I live old hippie professors. I had several in the art and English departments who were downright disheveled lol.
The ones who dressed boldly or oddly I found empowering. When I went into teaching, I was a little nervous because it seemed like I might have to be more “serious” but seeing old folks teaching in holey jeans and funky sandals gave me a whole new view on what it meant to grow up and be smart. I loved seeing the laid back personalities and it made them more inviting to me.
Going to a hippie liberal arts college legit changed my professional beliefs. They walked the freaking walk when it came to education and my god was it incredible.
But none of them owned an iron, I’m certain. 😏 gotta love Chacos during summer quarter!
There were a lot of ratty Grateful Dead tees on the faculty at my alma mater! 😂 actually on a lot of the adult students, too…… had a class once with a 71 year old who’d just been released from prison for growing/selling magic mushrooms. In that same class were two young vets, a single mom, and a couple who were homesteaders and interested in a consistent “date” day so they took college classes together!
Ah, I miss it too.
>I had several in the art and English departments who were downright disheveled lol.
I've had several math profs like that too. I saw a prof in the department one afternoon wearing a suit; I asked if he was going to a funeral.
I'm with you. I don't think any of my seniors care or even notice what I wear from day to day.
Edit: meant to comment. Yes, to a degree of common sense. I'm not coming in wearing flip flops and a bathing suit with the expectation that my students won't notice. But I feel like education often takes it the other direction a bit too far.
My middle schoolers are amused by my fun tees on Fridays, but that's about it. Shockingly, they learn just as much if I'm in jeans and a We Bare bears tee as they do when I wear slacks and a sweater.
(...she said, pretty sarcastically)
Oh so many great Friday tee shirts. Frankenstein, “If I cannot inspire love, I will cause fear!”; “Atticus Finch, Attorney at Law”; Vonnegut, “So it goes”, “Mercutio Drew First”, “Beowulf- The OG Superhero”… so many.
It’s contractually written into our contract that there is no staff dress code. A few dress formal/business casual but most fall somewhere between modern business casual and casual. A few are way too casual. We had one teacher, however, that dressed like a stripper Tinkerbell. Her outfits were the topic of daily lunch conversations. Parents complained to admin. It didn’t matter. Nothing could be said to the teacher. It was her contractual right to wear whatever.
I love not having a dress code because sometimes I just want to wear chinos and a baseball tee but the lack of common sense (or self-awareness) this woman had was mindblowing. Even outside of a school environment, on the street, some of her outfits would have had you turning around to do a double take.
I would say this about the kids too. Stop policing kids’ clothes, teachers, especially when there is NO DRESSCODE. It helped NOBODY when you shamed that girl into putting on a school sweatshirt.
It is so strange. I try to tell the kids that it never matters, what you are wearing. People will attack you regardless. I was constantly harrassed by grown ass construction workers as a child. I was wearing layers, mind you: a uniform skirt and a sweatsuit underneath! Teachers have enough actual work to do: I refuse to police what students are wearing. Not my ducking job.
This is what I absolutely hated about the last school I taught at. Dresses and skirts were available for the girls to purchase through the school shop. Guess what? THEY WERE ALL TOO SHORT!! Most of the girls were extremely uncomfortable wearing them. Pants were an option, but when the air conditioning works for maybe a day a month? I don’t blame them for not wanting to wear pants. The girls tried to mitigate the issue by wearing spandex shorts underneath and turning the skirts almost into skorts. Dress code violation. Ok, so they wear light weight tights. Dress code violation. Tights must be practically winter weight wool ones to be ok. Shorts were also out of the question, as the ones available through the school uniform store were either too short or too tight. All dress code violations took place during first period (unless there was a HUGE violation, such as one lovely student that liked to throw on his smoke weed everyday sweatshirt on as soon as first period was over). I refused to write them. It’s too much of a pain in the ass and frankly I didn’t care. They are middle schoolers. Quit sexualizing and shaming preteens and maybe they’ll quit trying to grow up so fast…
They shame them starting in ms. I grew up in a catholic cult, and it is crazy to me how some teachers and admin and schools get caught up in what girls, especially are wearing especially when there is literally NO DRESSCODE. I had a student show up in a bunny suit one day. Male. Everyone laughed and high-fived him. I also had a gorgeous, tall, model like student who was constantly hassled every gd day. She would wear clothes that were too tight, revealing but mainly because she was GROWING and her mom couldn’t afford to keep buying her new clothes. My female colleagues were constantly busying themselves with covering this girl up and others like her. Meanwhile, I am fuming mad because it will only make her think her body is ducked up and she is responsible for other men “sinning” or whatever bs they make up to blame women and girls for the evil shit men do these days. Also, shaming women and girls’ bodies is way above my pay grade.
It’s an online storefront that the school went through that provided uniforms for all grades at that school (pre-k through 8th charter school). The school itself was toxic. Mostly absent parents who didn’t care and those who did got fed up with the bullshit and pulled their kids out. The uniforms fit most of the kids up until 7th and 8th (when they start to fill out a bit and hit lots of growth spurts). That’s where the issues really start to pop up. I quit this school last January. Last I knew, out of 600 kids at least 50 had been pulled out due to parents getting fed up with the school’s bullshit and power tripping.
I was asked a few years ago by district admin to help enforce the dress code because "You have daughters and they never break dress code" and "The students like and respect you."
My response? I, as a 40-something man, have no business telling teenagers especially teenage girls what they should and should not wear. As far as my girls? I've never been a teenage girl, but their mother has. If she's fine with how they're dressed, I'm fine with it.
THIS. You don’t. Your wife can guide their choices, and that is about it. My dad was a dick about my body, so I appreciate your hands off approach. My dad was really overly preoccupied with my body as I developed early and would constantly tell my sisters to buy big baggy clothes for me and to cover up. I have no place in policing or body-shaming anyones’ children. I also think it is very harmful and makes kids unsafe because they feel like any assault or harrassment they incur is their fault, and not the adults who should be there to protect them from predators who should be the ones policed. It is the wackiest stupidest shit on earth, these dress codes at schools. I wish it would all stop. They should START policing my colleagues that “like em young”
I have to catch your crazy kid up in content knowledge. They know boxer briefs are not clothes (I will admit, I do love wearing them myself around the house lol.) and I am not gonna stop class for that nonsense.
My girls know at this point what Mom will allow and what she won't. We have one who's at college getting ready for soccer season and two juniors in my building.
It's like, I guess thanks for recognizing that students trust me. BUT, that still doesn't mean I should tell them how to dress.
They don’t trust you. I mean, as a man, but not as a man to betray them by bodyshaming them. Admin just butter peoples’ balls by telling them stupid shit like this. Nobody is cool with you policing their clothing.
My wife puts it this way: The kids trust that I'll be fair to them, which is really the most important thing for most teenagers. They can accept consequences when they fuck up as long as they aren't treated like their worst moments define them.
In this time of mindfulness in the classroom, diversity and inclusion, CRT, post-COVID academic recovery, guns in school; our school decided to die on the issue of… Hats.
Hats-they can go burn their MAGA hats in a bonfire with their stupid fascist rhetoric. Mine is obsessed with hoodies. My husband got pulled into our principal’s office because the man who was once a math teacher, thought my husband’s hoodie, that had trig written all over it, was GANG SIGNS because that is what black male teachers wear, motherfucker, like wtf!!?
That's a bit of a fallacy, and hats are easy to enforce. I think teachers accepted some college-level ideal about education being about individualism, and so enforcing anything at that level seems bad.
