Clothes make the teacher?

Work Teaching English in Taiwan
1

How much influence does one’s clothes have on their students?

  • It has a very strong effect on students.
  • It has an effect on students.
  • It has a slight effect on students.
  • It doesn’t have an effect on students.

0 voters

Do you think how you dress has an effect on how your students perform or behave? Is it more difficult to maintain control over a classroom if you are wearing shorts and a tee-shirt and beach sandals than if you were wearing a dress shirt, slacks, and nice shoes? Are kids more willing to behave with a teacher wearing a nice dress than if the same teacher were wearing jeans.

What do you wear to your classes to teach?

For me, I usually wear a skirt to teach, even when it’s just one of my elementary school private students. I hadn’t always, although I never dressed on the slobby side and reserved jeans for Fridays, but I noticed that my students seemed to behave better when I started dressing up a little more for class each day. At first they asked me, “Why are you dressed so nice?” because the only time I had ever worn a skirt was if there was a special event happening with the parents and I replied that I had dressed up for them. They seemed impressed and I think that’s when my classes became easier to teach.

I also witnessed the chaos of a classroom where the teacher would regularly come in dirty flipflops (she wore holey black socks with them in the winter), low-slung patchwork pants, and a Spam tee-shirt. Her kids often mimicked her and made fun of her outside of the class, the parents questioned her teaching abilities, and she was constantly having to raise her voice to get her class under control.

Do you think a change of clothing would have made improvements? Do they really have that much influence over how students act?

2

I think there is an effect, but it is greatly influenced by a teacher’s management style.

A teacher who runs the classroom like he’s the students pal and works primarily through relationship with the students will probably not be very greatly affected by his/her dress in the classroom. With younger students (pre-elementary, early elementary), a casually dressed teacher may be less intimidating and might win over some of the more reserved students.

Shogun-style managers and teachers who find establishing their authority important to their classroom management will be more likely to undermine their control of the class by dressing less than proffessionally. Teachers working with adults will need to have an even higher standard.

But a lot of it has to do with the force of your personality. Robin Williams could dress up in a tuxedo and a class of four-year olds would still all think of him as their big buddy, while Sean Connery could dress up in a hobo suit and still have the respect of the whole class. But it would take longer for either of them to establish the tone of the class they wanted than if they dressed more appropriately to their teaching style.

3

Ah. Clothing style reflecting teaching style…

More bits of wisdom from R. Daneel Olivaw!

:notworthy:

I guess if someone’s not more than a foreign clown at their school, then I guess it’s okay to dress like a bum, but I honestly had thought my school had higher standards than that.

4

I wear short sleeve button up shirts of various cotton colors and khaki cargo shorts or casual / dressy slacks on most days. It took me 35 minutes to iron everything today. I hate ironing. I look respectable and nobody can find my tattoos. I like to think that I look like a teacher. I present myself as a teacher and I get paid for that, as well as actually being a teacher (whatever that means).

I dressed more casual and roomy (but neatly) when I was teaching the very little ones.

I firmly believe in looking the part. It certainly makes me money and gives me more respect in the class and out. I dressed well and demoed well for my present job. When they asked me how much I would like to make (I hate that question) I told them that I expected to be paid above the regular rate because I was worth it. They hit my mark and I’m very happy there. I am approached for private lessons on a regular basis and generally feel real good about the way work is going. I get better at what I do every day, I think.

It’s the footwear I slack on. I wear sandals outside and spongy flip flops in the classroom, always. I can’t wear socks anymore.

Yes, the clothes work. For me. I know a great teacher who still dresses like a slob, but he’s got it goin on as well. He’s been at the school for a while.

I would think that the owners, parents and schools would like to see teachers look a certain way. I guess that’s why some of the chain schools have uniforms and dress codes. Laughably, some of these “Uniforms” consist of an ill-fitting t-shirt with a company logo and an American flag. Also, why they give teachers white clothing when Many people don’t know how to keep whites white is beyond me…

5

I wear jeans (of the nice variety, not sloppy ones) and shirts… I haven’t had any problems with my day classes (kids) or my night (adults)… It’s a semi-formal style and noone has ever complained…

Always socks and shoes, as i hate flip-flops and only wear those in certain situations… and i almost never wear shorts… but that’s more because I have ugly, chunky, hairy legs :stuck_out_tongue:

We have a friendly relationship (buddy buddy as you say), but my kids understand that if they step out of line too much, then things will get tough… adults almost never step out of line, so there’s no problems there…

