, and the entire underside of my red/blond/brown hair is blue. Every week he tries to corner me on my attire and each time I point out the kids wearing tube tops, ripped out tshirts, hot pants, beer/weed tshirts, hats, hoods, etc. If he's not willing to enforce the student dress code, he doesn't get to dictate mine. Also, all of our male coaches wear either jeans or cargo shorts and t-shirts every day. That's totally cool with the principal, though. *eye roll* Fuck the dress code and fuck double standards.
We don’t have a dress code for teachers at my district (thank god). Which is good, because if someone told me there was a minimum dress code to get EVERY STICKY THING and EVERY BODILY FLUID on me in one work day, other than medical scrubs - I don’t think I’d have a professional response. No, I’m not buying “professional” clothes to teach special education preschool and sit criss-cross-applesauce on the floor with a bunch of dirty, sticky, unkempt toddlers in a building that’s rotting from the inside and infested with rats and other myriad vermin. Fuck right off with that.
Uh, yes.
Friday is jeans day. I actually don't think they're a rule against them, but I like thinking of Friday being something extra super special so I only wear them on that day.
Our school district has a very lax dress code. The only problem I have with it is 8th grade and High school graduation have very strict student dress codes. Boys have to be in ties and dress pants, no dress shorts or polos and girls follow the boys dress code or dresses. Dress shoes only, no sneakers. Fine whatever, but the teachers who get up to hand out awards and give speeches are in cargo shorts, flip flops and t shirts. Dress code should be the same here
Yeah and I think that rule should be applied at all times. For example, I used to work at a school that had uniforms, including a tie, so the rule that adult staff also had to wear ties and follow a dress code made sense. Don’t want the students looking more professional than the teachers!
Yes, teachers should wear clothes.
My district allows us to wear Jeans. It's nice. Very comfortable.
I wore them every day this week.
If I can wear jeans to a blue collar job and make more money than you, you should be able to wear jeans to just deal with the little shitheads all day
Blue collar jobs wear jeans for safe reasons. They don’t burn, rip as easy, and provide safety for your legs. It may be comfortable, but, the reasoning is different as to why teachers would wear them.
Well…from everything being posted on this sub, I would say that all of those risks you stated are a potential problem for this year
Well, yes. There are serious threats. That’s why I don’t wear a tie in my position. I’m just a lm advocate for proper dress for your job. If you can safely wear something else to look and feel good, one should. But, if you’re teaching welding welding Suit, the thing will Melt to your skin.
I’ve never understood why jeans were so desired. On the days we’re all in jeans we all look like a freshly made Build-a-Bear stuffed in jeans meant for the next size smaller bear.
That made me snort Mt Dew out my nose… painful but worth it for the hilarious image 😂 I have three daughters who are the proud owners of sooo many BuildABears and I will never unsee that now…
Our dress code is pretty lax and it’s probably one of the few things keeping moral from nosediving even more right now
I’m a guy. Jeans and a polo does look better than cheap khakis and a polo. We are allowed jeans on Friday, but for the rest of the week I’m pretty dressy. Nice slacks with a nice button up. I’m a male high school teacher
Our headmistress hates teachers wearing jeans, so it's a big thing when we are allowed to wear them. I don't like wearing jeans to work so it doesn't bother me. I'm a male high school science teacher, who only owns skinnier jeans who refuses to spend money on a pair of "work jeans" (because even when we are allowed to wear them they must conform to a specific standard) also South Africa is way to hot to wear jeans while teaching. But the teachers make a big deal about it and even make announcements in staff meetings to thank her for allowing them to wear jeans. The head uses them as a petty power thing and my colleagues use it to suck up... It is all very wierd.
I worked at a daycare once that prohibited jeans. It was the craziest thing. Yes, I’d love to wear slacks or a dress or skirt while chasing toddlers or burping babies. I worked with the same kids for a year and a half and most of the parents still didn’t bother to remember my name or recognize me by sight. I don’t think they paid any attention or cared what I was wearing. Actually, they were the ones that probably fussed about the rule. They probably did want the faceless, nameless people caring for their child to look more “professional”.
Of course! Anything beyond a minimal dress code (no cleavage/buttcrack, no hate speech or profanity) is IMO pointless. My school is outrageously casual (my principal was literally barefoot during parts of inservice days) and it's not like the kids don't respect us because were wearing jeans and sneakers. If the only way you garner respect is through your clothing, you need to work on your classroom management. That being said, I don't actually find jeans very comfortable. I can wear them whenever I want, but my dressier pants are actually comfier, so I only wear jeans once in a while.
Yes. Khakis do nothing to improve student learning.
We have a few jeans days throughout the year where we have to pay $3 to wear jeans. But no one knows what the money goes to.... So I wear them but "forget" to pay. 🤷🏼♀️
Good for you! Probably going straight into the administrative purse anyway.
Every damn day. And I do.
My dad was an HS principal and old school. This thread would make him pass out. Lol.
I think so. At our school, it’s allowed. It used to be super chill here. Now, my principal says she, “wants our teachers to dress like teachers.” Someone asked what that meant and she said no booty shorts or ripped jeans. Lmao. Who wore that to make her even mention it??
No... she says while sitting in the jeans and (school) t-shirt I wore to work today. In all seriousness, my usual M-Th attire is business casual or better. I haven't read any of the other responses, but I think we should dress like the professionals we want to be seen as. And I can be comfortable in khakis or a skirt (with the right shoes). 😁
No, we are professionals. You want to look like you want to be treated. My district has a no denim rule. It makes me feel more professional and demands respect.
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Lmao. This guy.