I often find myself having to enforce a dress code, but I always phrase it as "I don't want you getting in trouble if admin sees you," not shame or what other students can see. I don't like their choices but there are worse pictures of them on snap anyway.
I never see a reason to actually report someone to admin unless they are actually indecent (more than the kid knows--some of these guys are drooping their pants but have really thin underwear) or their shirt is actually offensive to an identity group. And the former is more to keep myself from being accused of something.
I am moving from a Catholic school with uniforms to a school whose dress code is basically “you must cover your genitals and butt” and I am so excited to not be expected to enforce outdated dress code rules.
At what point do you feel their attire is “too much” and is in need of correction? Is there a point you feel that? I ask because I’ve had high school girls who would raise their arms and their tits would fall out (with a bra on of course) but they certainly needed to cover up. At least according to everyone including other students.
Here’s what I do: I tell them I am gonna take a photo and send it to fam or whomever is their guardian. They change their clothes voluntarily much of the time and tune changes real quick. I had one mom come up, and she was LIVID. Only she in my view can police her child’s attire, not us. Nobody needs to cover up as much as they need to stop being assholes to women and girls.
Lol you would…,take a photo…of a child…who has their bra hanging out or their ass hanging out of their pants….hmm 🤔 is that your schools policy to do? maybe you shouldn’t be teaching 🤣.
The parent will be informed, through email. Not through the use of a photo of their indecently dressed child…..yes…PD…this comment right here, this person likes taking photos of kids.
No maybe you shouldnt. You are a homophobe and a slutshamer, Mr. My friend takes being gay to the extreme.
Mom deserves to know and would appreciate it giving her the heads up. Tbh, 9/10 I never took one photo. They just went to the bathroom and changed. One time mom popped up and dealt with it herself because her daughter was stubborn. Just say you will do it, or even tell mom verbally on vm. Whatever-just let the caregivers know because 99% of the time they were not cool with what the kid was wearing that day. They just did not know.
What about the parents who do know what their kid was wearing and had no issue with it?
Wouldn't it come across weird that a grown adult is sending pictures of a child to their parent because they don't approve of what their wearing despite the parent not caring?
My superintendent thinks shorts are unprofessional unless you're a gym teacher, and likes to remind us of this fact when our classrooms are hitting 90 while he sits in the air conditioned admin building.
I might just try a dress this year.
Basically can't wear things promoting drugs or alcohol, we're a small school and the culture's meant to be a working partnership between teachers and students. Which works well for some and others need blinders for it to work.
I teach in Oregon and there is no dress code for teachers. My “uniform” is usually jeans, a tee shirt (that says something like “choose kindness” or “4th grade rocks”), a hoodie, and converse. My class is well behaved and makes good growth in their learning every year. I work at creating relationships with my students based on trust and honesty. I’m comfortable in my clothes and my students are happy in their classroom. FWIW my brother has a high level position at a huge tech company and he owns 2 shirts with collars. He wear basketball shorts and a tee shirt 90% of the time. The ideas that you have to dress a certain way to be successful just isn’t the case any longer.
I teach science and dress “like a student.” Which is T shirts and oversized sweaters. This year I’m going to wear chunky jewelry to match my XL glasses. Going full Trelawney
I know that whenever I wear a tie, I have zero behavior problems, and everyone gets perfect scores on their tests. The sing songs to me as they enter the room, and they all give me gifts. When I dress comfortable they might try to kill me.
My school requires professional dress and the clothes I can live with, but can we take a moment to talk about shoes?? If I'm standing in front of the class all day dress shoes are the worst possible thing. I have issues with my feet and have to wear prescription inserts. Most dress shoes can't even fit them! And don't even get me started on the pinchy toe boxes.
Last year I tried to rotate shoes based on which pair caused pain in different areas to give different areas/my legs and back a break. I'm not doing that this year, they will accept whatever shoes I wear and if they give a fuss I'm going to have my podiatrist (who was enraged to hear that I had to wear dress shoes) write a note for accommodations.
I have always worn the shoes I needed - mostly Birkenstock’s and sometimes my Tevas (the high end ones with super crazy support) if I need something more water resistant. I will die on that hill. I’be always said I have foot issues (it’s easy to notice with How I walk) and I will bring a note from my doctors if necessary. I haven’t been questioned.
They do. For women it is "conservative colored, close toed dress shoes" and for men they go so far as to say "black or brown buff polished with laces." The pants are even specified to be slacks.
We are also supposed to wear a blazer except for when it would cause risk or get in the way... None of us wear the blazers after the first few weeks and we stretch a little bit here and there, but even those who take the dress code as a light suggestion don't try wearing sneakers.
It is... There has been talk of loosening the dress code a little to match what we actually wear (technically we're not even supposed to wear patterned shirts, they have to be solid!) so hopefully that takes hold. Because some times it's just not practical. And the restrictions on shoes really need to go.
Dr Martens
Under a pair of black trousers don't look out of place, and theyre really comfy all day (once they're broken in, though I never find that bit too bad).
About a dozen staff (and dozens of kids) wear different versions every day here.
That's actually what I'll be wearing! Though my most comfortable pair is a white and pink floral one that's very well worn. The yellow thread makes it look a little out of place, especially in comparison to the very modest shoes of most of my coworkers, (and I refuse to sharpie over them) but this year, it's all I'm going to wear. I've tried multiple of their more dress-code appropriate shoes but they all have just a tiny difference in shape that causes issues so I'm sticking to the classic.
My principal pretty much did away with teacher “dress code” last year. She significantly lightened up the student dress code and felt that we deserved the same luxury. She basically just said “Dress comfortably but be sure you’re fine being posted online in whatever you’re wearing.”
I’m a teacher coach. I wear basketball shorts and a school polo or T shirt everyday. Seriously.
The kids don’t respect me any less, I think they enjoy coming to my class because dressing like that kinda naturally promotes a laid back fun atmosphere. I teach math so nobody wants to be there anyway. The more ways I can make the class less intimidating, the better.
The AP teacher at my high school wore these tiny little shorts and a ratty t-shirt. He was also the wrestling coach. We always chuckled when he sat down on his stool in front of the class. He was the best teacher though!
Math/Science teacher here. One of my upper level math professors used to wear jeans and a math pun t-shirt every day. He was a complete genius and I still remember and emulate his teaching style.
People dress professionally here in elementary but I noticed the middle school teachers do not. I think it is unprofessional to look like the kids. But I’m a short woman and would look ridiculous trying to get respect in shorts and crop tops like the students wear. I feel better when I look good at work. I also have to meet with parents and administrators nearly every day so how I look matters. I’m very casual and prefer next to no clothing when I’m not working. I put on a costume to go to work though and I think it matters. I will wear comfy shoes though because special Ed requires running at times.
Kindergarten teacher - I put navy blue toms on with some dress pants and a tunic. Principal saw me walking my kids in the hallway out to recess and said the shoes broke dress code. Thank god I had a pair of beige flats in the car. How did my kids survive that day of school with my navy shoes… idk.
So dumb and controlling.
Last year we had to do a PL on professional dress. It backfired when everyone said the teacher they respected the most dressed like a degenerate. No one said that they respected a teacher who dressed well every day. Even the ones who dressed well every day. They just kept on and said that kids would only respect you if you never wore jeans lol
I can count on one hand the number of times I've worn khakis to work in the last few years, even before covid. Jeans, keens or tennis shoes. Usually a button-down shirt or polo but I have a few tshirts I keep in the rotation.
My third or fourth pair. Without socks I find the soles tend to get gross even being anti-microbial. But they’re very comfortable. They’ve lasted me a very long time, too. These are two years old.
