“You never get a second chance to make a first
impression.” While the authorship of this famous cliché is not clear, many
attribute its origins to the playwright and poet Oscar Wilde, while others
claim its authorship to Will Rogers or Mark Twain, one thing is certain
however, it has over time proven to be an accurate aphorism. Those first few
seconds upon meeting someone new will determine whether we like that person or
not and vice versa, you get one shot to win someone over, it’s best to make it
count. The way we carry ourselves to include grooming habits, dress, posture
and the language we use all determine how we are perceived by others. I am not
advocating that we go to work every day dressed and acting like clone robots of
each other, but good judgment and sensibility in regards to appearance goes a
long way. Many school districts already publish professional dress guidelines,
so if you are not sure how to dress professionally look it up. Rather I would
like to present my point of view of why it is important that we dress like
professionals in order to be treated like professionals.
When
I was discharged from the Marine Corps in 1994 I moved back to Las Vegas and
immediately began working at Sears at the Boulevard Mall selling small
electronics and car radios. It was a good job, I worked on commission, which
means that on a good sales day I could pocket a couple of hundred bucks no
problem. The management was flexible with my school schedule, and they even had
a tuition assistance program (this was during the halcyon days of the Las Vegas
boom in the late 1990s). I wore the typical salesman’s attire consisting of
dress or kakis trousers, button down shirt with a tie, and a jacket. I was fond
of the way I dressed as I made the transition from being a Marine to being a
civilian, “dressing up” in my mind meant that I was doing something important
and I felt accomplished as I was going to college and making my way through
life.
When
I began student teaching I was all ready to go in terms of professional attire,
I simply wore the same clothes I wore at Sears. I should point out that I was a
few years older than the typical new teacher entering the profession due to my
prior military service, as a result of my appearance, students, parents and
teachers all thought I was a new faculty member, not a student teacher! The way
I dressed and carried myself made a difference as to how I was perceived by
others.
During
my student teaching, I was required to meet with other student teachers once a
week to discuss how things were going in our classrooms, it was evening class
and most of us went directly from our assigned schools to the meeting. It was
interesting to see how the other student teachers dressed. Many of them
believed as I do that professional dress at school is important, but there were
a few teachers who had a different point of view. I remember one in particular,
he happened to be one of the youngest of us, barely out of his teens, he wore
the latest fashions, had a “cool” haircut, and spoke with what I will call the
“teenager-dialect.” He even sagged his
pants. In fact if you didn’t know better this teacher could be easily
misidentified as a high school student, and from his classroom conversations,
often was.
Of
course this teacher lamented the fact that he often times felt that his
students didn’t take him seriously, that things were fine when they were
engaged in classroom conversations and direct instruction, tasks that didn’t
require much effort on the student’s part. The problem came, however, when the
teacher tried to get his students to do some work. This teacher undermined his
own authority the minute he stepped into his classroom dressed inappropriately and
instead of acting like the adult and the professional in the room he instead
tried to be his student’s friend. While it is true his students could relate to
this young teacher, his knowledge of video games, the latest music and popular
culture was impressive, but it is also true that students don’t need teachers
to be their fiend, they have enough friends, what they need is a teacher who
cares about their intellectual and emotional development. I believe that the
way you dress is a clear division between you and the students you serve, that
when this line becomes fuzzy, one runs the risk of losing professional respect.
Over
the years I have heard teachers remark that it doesn’t matter how you dress at
school, that being comfortable is conducive to good teaching and that’s all
that matters. While there may be some truth to this, these same teachers take
it to the extreme and come to school wearing sweatpants, flip flops, t-shirts,
and other “weekend” wear, sometimes unlaundered with visible stains. A few
years ago our school had an important politician visit, teachers brought their
classes to the auditorium to engage in a question and answer session. I noticed
that a few teachers who normally dress “down” were on that day wearing
professional dress to include ties. I began to think “why is it o.k. for
teachers to look unprofessional for their students, but senators get jackets and
ties?” We are essentially telling our students that you are not important
enough for me to take the time and make the effort to dress up for you.
Depending on the socio-economic conditions of the school you teach, some of
your students may not know what professional dress looks like, as teachers we
are the models of professional dress and we should set the example.
Another
issue I have seen is teachers who dress provocatively at school. While I
believe that teachers have the right to do whatever they want on their own time,
some teachers have difficulty separating their private life with their public
life, as school teachers it is important that we observe the time and place
rule. Schools are traditionally conservative places where societal norms should
be observed. I am sure that most observers would agree that short skirts, stiletto
heels, and fishnet stockings are not appropriate for the school setting and may
make it difficult for students to concentrate on their studies. As one Milwaukie
school district official points out “teachers’ appearances are supposed to
provide an example to their pupils, not distract them.” I believe Van Halen sums it up nicely in their
song Hot for Teacher:
“I think of all the
education that I've missed
But then my homework
was never quite like this!
Whoa! Got it bad,
Got it bad,
Got it bad,
I'm hot for teacher!
I've got it bad, so
bad
I'm hot for teacher!”
A
majority of the nation’s schools have dress codes that spell out appropriate
student attire, however many districts are now regulating what teachers may
wear. For example in June, Litchfield Elementary School District in Arizona
introduced a policy that would “prohibit rubber-sole flip-flops, visible
undergarments, any visible cleavage, bare midriffs, clothes that are deemed too
tight, too loose or transparent, bare shoulders, short skirts and exercise
pants.”[i]
In
addition, many districts have policies restricting unnatural hair coloring and
styles, as well as regulating the visibility of piercings in untraditional
places such as the face. Tattoos have become increasingly popular with teachers
as they have for the rest of the public and many districts are taking steps to limit
their visibility. A major area of contention in the dress code debate is
whether or not jeans can be considered professional attire. I suppose the
answer is how you wear them, “trouser jeans” can look very professional on the
one hand while improperly fitting, broken-in jeans can look too casual. Many
districts have not prohibited jeans but try to limit their wear to “casual fridays”
or other special occasions.
The
bottom line is if we want to be treated as professional educators we must look
and act like professionals, and that means dressing for success.
[i]
"No Jeans, Flip-Flops or
Tattoos: Teachers Get a New Dress Code." Yahoo! News. Yahoo!, 31
July 2012. Web. 12 Jan. 2013.
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