Deciding what to wear is often the first tough decision of the day. Depending on our professions, the options could be limited or truly endless. Generally, there鈥檚 been a slow shift away from 鈥榖usiness professional,鈥� in favor of a more relaxed standard allowing employees to express themselves a bit more while at work.
For teachers, however, there are some schools where athleisure is the accepted norm, while others continue to make teachers decide whether to pay to wear jeans. Teachers on social media have plenty of opinions on dress codes, what it means to dress professionally, and what impact clothes have on their effectiveness in the job.
The ensemble be fitting for the occasion
For many teachers, the outfit should match the instructional role. A gym teacher in a suit and tie, or a business teacher in sweatpants and a t-shirt, just won鈥檛 fit the bill.
鈥淚鈥檝e said for years that preschool teachers and kindergarten teachers should be allowed to wear scrubs to work.鈥�
-
鈥淚 teach theatre. I am constantly moving, up and down from the floor, hauling sets and props and costumes 鈥� it鈥檚 wonderful but often dirty and I need to be comfortable.鈥�
-
鈥淚 teach environmental science, which means me and my students play in dirt on a regular basis. I dress comfortably, and no one cares.鈥�
-
鈥淲e had no dress code. Most people dressed casually, depending on the day. I noticed that if people had district meetings, they dressed up a bit more ... I think dress codes are unnecessary, outside of uniforms, for professionals. The idea that some teachers have to pay to wear jeans is completely ridiculous IMO.鈥�
-
鈥淚鈥檝e ruined many nice clothes teaching art because it was a 鈥榩rofessional dress鈥� day.鈥�
-
鈥淚 teach science, which can be pretty dirty in the lab, and we also go outdoors! I wear smart-ish, comfortable clothes. Restrictive clothing is not appropriate for what I do.鈥�
-
There鈥檚 a benefit to dressing professionally
A number of teachers see value in keeping a standard at work. They cite trying to establish a level of professionalism while in the classroom, or simply trying to distinguish themselves from their pupils.
鈥淪imple: What you wear to work and what you wear on vacation or with friends should not be the same clothes. Someone should be able to look at you and know which is which.鈥�
-
鈥淢y current position has a fairly strict dress code for several reasons. Like not [letting unauthorized people] in the building.鈥�
-
鈥淔or me it鈥檚 about looking professional and respectable. People do get perceptions of others based on appearance and first impression. If I want parents or carers to have trust and respect for me to educate their children, I think they should see me looking smart and dressed to look respectable.鈥�
-
鈥淲e had to implement a schoolwide dress code in our district to prohibit TEACHERS from wearing pajama pants and slippers. We are the example. No, it doesn鈥檛 have to be dresses/suits, but we don鈥檛 need to look like we rolled out of bed and rolled up to school.鈥�
-
鈥淚鈥檓 a teacher and I always wear a button-down shirt and slacks. I feel like anything else is unprofessional.鈥�
-
鈥淚f you want to be treated as a professional, you need to look like a professional. Shorts, tank tops, and the like won鈥檛 do it.鈥�
-
The outfit doesn鈥檛 make the teacher
The pandemic brought clarity to the question for some teachers, who insist their outfit doesn鈥檛 determine how well they do their jobs.
鈥淎t 28 years in, I wear whatever I want. When I was [younger], I wore suits and heels because I needed that armor to shore up my confidence. I have long since learned that I am just as awesome of a teacher in Birk[enstock]s, jeans, and a hoodie as I am in a suit.鈥�
-
鈥淲hen I鈥檓 paid enough then I will dress professionally ... my clothes don鈥檛 determine my abilities as a teacher.鈥�
-
鈥淚鈥檓 fortunate to work at a school with no dress code! Jeans everyday if I want, and it doesn鈥檛 affect teaching or behavior.鈥�
-
鈥淒ifferent careers dress for what helps them to best fulfill their roles. I don鈥檛 need to be in a suit to be an effective teacher. As long as I鈥檓 clean and everything is covered, I think I鈥檓 good.鈥�
-
鈥淢y wardrobe does not indicate my effectiveness!鈥�
-
鈥淭aught for 31 years, the person inside the clothes made the impact on student learning and respect, never the clothes themselves!鈥�
-
鈥淎fter COVID, I鈥檝e learned that you can teach just as well in Bermuda shorts and flip-flops as you can a tie and slacks.鈥�
-