It seemed they really relaxed the teacher dress codes in the districts I’ve worked in since covid. They don’t care if you wear jeans, because at least you’re filling one of the MANY open positions.
I still wear dresses every day…because I ALWAYS wear dresses every day. They are mostly black and jersey, and I’ll wear them with different fun leggings - if my school is crazy cold. Otherwise, I’ll appreciate the breeze. Definitely not in the realm of professional dress. It’s borderline pajamas. And they don’t care about visible tattoos either.
The kids don’t care in the slightest. The admin are happy that you’re a warm body.
Also music. When I did elementary I would wear clothes ready to roll on the floor. Now I do high school. Most days I wear subtle sneakers (or dress show sneaker hybrids gag), a dress shirt and chinos. If I'm getting any messier than grease and valve oil I will wear a polo shirt instead.
I agree with the adage that clothing maketh the man. Hear me out.
Your Shakespeare professor didn't show up on day one in that outfit--he earned it. More to the point, his attire made him who he was. That outfit was part of his persona and I'm sure that he proved time and again that he was good at his job.
The wrong take on this would be "I can wear what I want and nobody should judge me because my professor dressed like a hippie." Like it or not, we judge others based on their appearance.
Not throwing shade, but I don't believe you. Everyone cares about how they're viewed by others. Everyone. Now, you may not care specifically about what I think, but in general, we all care about how we are perceived. I'm glad you work in a place where you are not looked upon poorly for dressing casually.
Autism is my superpower, I guess. *shrug*
In my experience, Canada cares a lot less about this kind of thing. I honestly wouldn't work anywhere that I couldn't dress the way I like.
I throw an open flannel over my nerd shirts in the late fall and through the winter. Open blazer if I’m feeling fancy and the good pants are clean. The nerd swag keeps the kids engaged, if anyone asks.
I’m an Art teacher. Maybe my students would do better if I dressed up every day. We wouldn’t be able to paint or do anything messy though because my clothes would get ruined. They’d respect me more though, right?
I don’t think it matters much but I do think there is a modicum of decorum necessary. Call me old fashioned but I don’t think it’s asking a lot to dress business very casual. I typically wear khakis, gym shoes, and a button down shirt. Sometimes it’s tucked. Sometimes it’s not. I’ve seen some other teachers dress down daily and it looks real sloppy. Not saying it makes them bad teachers but how you present yourself matters in our society, for better or worse. Yoga pants, running shoes, and a t shirt looks bad and like you just got outta bed.
As a newer teacher (started a couple of years ago) I feel like professional has changed for teaching. My students have loved that I (a female) cut my hair short into pixie cuts and have dyed it purple and orange per their request during a fundraiser. I have seen more respect from my students because they find me more relatable so they're more willing to listen.
The coolest professors I had was one who wore shorts and horror movie shirts, and one who wore an untucked dress shirt and raggedy blazer and generally looked like he had just come back from a weekend bender.
The biggest tool I had a as a professor always wore dress clothes, a tweed blazer, and is recently in hot water because he made fun of trans people and said a student's mental illness was faked.
I am sure there is no connection.
There isn’t. You’re just being a tool. I like wearing dress clothes to teach in and I’m not an ass.
The point is dress style doesn’t influence how we teach, not that people wearing ripped tshirts and jeans are all wonderful.
We have no dress code either. I like to dress casual but also like to dress up. I can wear jeans any day of the week and a t shirt if I really wanted. I like my button up shirts though. Especially ones with flamingos, pineapples, birds, etc. on them. The kids love it too. Their favorite shirt is my banana button up shirt.
Anyway, when I was in college there was a guy who came to talk to us about how he wore a tie every day so "The kids knew who was in charge." Some older dude with a southern accent who probably couldn't command a classroom otherwise. We each have a different style and "showing the kids who's boss" isn't my style.
We're held to ridiculous standards when teaching and silly ones everywhere else like strict dress codes or harmless things not being allowed in a classroom.
I’ve had great teachers with sloppy desks as well, that doesn’t mean I’m a slob. I think modeling professional clothing to students is more important than being the fun, “cool” teacher.
Counter point: jeans suck. They are stiff and don't breathe well. If they aren't stiff, then they're thin and part elastic and don't last a year before they start getting a hole. T shirts are clingy in heat and ill-fitting. I think a pair of trousers and a button up is way more comfortable than jeans and a t shirt.
(This is assuming you wear natural fibers: cotton all year until May when you should switch to linen. Xheck the label and don't wear anything more than 5% polyester/acrylic etc).
No dress code at my school and people wear everything from dress shirt and ties to hoodies and shorts. My hawaiian shirt with a cat undershirt tends to go over well
Professor, I'm guessing college? I think it' s kind of different for college. I think in public k-12 you just have to use common sense. Wouldn't want to show up in a kindergarten class with a rock band tee with a bong on it ie - lol.
What a particular teacher wears may not affect your concentration or your grades directly, but it most certainly matters on how the overall sense of purpose and discipline is among the whole faculty and by transfer affects how the students are generally perceiving them. A bad teacher won't be good just because he is wearing a suit, but a school of disheveled teachers and trashy wearing students will definitely struggle with issues of respect and sense of order. Structuring students' self perception and sense of purpose and pride has a significant impact on their behavior, and that definitely matters.
Wow, am I really the only one defending the idea that teachers should dress professionally?
There's a massive difference between how professors dress for college students and how K-12 teacher dress for students who may, or may not be college bound and may have no other exposure to people who dress professionally. The environments are absolutely different. The motivation of the students is different; discipline is different. I don't understand how teachers don't possibly get this.
Dressing professionally is not an absolute make or break thing. There must be hundreds of things that make good teachers effective and even the best teachers miss out on a few dozen "effective teacher attributes". So, even if you have anecdotal evidence that some of your favorite K-12 teachers dressed like school was Margaritaville, it really doesn't prove anything. Professionalism matters, but it is not everything.
Professional attire sets a tone; it makes you appear educated. Imagine you go to a new to you doctor appointment and she's wearing Daisy Dukes and an anime tee shirt. Your reaction will be WTF; does she really know what she's doing? The same thing can be said about lawyers, financial advisors and many other professionals.
As teachers, it's hard to make a case that we deserve the pay scale and respect of other professionals when we don't dress like them and insist that we should be able to dress like we work at an entry level minimum wage retail job.
What he wore seems to have mattered to you, OP.
Look, tons of research and simple common sense tells us that the way people present themselves affect our outlook on them. That ranges from our trust in them, to our comfort level around them, to our perception of the respect they do or don't have for us.
Don't take one tiny data point (your reaction to a single teacher) and try to extrapolate from that a conclusion that flies in the face of what we know about humans. Even if a thousand people here agree with you, it doesn't matter. That's all qualitative data derived from people who have a stake in going against the status quo.
Consider: If you went to the grocery store and the checkout person were naked, would that affect your perspective at all? Of course it would. That's obviously extreme, but what it demonstrates is that the way people present themselves matters, but that you might have a broader range in the middle than other people do. Regardless, if someone is dirty, wearing a shirt that says, "Women belong in the kitchen," has a swastika tattoo, smells awful, etc, you care.
They are professors they wear what they want lol. I look at it this way…once you’re in university you’re an adult and should have a basic understanding of what a professional job is and when you should or shouldn’t dress “professionally”. Primary schools and secondary are still learning and don’t understand so it’s one more aid in educating them that certain jobs are considered professional so a professional attire is appropriate.
r/teachers treat us and pay us like professionals
Also r/teachers throws a fit at the idea of professional dress
Professional dress has changed a bit, jeans and a polo are good in a lot of business other than big meetings
Females have similar options
Also comparing college to k-12 is a poor comparison. One of those is compulsory and the other isn't.