6

Don’t judge a book by its cover. :ohreally: Beauty, whether it’s physical or sartorial, is not an indication of high quality in character or work ethic. :no-no:

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Don’t judge a book by its cover. :ohreally: Beauty, whether it’s physical or sartorial, is not an indication of high quality in character or work ethic. :no-no:[/quote]

Oh so true, but in that truth lies even more truth in this society. In Japan, when I worked, it was expected of us to dress almost to the nines. Now, back then I wasn’t motivated enough, but towed the line. Here, I enjoy the laxed attitude, but also, find myself slipping into modes that would piss Imaniou off :blush: :laughing: . Overall, I do think that a teacher should find a personal balance that works for them in this environment and I think that a person should dress neatly, no flip flops or shorts. Khakis and Polo’s are nice. Dresses are great(I would wear more often if I could only find some flesh colored stockings :fume:). Jeans depends on the school.

At my school, there’s a variety of dress among the Chinese teachers. The younger ones are stylish, the married ones are matronly, and the older ones have their standard ‘old maid’ polyester uniform dress. I think a teacher who wonders about what they should wear should take a cue from their Chinese co workers. Especially for women. I noticed that when I played the ‘woman’ role, i.e. wore makeup, the people around me were more receptive toward me.

:unamused:

8

I don’t judge books unless they look like they dug their clothes out of the bottom of their clothes hamper where they are expected to present themselves as professional teachers.

Books like War and Peace.

Seriously, though, I still don’t know how much influence my clothes hold over how I am perceived, but it doesn’t hurt to look nice, whether I’m teaching adults who have just come from work or teaching elementary school students privately during their summer break.

Actually, I prefer to dress nicely for my privates since they are paying me from $800 to $2000 an hour to teach them.

9

[quote=“ImaniOU”]…it doesn’t hurt to look nice.[/quote]That about sums it up.

10

Clothing does not “make” the teacher, rather it defines your outward personality. First impressions are lasting and our eyes have the most dramatic influence when it comes to this. Dress to respect and you will receive the same in kind, most of the time.

I teach Elementary, Junior High, and Senior High. Each class I dress a bit different. Elementary students tend to have more active classes where we play games and dont always use desks (Reading time in a group circle on the floor, for example.) this requires that i dress more casual, it also alows a less intimidating environment for the little kids. Junior high needs a bit of authority in the class and dressing the part certainly helps. It keeps them more in line. Senior high…they arepretty good, never had any problems there, but i have found that dressing up for this class captures their attention more.

Bottom line…try different styles, see what works best for your classes and what works best for your comfort. If you are not comfortable, it is harder to teach.

I wear:

Elementary: Jeans or cargos with short sleeve button up shirt or nice t-shirt - often times with a fun logo that the kids can ask about.

Junior High: Dress shoes, Dress Slacks, Long Sleeve Button Up Dress Shirt (Tie, sometimes)

Senior High: Same as Junior High and Weekend Classes I dress in Jeans and a button up short sleeve shirt.

Actually almost all my weekend classes, when the weather is nice, we go outside for outdoor classes…short field trip to a nearby park. So naturally weekends are my casual days. I never wear flip flops or sandals. Always tennis shoes or dress shoes. The shoes come off in the class anyways…no shoes allowed on the carpet. So best to make sure no holes in the socks :wink:

I would actually like to expand on this topic a bit. How about personal Hygene? It seems like common sense, but my students commented that their past teacher always had bad breath and messy hair. They kept their distance when talking to the teacher because of this and they didnt really like him much. I had my students (senior high) write a paper about what they expect in a good teacher. 6 out of 8 students had good personal hygene in their paper as an expectation.

Please for the sake of all, brush your teeth, floss, use mouth wash, suck a breath mint or chew some gum before class. I keep a tooth brush and toothpaste at work, so If I take a lunch or snack break I can freshen up. Clean shaven is also good too. Facial hair in Taiwan is frowned upon in the professional world here.

11

[quote=“derek1978”]
I would actually like to expand on this topic a bit. How about personal Hygiene? [/quote]

I worked with someone well passed their prime who wouldn’t wear deodorant. The kids even gave this person some and they still refused to use it. :astonished:

12

your school has carpet??? :astonished: i haven’t walked on carpet since my last trip back home 2 years ago…

as for hygeine… well, i tend to think i’m fairly clean and hygenic… tho sometimes i can be a little lax when it comes to shaving (until the missus starts whinging)… tho you may think i don’t brush my teeth cos their not perfectly white… despite the fact that i brush them 2~3 times per day… :help:

13

I don’t shave every day. I have a heavy beard and I’m just asking for a razor burn if I do. It’s too hot and dirty out there. I have a 5 o’clock shadow by 9 in the morning anyway.

