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The research into student evaluations of faculty is very clear: appearance matters. If you are more attractive, and look more professional, you will get higher ratings from the surveys of your students at the end of the term. Basically, if you are tall with a deep voice, reasonably good face, and dress well, you have to work hard to not get good ratings. If you are short, ugly, and dress like a slob, you'd better be Robin Williams in _Dead Poets Society_ if you want good scores from your students. I wish all that were not true, but the research is absolutely unambiguous that appearance matters, probably more than teaching style.
That all said, "dress well" doesn't mean suit and tie or anything like that formal. Regional and specific campus culture matter. What is 'normal' at Harvard will not be normal at all at Cal-State Humboldt. There are definitely colleges where if a prof walks into a classroom with a dark suit, power tie, and close cut hair, students will be turned off.
That said, it's hard for me to imagine shorts and flip flops anywhere, unless maybe a studio art class or science class field work. Jeans and a Hawaiian shirt at a lot of California schools, sure, but not wearing actual shoes would be odd.
Only if they are liberals, which most are. Can't work, teach.
College professors have to do research, and that involves getting grant money and doing "work." They also teach people who go on to non-teaching jobs. Someone has to teach those people, you know. And teaching is "work." Ask any teacher.
College professors have to do research, and that involves getting grant money and doing "work." They also teach people who go on to non-teaching jobs. Someone has to teach those people, you know. And teaching is "work." Ask any teacher.
This also applies to those who don't do research and "only" teach just as well, such as community college instructors. "Can't work, teach" is a cliche that should have died many, many years ago.
As a TA and lab instructor I've always worn shorts and flip-flops during warm weather (which is most of the year here in central California), which is commonly accepted since I'm still a student myself. But next semester I may be actually teaching one or more courses at the same University that I am graduating from this semester. As far as I know, there is no specific dress code enforced for faculty, as I've had multiple professors wear shorts and sandals in the past. Assuming there is no specific dress code for faculty, what would be your opinion on this? As a student, would it bother you if you had a professor that wore shorts and/or flip-flops?
Perhaps depends on the domain? In the tech industry the dress code tends on the lax side, so if the professor of "Comp Sci 320 - 3D Graphics & Animation" dressed in shorts and sandals that would be quite appropriate IMO.
the more skin you show as a female, the happier i am. if you are a man, i want you to dress like a greek god. other than that, if you suck at your subject, it doesn't matter what you dress like. after a few minutes, the novelty or (if you hate casual dress) the annoyance wears off. the substance WILL show up (the quality of your work).
Funny that you associate intelligence with fashion. You judge too much.
I think it may be you who misjudge. We are associating fashion with distraction. A lovely style gets attention. Sometimes it gets attention at the wrong place when one's mind should be on the red light as you try to cross Madison Avenue. The Roman toga is beautiful. I wouldn't mind seeing one worn at all but not when I am trying my darndest to understand a lecture that was already beyond my depth.
Do you know the story of why Madame Curie was not allowed to use the university lab? Because a woman in the lab would be so distracting that little work would get done - by the men.
Funny that you associate intelligence with fashion. You judge too much.
I DIDN'T associate intelligence with fashion. You apparently have a reading comprehension problem. I pointed out that Einstein, in spite of his unfashionable appearance, was a genius. I merely stated that SOME people have a harder time hearing messages if the speaker (even an physicist) is dressed bizarrely. I still think that's true. Why do handlers worry so much about what presidential candidates wear? Why are many Americans obsessed with Hillary Clinton's hair-dos and Michelle Obama's bare arms? I'm not. (Although I have to admit I'm rather distracted by Rand Paul's wig.) I just point out that other people can't see PAST clothing. So why distract them if you have an important message? Which I believe a college professor does (specifically, the OP who asked about wearing flip-flops and shorts to teach).
What you wear during your free time is your business.
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