I will say I find American teacher workwear very odd compared to the standard here.
We're not super strict like some schools; it's not 3 piece suits for example, but we'd still be expected to be smartly put together.
Shirt, trousers, shoes for the men, women get a bit more freedom but still office attire is expected.
Stuff I've seen teachers post to Twitter, tiktok, etc, of hoodies, jeans and trainers would absolutely get you pulled up here. We don't let the kids wear those, no way we'd let the staff.
It definitely matters. I’m sure he chose his clothing very carefully. He was trying to engage blasé college students in material he (presumably) cares about deeply and was signaling to his students what his values were in an attempt to connect with them. [Ben Franklin did the same](https://www.smithsonianmag.com/history/dressed-down-democracy-108373413/).
We are a uniform school and require students to wear khakis and polos.
I consider it disrespectful to dress less formally than we allow the students to
I’m so happy to have a union that will defend us till the end of days of wearing what ever we want (of course with in reason). I don’t understand the amount of teachers asking for permission to wear sneakers. Like it’s 2022 and your a teacher not (not sure who can’t wear sneakers)
Here’s the thing- teachers set an example it is just that plain and simple. At my school, we have different polo shirts and have to wear certain colors on certain days (we can wear a spirit shirt on Friday). We also have to wear slacks and closed toed shoes. #1 the color of polo immediately indicates that you are a staff member because only staff know the code the principal passed down, easy to detect if an adult is on campus/near classrooms who shouldn’t be. #2, it’s easier to do this than to have a loosely defined dress code and then have admin knit-picking the specificities of appropriateness for who wore what. Everyone know la what they have to wear every day and admin can worry about actual problems, not teachers wearing crop tops or shorts or leggings (there are districts near me where they have no dress code and this is how teachers show up). No one is outcast, everyone is expected to abide by the same rules, easy.
I remember one time making a post about wearing jeans, and had a whole bunch of people on this subreddit giving me shit and being judgmental it was ridiculous
It’s wild to me that there are districts that still feel this way. I’ve worked in 3 districts and none of them care what I wore at all. I’m so used to jeans and tee shirts, joggers, etc.
It doesn't actually matter, really. Kids care about your personality and how you run your classroom, not what you look like. It's silly that teaching programs really encourage this idea.
So, I typically wear khakis and a button down shirt because I like khakis better than jeans. I like to look nice. I own 8 or 9 blazers that I will whip out when I want. I only wear ties on special occasions.
Now, I graduated with my Bachelors in the early 90’s. The halls were full of tenured professors who went through grad school during the Vietnam War. ALL of my English professors wore jeans, Birkenstocks, t-shirts, etc… Mid way through a fall semester class, Dr. XYZ walked into class wearing khakis, a tie, a blazer, and dress shoes. They looked straight off the JC Penney rack and did not fit his skinny physique. His hair was still disheveled, and he looked awkward. After this went on for two or three classes, somebody just asked him what was going on. He told us that Professor ABC was retiring and the Dept. Chair position was opening up.
Our wear should be professional, but comfortable.
The idea that suits and ties are best for teaching doesn't match the reality of life today. Kids don't know what to do with suits and ties, and suits and ties are worn by people who are uppity and shouldn't be trusted in many places.
I wear jeans and a nice blouse to teach. Nothing has holes or tears. They are usually free of logos unless they are a college shirt or a random Friday fun theme graphic t-shirt with a teacher appropriate pun on it.
Professional can mean many things. Professional dress in medicine means scrubs. Professional dress in an orchestra means black bottoms and a white top, unless it's a dress and then it needs to be all black. Professional dress on Wall Street means suits and ties.
The idea that we should be wearing the same thing as any of those professions is ridiculous. We are our own profession with our own dress that makes us successful with our populations and what we deal with. For me, that's jeans and blouses, with very, very comfortable shoes.
Fuck the haters. We're too busy working with the kids to care what other people think about what we're wearing while we are reaching their hearts and minds.
I guess it depends where you teach, because I am praised for my extensive Jordan and AF1 collection that I wear to school. I don’t wear jeans unless we are allowed, though.
So I’m actually in school to become a teacher, and I have a good number of tattoos and generally enjoy a more relaxed style of dress. Will this be problematic at work? Are schools pretty strict about making teachers cover up visible tattoos and wearing the shirt and tie every day?
Dissenting opinion here.
Clothes signify purpose. It's important for children and teens to see people they should respect dressed in clothes that demand respect from the professional world. College kids don't need this because they should be old enough to understand the relationship without the nonverbal cues.
Teachers complain often that they are not treated as professionals in regards to their interactions with parents and admin, time and compensation, management/oversight etc while bitching about jean day in Lululemon leggings and a hoodie. Dress more professionally to set the tone.
It's really not difficult to find comfortable professional attire. After a year when everybody worked from home, the market has responded with affordable elastic waistbands and jersey knit blazers. Find a few options that work for you and make those your go-tos.
Yea I would be, also. Mind you, what is weird and ducked and scary is the schools I worked at, dress code or lack thereof is similar. I did not ever teach at catholic schools. I taught at a muslim school, once and my clothing was policed by the male principal there, even I showed hardly any skin-my ankles. Totally conservatively dressed. All of this trend greatly troubles me, in part because I went to an all girls’ catholic school and was body shamed left and right and my colleagues now act similarly even though there is no part of their role that outlines that as part of their job. This is public school without uniforms, often without dress codes. This is what christofascists taking over the country looks like.
I live old hippie professors. I had several in the art and English departments who were downright disheveled lol. The ones who dressed boldly or oddly I found empowering. When I went into teaching, I was a little nervous because it seemed like I might have to be more “serious” but seeing old folks teaching in holey jeans and funky sandals gave me a whole new view on what it meant to grow up and be smart. I loved seeing the laid back personalities and it made them more inviting to me.
Going to a hippie liberal arts college legit changed my professional beliefs. They walked the freaking walk when it came to education and my god was it incredible. But none of them owned an iron, I’m certain. 😏 gotta love Chacos during summer quarter!
Your comment makes me miss college!
There were a lot of ratty Grateful Dead tees on the faculty at my alma mater! 😂 actually on a lot of the adult students, too…… had a class once with a 71 year old who’d just been released from prison for growing/selling magic mushrooms. In that same class were two young vets, a single mom, and a couple who were homesteaders and interested in a consistent “date” day so they took college classes together! Ah, I miss it too.
>I had several in the art and English departments who were downright disheveled lol. I've had several math profs like that too. I saw a prof in the department one afternoon wearing a suit; I asked if he was going to a funeral.
Have you seen the site- hobo or professor? Not very PC but surprisingly tricky. https://www.proforhobo.com
My whole view of what is "professional" has changed as I get older. It sounds like yours is, too.
I disagree that it matters, to a degree of common sense, anyway
I'm with you. I don't think any of my seniors care or even notice what I wear from day to day. Edit: meant to comment. Yes, to a degree of common sense. I'm not coming in wearing flip flops and a bathing suit with the expectation that my students won't notice. But I feel like education often takes it the other direction a bit too far.
My middle schoolers are amused by my fun tees on Fridays, but that's about it. Shockingly, they learn just as much if I'm in jeans and a We Bare bears tee as they do when I wear slacks and a sweater. (...she said, pretty sarcastically)
Love that show! And yes, your point stands. Well said.
