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One thing I've noticed is that over the years in public schools, student dress codes have become increasingly more strict. I don't necessarily think this is a bad thing. But conversely, I've noticed that the dress standards that I see teachers following have become increasingly lax. When I was in grade school in the 80s, female teachers never went more casual than slacks, male teachers always wore a shirt and tie, many of them wore jackets. Today, at my son's elementary school, which is a 95% female staff, they routinely dress in jeans, T-shirts and even flip-flops. Many seem to spend very little time on their appearance at all. I find this to be very unprofessional.
Is anyone else seeing this? Am I just behind the times or should teachers be expected to dress more professionally?
My employers have been largely special needs schools, so we had dress codes that reflected that. Teachers needed to wear attire that would enable us to move easily and quickly dependent upon student behavior. Running shoes with rubber soles were required. We were actually not allowed to wear dress shoes or anything that could be hazardous when running or physically prompting a student. For those of us who worked with younger and/or more severely disabled children, we often had to be literally on the floor, so activewear that allowed a free range of motion was standard. No jewelry, etc., as it could be pulled off by students. Similar dress codes were the norm when I worked in an early childhood setting as well. Needed to be able to move and could not wear things that could cause injury to a child (like pointy heels or jewelry that could fall off and be choked on).
Standard public K-12 schools I've worked with have also been a mixed bag. Mostly, it's business casual, with the emphasis on casual. Jeans are, in most settings I've worked in, been allowed mainly as a "casual Friday" thing only. Most don't allow shorts or open-toed shoes, either, although some (like my mom's district), will give it a free pass very early in the school year when their non-air conditioned buildings are very hot. Not the norm, though, in my experience with public schools. You really only see jeans on Fridays or "spirit days," and flip flops are not something you see at all.
Overall, though, dressing in business attire to teach is fairly passe. Some very old school types and eccentrics still do it, but it's just not common. Being neat, clean, and pulled together is an expectation, but clothing more formal than standard business casual is not really an expectation, anymore. Personally, I don't see that teaching in a suit, jacket and tie, skirt suit and power pumps, etc. would have any particular advantages, and in some cases could even be a hindrance to completing the tasks of the job.
I remember elementary teachers wearing cutesy "teacher" sweaters with khaki pants, etc. I had very few male elementary teachers apart from gym teachers. who wore track pants and T-shirts and whistles around their necks (also the attire of our female gym teachers).
One thing I've noticed is that over the years in public schools, student dress codes have become increasingly more strict. I don't necessarily think this is a bad thing. But conversely, I've noticed that the dress standards that I see teachers following have become increasingly lax. When I was in grade school in the 80s, female teachers never went more casual than slacks, male teachers always wore a shirt and tie, many of them wore jackets. Today, at my son's elementary school, which is a 95% female staff, they routinely dress in jeans, T-shirts and even flip-flops. Many seem to spend very little time on their appearance at all. I find this to be very unprofessional.
Is anyone else seeing this? Am I just behind the times or should teachers be expected to dress more professionally?
I have to agree that the dress code is pretty lax. When I was a teacher, our school had (and still has) a strict dress code - no jeans, no flip flops, nothing sloppy or "unprofessional." But at my son's school today, I saw one teacher in a t-shirt, jeans and flip flops, and another in a pair of stretch leggings with a t-shirt. I might have thought it was "casual Friday" or something, but yesterday they were dressed just as badly. I even saw one woman in very faded jeans with a T-shirt and flip flops. Although I don't think it looks professional, it is an elementary school, and I do know from experience that to do the job well one has to get down on the floor a lot, be open to getting glue or paint on your clothes, and above all, be able to move around easily and comfortably without worrying about clothing. For that reason, I sort of applaud the principal for letting them dress for the job they have, and not for the typical professional jobs that require business clothing. I don't care what my son's teacher wears - only that she does her job well, and she's doing that. When I was teaching elementary I wore heels and suits, because that was the norm at my school, and it really negatively affected us. I never sat on the floor or even in those tiny kid seats, and getting on the kids' level was pretty much impossible, as my clothes made it awkward and uncomfortable. I didn't do a lot of moving around, because my feet usually hurt after a few hours, and it was just too difficult. I constantly had to be careful of my clothing - that it didn't snag on desks or get inked by a stray marker - and overall I just was never really comfortable at work. So frankly, I think asking teachers to dress like office workers is a bit like asking a professional football player to wear a three piece suit. It might look good, but it just doesn't do the job.
They don't pay the college adjuncts all that well. I was on campus yesterday, and I saw some not-so-wonderful outfits, but as least no underwear was showing!
I guess as long as they're covered and no flip-flops, it's probably OK. Business casual is a great standard, but not everyone can afford that, and given some of the see-thru outfits I'm seeing at Sears and Walmart, it's hard to dress modestly. I can sew, but I realize not everyone can or has the time.
In the elementary grades I don't have an issue with teachers being casually dressed. They're on the playground and dealing with classroom messes on a regular basis. I don't think teachers should be permitted to wear anything expressly forbidden to students though, and our schools never allowed flip flops.
Once the student body is older, it makes sense to me that teachers dress in a manner that sets a good example for the future adults they are setting an example for. It doesn't mean a shirt and tie, or skirts and dresses, these days, many businesses no longer require them. Neat and clean works.
Our contract specifies "in a professional manner". It is up to the interpretation of the individual Principal. Some are trying to force suits on men and dresses/skirts on women. Others say nothing because they like to see the boobs of the younger teachers.
I had a Principal many years ago who tried to make those of us with mustaches or beards shave them off (none of us were of the "porn stache" style). He had a full beard.
I have no flip flop bias. I personally wear them about 7 months of the year. But my kids have never attended a school where they weren't forbidden by the student dress code. When the kids can wear them, I have no problem with teachers doing the same.
In the elementary grades I don't have an issue with teachers being casually dressed. They're on the playground and dealing with classroom messes on a regular basis. I don't think teachers should be permitted to wear anything expressly forbidden to students though, and our schools never allowed flip flops.
Once the student body is older, it makes sense to me that teachers dress in a manner that sets a good example for the future adults they are setting an example for. It doesn't mean a shirt and tie, or skirts and dresses, these days, many businesses no longer require them. Neat and clean works.
I totally agree with the bolded. It is a little hard to lecture a kid about following the dress code when their go to response is the accurate "But Mrs. Smith is wearing almost the same thing."
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The logic behind all school dress policies is that clothing has an effect on the quality of the educational environment; uniforms mandate one outfit considered positive, dress codes prohibit outfits considered negative. In the latter's case clothing that detracts from learning in the classroom doesn't cease being so once an adult wears it in the classroom, and in any case it sets a bad example for students, so adults working in the classroom, including teachers, should be held to the same or stricter standards as students.
Ideally every teacher would always wear sharp, stylish, modest, and perfectly tailored clothing with tasteful makeup and jewelry, a worthy goal for everyone, but doing so isn't always expedient and certainly isn't necessary for the task of teaching.
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