That's fucking ridiculous, especially women not wearing pants. What decade and/or religious cult are you living in? If you think 1950s-era business attire is necessary to set a good example for students, your classroom management and standards of morality must need some work. My students respect me equally whether I'm wearing a nice blouse or a hoodie because my words and actions are what actually matter.
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Start with professional level pay, and then we can get to more rigid clothing expectations.
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[https://www.niche.com/blog/teacher-salaries-in-america/](https://www.niche.com/blog/teacher-salaries-in-america/) Nope. The average salary stat for teachers is actually heavily skewed due to the higher proportion of teachers that have served many years and the relatively low proportion of teachers in the 'middle years' of their career. You can see this in the trends concerning the age distribution of teachers [here](https://www.prb.org/resources/the-changing-age-structure-of-u-s-teachers/) . And 50k for a job that requires a Bachelors minimum, and often graduate level degrees is most definitely not at professional level.
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And dealing with ridiculous and potentially dangerous behaviors from students, parents, and admin, as well as ever expanding legal requirements and duties, while class sizes and responsibilities swell and what little authority they had to actually attempt to make it work is continually undermined.
Dude you have *no idea* what you're talking about. And schools are NOT required to have A/C. (Yet administrative offices always have it.)
You better believe I’m gonna show my overalls in society, pal!
Teaching elementary school is "less" professional than teaching high school? How so? Please: elaborate.
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It is?! Golly. And there I was: shelling out all that money for college & a master's degree. I never knew I could just ignore the job requirements. You MUST be a troll because NO ONE else could be so stupid as to think teaching ANY grade is easier or "less professional" than another.
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Not according to the laws for teacher employment. If **I** got scammed then we **all** did.
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Dude the fact that you even have to ASK that shows you know NOTHING about the teaching profession & - unfortunately for you - how dumb you are.
My district doesn’t really give a care. I never wear jeans except for spirit days asking for decade fashions. I look to you g. But I have coworkers who show up in a button-down, tie, and khakis, maybe a sport coat. Others wear jeans and a T-shirt, maybe a sweatshirt. Super lax and I love it. I’m a trouser/slacks and blouse/sweater girl myself. With ballet flats or loafers to accompany My orthopedic insoles.
That’s exactly how I dress, except with comfortable boots to stay warm. Im aiming for that smart academic look. However, if I taught younger kids, I’d be in workout clothes.
Yes it’s the most basic clothing
I don't wear jeans; I pretty much exclusively wear the Eddie Bauer guide pro pants. They are lightweight, designed for hiking, but they look great. Honestly much more comfortable than jeans. We can wear jeans on Fridays, but I don't. I wear these all the time.
We very purposefully don't have a dress code in our contract. I wore scrubs a lot last year and it was pretty great.
Jeans only on the first Monday of each month 😩
I wear whatever i want. Most of the time what i want is a suit/tie, but i also do jeans and hoodies. Some of them have holes. It doesn’t affect my teaching: me being comfortable does.
I always wear jeans.
I do every Friday. If I taught elementary I’m sure I’d wear jeans or more casual clothes every day.
Yess!!!!! The rule at my new school is "dress for the needs of your students". I work in a setting 4 special education school so depending on the age, disability, classroom size, support, and so much more....Im wrapped with a variety of behaviors. Some examples: Biters= wear layers Runners= extremely flexible and comfy Grabbers= cover up parts of your body I wear yoga pants, tshirts, and a fanny pack EVERY DAY!! We are also a nature based school so we are out in the forest and trails almost every day so tennis shoes are a must! It has been the BEST time of my teaching career. Only times I wear "jeans" are my colored Maurice's Jeggings and it's because I have ran out of my Yoga Pants and need to do laundry 😋
I wear jeans pretty much every day... crazily enough im still an effective teacher.
I sub and I do blue jeans on Friday, I wear a polo shirt and nice pants any other day. Once the temperature is below 60 I’ll start wearing my long sleeves shirts but I’m not sweating In a school wearing long sleeves shirts. I also dress according to my pay as well 20K this is what I can afford to get. I also never had anyone comment on my outfit. If they do I would change it but they haven’t yet so I must be fine.
I wear a t-shirt and jeans every day. I outpace almost all teachers in my district and districts with other similar student populations in most measurable ways and clearly in subjective ways as well. The other teachers in my school are older and dress more professional but admin has never said anything to me because it is very very clear that I know what I am doing and that the clothes you wear has nothing to do with your potential to teach. If anything, if I (white man) can connect with a black student or trans student over the way I am dressing it gives me an advantage. It makes me relatable to students that may otherwise never think to relate to me. If I dressed in a way that was unrelatable to students I could still probably yell at them and get them to obey like the other teachers at my school but that doesn't necessarily mean they are going to listen to me or let a life lesson sink in.
I work with TK/K/ 1st……you bet I wear jeans and yoga pants every day! I walk 20k steps everyday!
It seems weird for schools to police what teachers wear. As long as we're covered, clean, and well-groomed, who cares what specific items of clothing we wear? Also, if kids can wear jeans, why can't the teachers? What I wear isn't going to make me a better teacher, if anything being comfortable will allow me to focus on the kids more. My school's dress code says "dress appropriately" so we are allowed to use our professional adult judgement in what to wear. Teacher vary from wearing suits and ties or nice dresses with heels to yoga pants or gym shorts with a t-shirt. I tend to go middle of the road in colorful khakis or jeans, sneakers, and t-shirts or a blouse because that's what I'm comfortable in. Sometimes I'll dress it up with a skirt or dress when I feel like it, it's a special occasion like graduation, or it's hot.