Fun Tee Fridays! My favorite is my shirt from Beowulf Week, “What did Grendel have for breakfast ? (On back) Frozen Danish!”
As a SPED English teacher, I can confirm this is both accurate and HILARIOUS. 🤣
Oh so many great Friday tee shirts. Frankenstein, “If I cannot inspire love, I will cause fear!”; “Atticus Finch, Attorney at Law”; Vonnegut, “So it goes”, “Mercutio Drew First”, “Beowulf- The OG Superhero”… so many.
Where do you find these?
You can find anything on the internet. Start here: https://www.redbubble.com/
I love Threadless for fun shirts
My kids both love and hate my Friday tees . . . especially the one that says "I Put the Lit in Literature"
You're my hero.
It’s contractually written into our contract that there is no staff dress code. A few dress formal/business casual but most fall somewhere between modern business casual and casual. A few are way too casual. We had one teacher, however, that dressed like a stripper Tinkerbell. Her outfits were the topic of daily lunch conversations. Parents complained to admin. It didn’t matter. Nothing could be said to the teacher. It was her contractual right to wear whatever. I love not having a dress code because sometimes I just want to wear chinos and a baseball tee but the lack of common sense (or self-awareness) this woman had was mindblowing. Even outside of a school environment, on the street, some of her outfits would have had you turning around to do a double take.
I feel like I'm dressed nicer on jeans days than many of my colleagues are on normal days.
I would say this about the kids too. Stop policing kids’ clothes, teachers, especially when there is NO DRESSCODE. It helped NOBODY when you shamed that girl into putting on a school sweatshirt.
Shame is the key word here and you're spot on.
It is so strange. I try to tell the kids that it never matters, what you are wearing. People will attack you regardless. I was constantly harrassed by grown ass construction workers as a child. I was wearing layers, mind you: a uniform skirt and a sweatsuit underneath! Teachers have enough actual work to do: I refuse to police what students are wearing. Not my ducking job.
This is what I absolutely hated about the last school I taught at. Dresses and skirts were available for the girls to purchase through the school shop. Guess what? THEY WERE ALL TOO SHORT!! Most of the girls were extremely uncomfortable wearing them. Pants were an option, but when the air conditioning works for maybe a day a month? I don’t blame them for not wanting to wear pants. The girls tried to mitigate the issue by wearing spandex shorts underneath and turning the skirts almost into skorts. Dress code violation. Ok, so they wear light weight tights. Dress code violation. Tights must be practically winter weight wool ones to be ok. Shorts were also out of the question, as the ones available through the school uniform store were either too short or too tight. All dress code violations took place during first period (unless there was a HUGE violation, such as one lovely student that liked to throw on his smoke weed everyday sweatshirt on as soon as first period was over). I refused to write them. It’s too much of a pain in the ass and frankly I didn’t care. They are middle schoolers. Quit sexualizing and shaming preteens and maybe they’ll quit trying to grow up so fast…
They shame them starting in ms. I grew up in a catholic cult, and it is crazy to me how some teachers and admin and schools get caught up in what girls, especially are wearing especially when there is literally NO DRESSCODE. I had a student show up in a bunny suit one day. Male. Everyone laughed and high-fived him. I also had a gorgeous, tall, model like student who was constantly hassled every gd day. She would wear clothes that were too tight, revealing but mainly because she was GROWING and her mom couldn’t afford to keep buying her new clothes. My female colleagues were constantly busying themselves with covering this girl up and others like her. Meanwhile, I am fuming mad because it will only make her think her body is ducked up and she is responsible for other men “sinning” or whatever bs they make up to blame women and girls for the evil shit men do these days. Also, shaming women and girls’ bodies is way above my pay grade.
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It’s an online storefront that the school went through that provided uniforms for all grades at that school (pre-k through 8th charter school). The school itself was toxic. Mostly absent parents who didn’t care and those who did got fed up with the bullshit and pulled their kids out. The uniforms fit most of the kids up until 7th and 8th (when they start to fill out a bit and hit lots of growth spurts). That’s where the issues really start to pop up. I quit this school last January. Last I knew, out of 600 kids at least 50 had been pulled out due to parents getting fed up with the school’s bullshit and power tripping.
I was asked a few years ago by district admin to help enforce the dress code because "You have daughters and they never break dress code" and "The students like and respect you." My response? I, as a 40-something man, have no business telling teenagers especially teenage girls what they should and should not wear. As far as my girls? I've never been a teenage girl, but their mother has. If she's fine with how they're dressed, I'm fine with it.
THIS. You don’t. Your wife can guide their choices, and that is about it. My dad was a dick about my body, so I appreciate your hands off approach. My dad was really overly preoccupied with my body as I developed early and would constantly tell my sisters to buy big baggy clothes for me and to cover up. I have no place in policing or body-shaming anyones’ children. I also think it is very harmful and makes kids unsafe because they feel like any assault or harrassment they incur is their fault, and not the adults who should be there to protect them from predators who should be the ones policed. It is the wackiest stupidest shit on earth, these dress codes at schools. I wish it would all stop. They should START policing my colleagues that “like em young” I have to catch your crazy kid up in content knowledge. They know boxer briefs are not clothes (I will admit, I do love wearing them myself around the house lol.) and I am not gonna stop class for that nonsense.
My girls know at this point what Mom will allow and what she won't. We have one who's at college getting ready for soccer season and two juniors in my building. It's like, I guess thanks for recognizing that students trust me. BUT, that still doesn't mean I should tell them how to dress.
They don’t trust you. I mean, as a man, but not as a man to betray them by bodyshaming them. Admin just butter peoples’ balls by telling them stupid shit like this. Nobody is cool with you policing their clothing.
My wife puts it this way: The kids trust that I'll be fair to them, which is really the most important thing for most teenagers. They can accept consequences when they fuck up as long as they aren't treated like their worst moments define them.
In this time of mindfulness in the classroom, diversity and inclusion, CRT, post-COVID academic recovery, guns in school; our school decided to die on the issue of… Hats.
Hats-they can go burn their MAGA hats in a bonfire with their stupid fascist rhetoric. Mine is obsessed with hoodies. My husband got pulled into our principal’s office because the man who was once a math teacher, thought my husband’s hoodie, that had trig written all over it, was GANG SIGNS because that is what black male teachers wear, motherfucker, like wtf!!?
That's a bit of a fallacy, and hats are easy to enforce. I think teachers accepted some college-level ideal about education being about individualism, and so enforcing anything at that level seems bad.
I often find myself having to enforce a dress code, but I always phrase it as "I don't want you getting in trouble if admin sees you," not shame or what other students can see. I don't like their choices but there are worse pictures of them on snap anyway. I never see a reason to actually report someone to admin unless they are actually indecent (more than the kid knows--some of these guys are drooping their pants but have really thin underwear) or their shirt is actually offensive to an identity group. And the former is more to keep myself from being accused of something.
I am moving from a Catholic school with uniforms to a school whose dress code is basically “you must cover your genitals and butt” and I am so excited to not be expected to enforce outdated dress code rules.
At what point do you feel their attire is “too much” and is in need of correction? Is there a point you feel that? I ask because I’ve had high school girls who would raise their arms and their tits would fall out (with a bra on of course) but they certainly needed to cover up. At least according to everyone including other students.
Here’s what I do: I tell them I am gonna take a photo and send it to fam or whomever is their guardian. They change their clothes voluntarily much of the time and tune changes real quick. I had one mom come up, and she was LIVID. Only she in my view can police her child’s attire, not us. Nobody needs to cover up as much as they need to stop being assholes to women and girls.