I carry a towel with me and I clean up with soap and water whenever I’m at a new place of business.

14

your school has carpet??? :astonished: i haven’t walked on carpet since my last trip back home 2 years ago…
as for hygeine… well, i tend to think i’m fairly clean and hygenic… tho sometimes i can be a little lax when it comes to shaving (until the missus starts whinging)… tho you may think i don’t brush my teeth cos their not perfectly white… despite the fact that i brush them 2~3 times per day… :help:[/quote]

Yup, carpet…we’ve got it! :smiley: And our owner decided to higher a couple of the students to draw and paint one huge mural all around the school walls. So far its pretty cool…except they spilled blue paint on our brand spanking new beige carpet. Doh! :noway:

We have a kitchen too…I am trying to convince them to put in a western style oven so I can bake cookies for the kids…maybe even have a few cooking lessons in english for a fun class! They are mulling it over as I type. :slight_smile:

15

I was told by a person whose students complained his “bad” smell. He didn’t really know why at first but then realized it had to be his sweat. (He’s extremely sweaty. He even sweats in winter.) He uses deodorant before leaving for school every morning and has a bottle of cologne at school to perfume.

16

Clothing definitely influences how management views you. Everything in Taiwan is judged on appearances: if it looks good, it is good. More enlightened students (or management) may realise teaching ability is not determined by a dress code, but I never found these mythical people.

17

[quote=“derek1978”]
We have a kitchen too…I am trying to convince them to put in a western style oven so I can bake cookies for the kids…maybe even have a few cooking lessons in English for a fun class! They are mulling it over as I type. :slight_smile:[/quote]

You don’t need a western oven, just get one of those over sized toaster/convection ovens. They do the job just right…

18

[quote=“Namahottie”][quote=“derek1978”]
We have a kitchen too…I am trying to convince them to put in a western style oven so I can bake cookies for the kids…maybe even have a few cooking lessons in English for a fun class! They are mulling it over as I type. :slight_smile:[/quote]

You don’t need a western oven, just get one of those over sized toaster/convection ovens. They do the job just right…[/quote]

Really? Wow. That is good news. Next pay day I’m getting me one! :smiley: Thanks for the tip!

19

I’ve used them to cook everything although despite years of bitching about how you can’t bake in my old school without having to tip the pans at an angle so they fit into the oven, they still refused to get a new one. They cost $3000 or so for a nice big one (the kind my 12-cup muffin tin fit into). The average tuition per semester is $92,000 per kid. And they couldn’t budget $3000 when they expected the teachers to cook something with the kids at least twice a month?

Oops… :offtopic:

Uh, yeah, clothes. While I was teaching in the US, one of my co-teachers had a hygiene problem so bad, you could tell when he had riden in the elevator, even it had been 30 minutes earlier. The teachers complained. The students complained. Finally, our professor took him aside and offered some suggestions. I can’t imagine how difficult that would have been for “the good Doctor”, as we called him. This guy was arrogant as all hell and thought he was God’s gift to teaching (although the students would have been very happy to contradict that thought). I won’t go into details, but he was one of those people I like to say “hadn’t seen the inside of a wet bathtub” for a long time.

20

Maybe I’m just lucky… :smiley:

My school has a pretty relaxed dress code and I’m happy about that. I wear a tee shirt and jeans or a tee shirt and shorts most days. As long as it doesn’t look grungy or too sexy, the boss doesn’t mind. Anyway, I really like to roll around on the floor and hang upside down with the kids; couldn’t imagine doing that if I was dressed nicely. I definitely wouldn’t be able to sit comfortably on the floor in dress slacks and would be too worried about ruining nice khakis. And, besides, the look would totally be ruined since we have to take off our shoes before entering the classroom :wink:

The kids feel comfortable crawling into my lap for a story, and I don’t worry about their sticky hands. They’re parents think I look cute…and, obviously, any adult that looks like a giant child must be good at teaching children. :unamused: :wink: Everybody’s happy. :slight_smile:

I don’t need a suit to command authority. My posture and tone of voice are usually enough. And, if they aren’t, it’s for want of adequate management skills rather than proper attire that the students aren’t listening to me.

Of course, if I was teaching a business communication course, I’d dress differently…