The Teacher Dress Code Trials

The days of the suit and tie are behind us(?) Now mostly reserved for weddings, special events, or galas (yes, these still exist), the iconic image of the strict well-suited teacher threatening their students with their meter stick as a cigarette hangs from their mouth is something now only reserved for the history books.

It is not a contentious claim to say educators are no longer required to wear solely formal attire in the workplace, for better or worse, but this leaves confusion as to what the new standard should be.

It does not take a rocket scientist (or a semi-seasoned educator with two thumbs) to locate articles on the internet telling stories about teachers winning battles against their districts/schools to grant liberty to their clothing choices. In the days where some of the wealthiest individuals in the world (Bezos, Musk, Cuban, Zuckerberg) choose to don the classic t-shirt and jeans look most of the time, why is there still attention being paid directly or indirectly to how teachers present themselves?

The general rule of thumb is teachers should not wear sweatpants unless they are a physical education teacher, and that if they are not a physical education teacher, then they should at least appear better dressed than the students. The bar is set quite low when students now typically wear pajamas and/or a baggy sweater on a daily basis.

Scroll through any Tiktok teacher dress trend and you will never find suits and ties, but what most people wore for social gatherings in 2016. I have recently been told I am “stuck in 2016” as I strut through my classroom with blundstones and a shacket (guilty). Combine this with a move toward ‘athleisure,’ or basically anything that appears formal but does not need to be ironed (lol), the move away from formal dress seems to be permanent aside from the day we have parent teacher interviews where we conform to the comfortable presentation of the past pretending that nothing has changed.

The question of dress brings up a few key questions:

Does dressing too well signal someone is masking job insecurity through overcompensating in other areas? Is it a genuine expression of dedication to bringing the best version of yourself to the workplace every single day? Is it something now reserved only for administrators or other educational leaders? If so, why does it still persist? Is it necessary to pay $5 to wear jeans for a Friday? Should it even matter if jeans are worn at all?

The underrated point here, and by no means do I claim to be a fashion expert here as I still consistently seek my wife’s view on my outfits on a daily basis, but it does seem like there is much more availability in the durable semi-formal lane. It that now there are many more ways to dress nice or even ‘professionally’ without going into the garment bag for ole reliable.

Teachers are constantly on the move throughout their days, moving from student to student, moving around during discussion, and who really wants tight pants poking into their holiday belly while they are sitting at their desk trying to get some work done.

Everything about dress stems from the rejection of past practice, and as teachers continue to garner more agency in the teacher shortage era, it will be interesting to see what the new standard becomes. In general, there is often an indirect social pressure for teachers to conform and not appear too far detached from the group. Nobody wants to appear more intelligent both in conversation and in how they express themselves through clothing.

My hypothesis is that dress expectations will continue to become more casual over time despite the general conservatism of the educational context.

Should teachers have a strict, formal dress code?

This Week on the Pod:

Jennifer Keigher - Jenn (@eastnash.teacher) is currently teaching in Nashville, TN, and has been in the profession for more than a decade. On this episode, Jenn and I discuss being overly sarcastic, how we went into education against all warnings, teaching before and after the pandemic, creating a business outside of teaching and the guilt/judgment that came with it, and, much more.

Next Week on the Pod:

Megan DuVarney Forbes (@toocoolformiddleschool) is a Social Studies Teacher who has been in the profession for more than a decade and is based out of California. On this episode, Megan and I discuss the variation of experiences in teaching junior high, the importance of the ‘hook,’ tricking your students into learning by accident, tips for speeding up the research process for major projects, when historical re-enactments go too far, and, much more.