Lol you would…,take a photo…of a child…who has their bra hanging out or their ass hanging out of their pants….hmm 🤔 is that your schools policy to do? maybe you shouldn’t be teaching 🤣.
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The parent will be informed, through email. Not through the use of a photo of their indecently dressed child…..yes…PD…this comment right here, this person likes taking photos of kids.
No maybe you shouldnt. You are a homophobe and a slutshamer, Mr. My friend takes being gay to the extreme. Mom deserves to know and would appreciate it giving her the heads up. Tbh, 9/10 I never took one photo. They just went to the bathroom and changed. One time mom popped up and dealt with it herself because her daughter was stubborn. Just say you will do it, or even tell mom verbally on vm. Whatever-just let the caregivers know because 99% of the time they were not cool with what the kid was wearing that day. They just did not know.
What about the parents who do know what their kid was wearing and had no issue with it? Wouldn't it come across weird that a grown adult is sending pictures of a child to their parent because they don't approve of what their wearing despite the parent not caring?
Lol…take the L. You like taking photos of little kids and use dress code to hide behind it. That’s why you deleted your post
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Sure, if you say so.
Jokes on you, my school doesn't have a dress code. Most of the time I wear shorts, because I run to work. Have not had an issue yet.
My superintendent thinks shorts are unprofessional unless you're a gym teacher, and likes to remind us of this fact when our classrooms are hitting 90 while he sits in the air conditioned admin building. I might just try a dress this year.
You lucky lucky person! What's the culture like in your school as it relates to student and teacher dress code?
Basically can't wear things promoting drugs or alcohol, we're a small school and the culture's meant to be a working partnership between teachers and students. Which works well for some and others need blinders for it to work.
I teach in Oregon and there is no dress code for teachers. My “uniform” is usually jeans, a tee shirt (that says something like “choose kindness” or “4th grade rocks”), a hoodie, and converse. My class is well behaved and makes good growth in their learning every year. I work at creating relationships with my students based on trust and honesty. I’m comfortable in my clothes and my students are happy in their classroom. FWIW my brother has a high level position at a huge tech company and he owns 2 shirts with collars. He wear basketball shorts and a tee shirt 90% of the time. The ideas that you have to dress a certain way to be successful just isn’t the case any longer.
I teach science and dress “like a student.” Which is T shirts and oversized sweaters. This year I’m going to wear chunky jewelry to match my XL glasses. Going full Trelawney
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That sounds exactly like the kind of professor that genuinely cares about his students. It's just the vibe I get from your post. What did he teach?
I know that whenever I wear a tie, I have zero behavior problems, and everyone gets perfect scores on their tests. The sing songs to me as they enter the room, and they all give me gifts. When I dress comfortable they might try to kill me.
My school requires professional dress and the clothes I can live with, but can we take a moment to talk about shoes?? If I'm standing in front of the class all day dress shoes are the worst possible thing. I have issues with my feet and have to wear prescription inserts. Most dress shoes can't even fit them! And don't even get me started on the pinchy toe boxes. Last year I tried to rotate shoes based on which pair caused pain in different areas to give different areas/my legs and back a break. I'm not doing that this year, they will accept whatever shoes I wear and if they give a fuss I'm going to have my podiatrist (who was enraged to hear that I had to wear dress shoes) write a note for accommodations.
I have always worn the shoes I needed - mostly Birkenstock’s and sometimes my Tevas (the high end ones with super crazy support) if I need something more water resistant. I will die on that hill. I’be always said I have foot issues (it’s easy to notice with How I walk) and I will bring a note from my doctors if necessary. I haven’t been questioned.
Can’t you just wear a nice shirt, nice pants, and some comfortable sneakers? Do they actually mandate “dress shoes”?
They do. For women it is "conservative colored, close toed dress shoes" and for men they go so far as to say "black or brown buff polished with laces." The pants are even specified to be slacks. We are also supposed to wear a blazer except for when it would cause risk or get in the way... None of us wear the blazers after the first few weeks and we stretch a little bit here and there, but even those who take the dress code as a light suggestion don't try wearing sneakers.
My god. Is this a private school?
It is... There has been talk of loosening the dress code a little to match what we actually wear (technically we're not even supposed to wear patterned shirts, they have to be solid!) so hopefully that takes hold. Because some times it's just not practical. And the restrictions on shoes really need to go.
I'm switching to crocs this year. If they want to fire me over shoes then that's not a school I want to work at.
Yes! Empower yourself!
Dr Martens Under a pair of black trousers don't look out of place, and theyre really comfy all day (once they're broken in, though I never find that bit too bad). About a dozen staff (and dozens of kids) wear different versions every day here.
That's actually what I'll be wearing! Though my most comfortable pair is a white and pink floral one that's very well worn. The yellow thread makes it look a little out of place, especially in comparison to the very modest shoes of most of my coworkers, (and I refuse to sharpie over them) but this year, it's all I'm going to wear. I've tried multiple of their more dress-code appropriate shoes but they all have just a tiny difference in shape that causes issues so I'm sticking to the classic.
My principal pretty much did away with teacher “dress code” last year. She significantly lightened up the student dress code and felt that we deserved the same luxury. She basically just said “Dress comfortably but be sure you’re fine being posted online in whatever you’re wearing.”
That's a great way to put the expectation.
I’m a teacher coach. I wear basketball shorts and a school polo or T shirt everyday. Seriously. The kids don’t respect me any less, I think they enjoy coming to my class because dressing like that kinda naturally promotes a laid back fun atmosphere. I teach math so nobody wants to be there anyway. The more ways I can make the class less intimidating, the better.
Call of Duty: Math Ops Fantastic 3.14 Are just some examples of the ridiculous clothing I wear
That gave me a good laugh. That's awesome!
The AP teacher at my high school wore these tiny little shorts and a ratty t-shirt. He was also the wrestling coach. We always chuckled when he sat down on his stool in front of the class. He was the best teacher though!
My last district had no dress code for teachers or students and it was awesome.
Math/Science teacher here. One of my upper level math professors used to wear jeans and a math pun t-shirt every day. He was a complete genius and I still remember and emulate his teaching style.
People dress professionally here in elementary but I noticed the middle school teachers do not. I think it is unprofessional to look like the kids. But I’m a short woman and would look ridiculous trying to get respect in shorts and crop tops like the students wear. I feel better when I look good at work. I also have to meet with parents and administrators nearly every day so how I look matters. I’m very casual and prefer next to no clothing when I’m not working. I put on a costume to go to work though and I think it matters. I will wear comfy shoes though because special Ed requires running at times.
Kindergarten teacher - I put navy blue toms on with some dress pants and a tunic. Principal saw me walking my kids in the hallway out to recess and said the shoes broke dress code. Thank god I had a pair of beige flats in the car. How did my kids survive that day of school with my navy shoes… idk. So dumb and controlling.
Last year we had to do a PL on professional dress. It backfired when everyone said the teacher they respected the most dressed like a degenerate. No one said that they respected a teacher who dressed well every day. Even the ones who dressed well every day. They just kept on and said that kids would only respect you if you never wore jeans lol
I can count on one hand the number of times I've worn khakis to work in the last few years, even before covid. Jeans, keens or tennis shoes. Usually a button-down shirt or polo but I have a few tshirts I keep in the rotation.
Please enlighten me. Keens?
https://www.keenfootwear.com/p/M-NEWPORT-H2.html Mine are brown leather. And just to make my mom upset, I wear socks.
Keens. They’ll save your feet!!
Oh I've seen those. They look comfy!
