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I retired awhile back and recently got a part time job that has me visiting local highschools.
I haven't been in one for ages. What a shock. The teachers are slobs! Tennis shoes, shorts, tee-shirts and jeans. Not a suit, a tie, a skirt or pant suit in the lot. All the male teachers in my public highschool wore jackets and ties and I never saw a woman in jeans and sweatshirts. Most wore dresses. Things have really changed.
Is this a Minneapolis thing or does the profession dress like this everywhere?
Unless "a while back" for you is the 1960s, it has been a very long time since a majority of public school teachers anywhere in the country wore suits and ties (men) and dresses/hose/heels (women). And back when that was the norm, I'm 100% positive it was due to district dress codes for staff.
For me as a male teacher, professional dress is some sort of non-jean slacks or khakis paired with a collared shirt (polo or buttoned) along with some sort of leather shoes. That's my normal school attire. I have never worn jeans or t-shirts to school. Some teachers are a bit more formal, some are less formal. I'm probably the median. This is suburban Washington.
Unless "a while back" for you is the 1960s, it has been a very long time since a majority of public school teachers anywhere in the country wore suits and ties (men) and dresses/hose/heels (women). And back when that was the norm, I'm 100% positive it was due to district dress codes for staff.
For me as a male teacher, professional dress is some sort of non-jean slacks or khakis paired with a collared shirt (polo or buttoned) along with some sort of leather shoes. That's my normal school attire. I have never worn jeans or t-shirts to school. Some teachers are a bit more formal, some are less formal. I'm probably the median. This is suburban Washington.
When I started teaching in 1984 men were required to wear a jacket and tie. I kept the ugliest sport coat I could find in my closest as a "just in case".
Unless "a while back" for you is the 1960s, it has been a very long time since a majority of public school teachers anywhere in the country wore suits and ties (men) and dresses/hose/heels (women). And back when that was the norm, I'm 100% positive it was due to district dress codes for staff.
For me as a male teacher, professional dress is some sort of non-jean slacks or khakis paired with a collared shirt (polo or buttoned) along with some sort of leather shoes. That's my normal school attire. I have never worn jeans or t-shirts to school. Some teachers are a bit more formal, some are less formal. I'm probably the median. This is suburban Washington.
When I wear a nice pair of blue jeans, brown or black shoes, sport shirt and sport coat I receive quite a few compliments compared to when I wear khakis and a polo. A sport coat dresses up the jeans.
Unless "a while back" for you is the 1960s, it has been a very long time since a majority of public school teachers anywhere in the country wore suits and ties (men) and dresses/hose/heels (women). And back when that was the norm, I'm 100% positive it was due to district dress codes for staff.
For me as a male teacher, professional dress is some sort of non-jean slacks or khakis paired with a collared shirt (polo or buttoned) along with some sort of leather shoes. That's my normal school attire. I have never worn jeans or t-shirts to school. Some teachers are a bit more formal, some are less formal. I'm probably the median. This is suburban Washington.
I had always worn a suit and tie to work my entire career. When I started subbing around ten years ago, I always wore a dress shirt, dress pants, a casual leather shoes. I was more dressed up than most of the teachers. But it seemed that most schools had a dress code where jeans and athletic shoes were not allowed.
Many of the schools have jean days on Fridays where the teachers had made a charitable contribution to wear jeans on Fridays. It seemed may teachers took jeans to mean you could also wear and an old t-shirt and athletic shoes. Then it seemed like schools started having them days where school apparel was allowed. It seemed that teachers interpreted this to include jeans and athletic shoes. It seems like it is now acceptable to wear jeans, an old t-shirt, and athletic shoes in virtually all schools. It seems like it has gone too far. I don't think many people understand the idea of business casual. To me that means wearing a shirt with a collar, and no jeans or athletic shoes. I once had a job with a public accounting firm. If you went into the office on a weekend, you had to be dressed "business casual." We got a memo warning us about the weekend dress code.
I don't think this is a Boomer thing. I'm a Boomer and I could care less what people wear - I judge teachers, doctors, and such based on their competence. In fact, I'm highly suspicious of people who clearly obsess too much about how they dress.
I don't think this is a Boomer thing. I'm a Boomer and I could care less what people wear - I judge teachers, doctors, and such based on their competence. In fact, I'm highly suspicious of people who clearly obsess too much about how they dress.
Way back around 1975, I was teaching in a junior high in Maryland. And one day I was standing at the front counter in the main office filling out some paperwork. Another teacher came up to the counter and began filling out the same paperwork and all of a sudden she said, "You know, I just don't get it". "What", I asked. "You always look so professional. How do you do it?" I said, "Well, I wash my clothes and iron them. I take a shower every day. I shave every day. That's about it". She looked puzzled and said, "Oh", like she had suddenly learned something astonishing.
I think the suit and tie ship has largely sailed. And not just in education.
It depends on the region. Teachers' mode of dress is still part of the written evaluation.
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