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Dress Professionally

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 I find it interesting how much our behavior as teachers can, at times, mimic that of the students we teach.  Unfortunately, this phenomenon tends to favor attributes that are less than endearing.

 For instance, here is an excerpt from a video script focusing on tips for the first day of school that I am working on.
Dress as professionally as you can.

Students will only take you as seriously as you take yourself.  I do not get to go with the tie and coat until day 2 because our campus is required to all wear the same red polo staff shirt and black slacks or skirt.  It looks good, and that is all students have to go on is how it looks.  Day 2 I am dressed to the 9s.  I stay in a tie for most of the first grading period.

I have presented this to other teachers in private conversation and in group settings. Invariably I am met with rolled eyes from some and many excuses why this does not work and cannot work, or more truthfully from some It's just not something they want to do. All I can do is report what I have observed in my short time as a teacher. Four of those ten years were serving as a Guest Teacher on multiple campuses. I am an observer of people. what I have seen is that students respond differently depending on what a teacher wears.

Someone can gripe and complain all they want, but the truth is if you need an edge, a push that requires no real skill or knowledge that will improve the learning environment of their classroom, why wouldn't they do it? Of course, I can't answer that and you probably can't either. I don't like this shallow appearance based fact, but my not liking it doesn't make it any less of a fact. I love my "Jeans Days" I search them out in the loop holes of every "Themed Dress Up Day we have, but on "normal" days I dress professionally.

Try it out if you have the autonomy to choose what you wear. See what happens.

Chris

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