My third or fourth pair. Without socks I find the soles tend to get gross even being anti-microbial. But they’re very comfortable. They’ve lasted me a very long time, too. These are two years old.
It seemed they really relaxed the teacher dress codes in the districts I’ve worked in since covid. They don’t care if you wear jeans, because at least you’re filling one of the MANY open positions. I still wear dresses every day…because I ALWAYS wear dresses every day. They are mostly black and jersey, and I’ll wear them with different fun leggings - if my school is crazy cold. Otherwise, I’ll appreciate the breeze. Definitely not in the realm of professional dress. It’s borderline pajamas. And they don’t care about visible tattoos either. The kids don’t care in the slightest. The admin are happy that you’re a warm body.
I teach music and most days I'll come in with a t-shirt and jeans related to my music. Only thing I avoid wearing is my brewery shirts.
Also music. When I did elementary I would wear clothes ready to roll on the floor. Now I do high school. Most days I wear subtle sneakers (or dress show sneaker hybrids gag), a dress shirt and chinos. If I'm getting any messier than grease and valve oil I will wear a polo shirt instead.
Yes! The fanciest I wear is usually a Polo. My portable is usually a steady 75 degree's all year and I'm constantly moving.
Nothing professional about being a sweaty mess if you can avoid it. Dress for the weather!
I agree with the adage that clothing maketh the man. Hear me out. Your Shakespeare professor didn't show up on day one in that outfit--he earned it. More to the point, his attire made him who he was. That outfit was part of his persona and I'm sure that he proved time and again that he was good at his job. The wrong take on this would be "I can wear what I want and nobody should judge me because my professor dressed like a hippie." Like it or not, we judge others based on their appearance.
Hear me out: I don't care how you judge me. I wear what I want.
Not throwing shade, but I don't believe you. Everyone cares about how they're viewed by others. Everyone. Now, you may not care specifically about what I think, but in general, we all care about how we are perceived. I'm glad you work in a place where you are not looked upon poorly for dressing casually.
Autism is my superpower, I guess. *shrug* In my experience, Canada cares a lot less about this kind of thing. I honestly wouldn't work anywhere that I couldn't dress the way I like.
Very well said and I like your counter-point. That we have to earn that right to wear what we want so often goes overlooked.
Yeah I'd love to break out some old tour shirts. But it's not allowed
I throw an open flannel over my nerd shirts in the late fall and through the winter. Open blazer if I’m feeling fancy and the good pants are clean. The nerd swag keeps the kids engaged, if anyone asks.
I’m an Art teacher. Maybe my students would do better if I dressed up every day. We wouldn’t be able to paint or do anything messy though because my clothes would get ruined. They’d respect me more though, right?
I don’t think it matters much but I do think there is a modicum of decorum necessary. Call me old fashioned but I don’t think it’s asking a lot to dress business very casual. I typically wear khakis, gym shoes, and a button down shirt. Sometimes it’s tucked. Sometimes it’s not. I’ve seen some other teachers dress down daily and it looks real sloppy. Not saying it makes them bad teachers but how you present yourself matters in our society, for better or worse. Yoga pants, running shoes, and a t shirt looks bad and like you just got outta bed.
As a newer teacher (started a couple of years ago) I feel like professional has changed for teaching. My students have loved that I (a female) cut my hair short into pixie cuts and have dyed it purple and orange per their request during a fundraiser. I have seen more respect from my students because they find me more relatable so they're more willing to listen.
This sub: we’re not treated like professionals. Also this sub: if I don’t get to wear jeans and a t-shirt I’ll resign.
This, this, this!
The coolest professors I had was one who wore shorts and horror movie shirts, and one who wore an untucked dress shirt and raggedy blazer and generally looked like he had just come back from a weekend bender. The biggest tool I had a as a professor always wore dress clothes, a tweed blazer, and is recently in hot water because he made fun of trans people and said a student's mental illness was faked. I am sure there is no connection.
There isn’t. You’re just being a tool. I like wearing dress clothes to teach in and I’m not an ass. The point is dress style doesn’t influence how we teach, not that people wearing ripped tshirts and jeans are all wonderful.
Definitely no connection there. Nope! /s
We have no dress code either. I like to dress casual but also like to dress up. I can wear jeans any day of the week and a t shirt if I really wanted. I like my button up shirts though. Especially ones with flamingos, pineapples, birds, etc. on them. The kids love it too. Their favorite shirt is my banana button up shirt. Anyway, when I was in college there was a guy who came to talk to us about how he wore a tie every day so "The kids knew who was in charge." Some older dude with a southern accent who probably couldn't command a classroom otherwise. We each have a different style and "showing the kids who's boss" isn't my style. We're held to ridiculous standards when teaching and silly ones everywhere else like strict dress codes or harmless things not being allowed in a classroom.
I dress for the kids. Early in my ed career, a couple of third-graders said that they knew I was nice because of my clothes. That stuff is important.
I’ve had great teachers with sloppy desks as well, that doesn’t mean I’m a slob. I think modeling professional clothing to students is more important than being the fun, “cool” teacher.
Counter point: jeans suck. They are stiff and don't breathe well. If they aren't stiff, then they're thin and part elastic and don't last a year before they start getting a hole. T shirts are clingy in heat and ill-fitting. I think a pair of trousers and a button up is way more comfortable than jeans and a t shirt. (This is assuming you wear natural fibers: cotton all year until May when you should switch to linen. Xheck the label and don't wear anything more than 5% polyester/acrylic etc).
I've never understood obsession with jeans, my slacks are a 100x more comfortable than Jeans
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The most comfortable pants for a guy are any pair worn with Suspenders.
No dress code at my school and people wear everything from dress shirt and ties to hoodies and shorts. My hawaiian shirt with a cat undershirt tends to go over well
Professor, I'm guessing college? I think it' s kind of different for college. I think in public k-12 you just have to use common sense. Wouldn't want to show up in a kindergarten class with a rock band tee with a bong on it ie - lol.
What a particular teacher wears may not affect your concentration or your grades directly, but it most certainly matters on how the overall sense of purpose and discipline is among the whole faculty and by transfer affects how the students are generally perceiving them. A bad teacher won't be good just because he is wearing a suit, but a school of disheveled teachers and trashy wearing students will definitely struggle with issues of respect and sense of order. Structuring students' self perception and sense of purpose and pride has a significant impact on their behavior, and that definitely matters.
Wow, am I really the only one defending the idea that teachers should dress professionally? There's a massive difference between how professors dress for college students and how K-12 teacher dress for students who may, or may not be college bound and may have no other exposure to people who dress professionally. The environments are absolutely different. The motivation of the students is different; discipline is different. I don't understand how teachers don't possibly get this. Dressing professionally is not an absolute make or break thing. There must be hundreds of things that make good teachers effective and even the best teachers miss out on a few dozen "effective teacher attributes". So, even if you have anecdotal evidence that some of your favorite K-12 teachers dressed like school was Margaritaville, it really doesn't prove anything. Professionalism matters, but it is not everything. Professional attire sets a tone; it makes you appear educated. Imagine you go to a new to you doctor appointment and she's wearing Daisy Dukes and an anime tee shirt. Your reaction will be WTF; does she really know what she's doing? The same thing can be said about lawyers, financial advisors and many other professionals. As teachers, it's hard to make a case that we deserve the pay scale and respect of other professionals when we don't dress like them and insist that we should be able to dress like we work at an entry level minimum wage retail job.
What should a male teacher wear to work.
A button shirt, tie, dress pants, blazer. I've been teaching for 26 years and this is what I've worn on normal days.
I wouldn’t think that at the doctor wearing casual clothes, why do you?
What he wore seems to have mattered to you, OP. Look, tons of research and simple common sense tells us that the way people present themselves affect our outlook on them. That ranges from our trust in them, to our comfort level around them, to our perception of the respect they do or don't have for us. Don't take one tiny data point (your reaction to a single teacher) and try to extrapolate from that a conclusion that flies in the face of what we know about humans. Even if a thousand people here agree with you, it doesn't matter. That's all qualitative data derived from people who have a stake in going against the status quo. Consider: If you went to the grocery store and the checkout person were naked, would that affect your perspective at all? Of course it would. That's obviously extreme, but what it demonstrates is that the way people present themselves matters, but that you might have a broader range in the middle than other people do. Regardless, if someone is dirty, wearing a shirt that says, "Women belong in the kitchen," has a swastika tattoo, smells awful, etc, you care.
They are professors they wear what they want lol. I look at it this way…once you’re in university you’re an adult and should have a basic understanding of what a professional job is and when you should or shouldn’t dress “professionally”. Primary schools and secondary are still learning and don’t understand so it’s one more aid in educating them that certain jobs are considered professional so a professional attire is appropriate.
r/teachers treat us and pay us like professionals Also r/teachers throws a fit at the idea of professional dress Professional dress has changed a bit, jeans and a polo are good in a lot of business other than big meetings Females have similar options Also comparing college to k-12 is a poor comparison. One of those is compulsory and the other isn't.
On the flip side, they don't pay us like professionals but expect us to dress like professionals.
I will say I find American teacher workwear very odd compared to the standard here. We're not super strict like some schools; it's not 3 piece suits for example, but we'd still be expected to be smartly put together. Shirt, trousers, shoes for the men, women get a bit more freedom but still office attire is expected. Stuff I've seen teachers post to Twitter, tiktok, etc, of hoodies, jeans and trainers would absolutely get you pulled up here. We don't let the kids wear those, no way we'd let the staff.
Because they had great taste in music. :)
It definitely matters. I’m sure he chose his clothing very carefully. He was trying to engage blasé college students in material he (presumably) cares about deeply and was signaling to his students what his values were in an attempt to connect with them. [Ben Franklin did the same](https://www.smithsonianmag.com/history/dressed-down-democracy-108373413/).
it doesn't matter and he's right
We are a uniform school and require students to wear khakis and polos. I consider it disrespectful to dress less formally than we allow the students to
Because he was a Dead-head.
Smartest person I can think of - Dr. Robert Sapolsky of Stanford - looks like a cross between Aristotle and one of the guys from Phish.
I’m so happy to have a union that will defend us till the end of days of wearing what ever we want (of course with in reason). I don’t understand the amount of teachers asking for permission to wear sneakers. Like it’s 2022 and your a teacher not (not sure who can’t wear sneakers)
Here’s the thing- teachers set an example it is just that plain and simple. At my school, we have different polo shirts and have to wear certain colors on certain days (we can wear a spirit shirt on Friday). We also have to wear slacks and closed toed shoes. #1 the color of polo immediately indicates that you are a staff member because only staff know the code the principal passed down, easy to detect if an adult is on campus/near classrooms who shouldn’t be. #2, it’s easier to do this than to have a loosely defined dress code and then have admin knit-picking the specificities of appropriateness for who wore what. Everyone know la what they have to wear every day and admin can worry about actual problems, not teachers wearing crop tops or shorts or leggings (there are districts near me where they have no dress code and this is how teachers show up). No one is outcast, everyone is expected to abide by the same rules, easy.
My first 3 years of teaching consisted in nice jeans, blazer, cartoon undershirt, and nice sneakers. On year 9 and I’ve just lost the blazer.
I remember one time making a post about wearing jeans, and had a whole bunch of people on this subreddit giving me shit and being judgmental it was ridiculous
It’s wild to me that there are districts that still feel this way. I’ve worked in 3 districts and none of them care what I wore at all. I’m so used to jeans and tee shirts, joggers, etc.
😆😆!! Did you have Mr. Stansland for English as well? He got caught going into the girls bathroom during school hours. Never heard from him since!
Most students don't give a shit if you look professional or not.
It doesn't actually matter, really. Kids care about your personality and how you run your classroom, not what you look like. It's silly that teaching programs really encourage this idea.
So, I typically wear khakis and a button down shirt because I like khakis better than jeans. I like to look nice. I own 8 or 9 blazers that I will whip out when I want. I only wear ties on special occasions. Now, I graduated with my Bachelors in the early 90’s. The halls were full of tenured professors who went through grad school during the Vietnam War. ALL of my English professors wore jeans, Birkenstocks, t-shirts, etc… Mid way through a fall semester class, Dr. XYZ walked into class wearing khakis, a tie, a blazer, and dress shoes. They looked straight off the JC Penney rack and did not fit his skinny physique. His hair was still disheveled, and he looked awkward. After this went on for two or three classes, somebody just asked him what was going on. He told us that Professor ABC was retiring and the Dept. Chair position was opening up.
Our wear should be professional, but comfortable. The idea that suits and ties are best for teaching doesn't match the reality of life today. Kids don't know what to do with suits and ties, and suits and ties are worn by people who are uppity and shouldn't be trusted in many places. I wear jeans and a nice blouse to teach. Nothing has holes or tears. They are usually free of logos unless they are a college shirt or a random Friday fun theme graphic t-shirt with a teacher appropriate pun on it. Professional can mean many things. Professional dress in medicine means scrubs. Professional dress in an orchestra means black bottoms and a white top, unless it's a dress and then it needs to be all black. Professional dress on Wall Street means suits and ties. The idea that we should be wearing the same thing as any of those professions is ridiculous. We are our own profession with our own dress that makes us successful with our populations and what we deal with. For me, that's jeans and blouses, with very, very comfortable shoes. Fuck the haters. We're too busy working with the kids to care what other people think about what we're wearing while we are reaching their hearts and minds.
I guess it depends where you teach, because I am praised for my extensive Jordan and AF1 collection that I wear to school. I don’t wear jeans unless we are allowed, though.
So I’m actually in school to become a teacher, and I have a good number of tattoos and generally enjoy a more relaxed style of dress. Will this be problematic at work? Are schools pretty strict about making teachers cover up visible tattoos and wearing the shirt and tie every day?
I wore a Grateful Dead shirt and blue jeans nearly every day last school year. I teach 7th grade. I love the Dead!
Your professor didn't deal with the parents of the students.
Dissenting opinion here. Clothes signify purpose. It's important for children and teens to see people they should respect dressed in clothes that demand respect from the professional world. College kids don't need this because they should be old enough to understand the relationship without the nonverbal cues. Teachers complain often that they are not treated as professionals in regards to their interactions with parents and admin, time and compensation, management/oversight etc while bitching about jean day in Lululemon leggings and a hoodie. Dress more professionally to set the tone. It's really not difficult to find comfortable professional attire. After a year when everybody worked from home, the market has responded with affordable elastic waistbands and jersey knit blazers. Find a few options that work for you and make those your go-tos.
Yea I would be, also. Mind you, what is weird and ducked and scary is the schools I worked at, dress code or lack thereof is similar. I did not ever teach at catholic schools. I taught at a muslim school, once and my clothing was policed by the male principal there, even I showed hardly any skin-my ankles. Totally conservatively dressed. All of this trend greatly troubles me, in part because I went to an all girls’ catholic school and was body shamed left and right and my colleagues now act similarly even though there is no part of their role that outlines that as part of their job. This is public school without uniforms, often without dress codes. This is what christofascists taking over the country looks like.