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For Female Teachers...Dressing Professional!
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After twenty years of teaching, I have finally figured my professional wardrobe out. I love style, and I love comfort, and I have dressed every which way for work. I see new teachers coming in and making the same mistakes as I did, and so I thought I would put together a list of tips for anyone who is interested in reading them.
- Give in to the fact that you do need two wardrobes. One that is professional, for school, and one that is your cool girlfriend going out wardrobe.
- Ladies, beware the bra and cleavage issues! It is unprofessional to show bra straps, bra color, or cleavage. It is just not okay in the teaching business.
- Along similar lines, be careful about the sheerness of clothes. Lined clothes are usually more expensive, but we don't want to be the talk of the school!
- Skirts are simple...not too short. We need to move around, bend over, squat, move things. We need coverage.
- Casual/professional is usually a mix. If jeans are allowed, pair dress jeans with a blouse or jacket. A more casual shirt with slacks is another good balance.
- Comfort is key. We work long hours and not usually in spectacular circumstances. If your shirt is itchy or your pants are tight it may just ruin your day.
- Shoes are important. They can't hurt! They can be cute and practical. The day that I wore my worst shoes was invariably the day I had unexpected ground to cover. No more.
- Good breath is important. Remember being a student? A teacher's bad breath can really interfere with the learning process. Enough said.
- Deodorant and scent are also important, and along the same lines. Don't let smells interfere with learning. Overpowering perfumes and colognes are equally as distracting.
- Double check...buttons buttoned? Fly zipped? Underarms shaved? Anything out of place? We are scrutinized from every angle, and gossiped about mercilessly.
- Where I live, a good spritz of hairspray goes a long way. I go car to wind to office to wind to classroom, etc. etc., and my hair now looks almost exactly the same when I get home.
- Teachers don't have to be fuddy duddies. I love fashion, and even though it's not high or cutting edge fashion, it's not giving the message that I've given up completely.
- Make-up polishes a professional look. Not overly heavy make-up, but make up that shows pride and that you consider yourself a professional.
- A watch completes the outfit. Although phones have replaced watches to a great extent, there are still situations where a phone should be away and the teacher is the timekeeper.
novice
| professional
|
|---|---|
skirt too short or tight
| attractive skirt with room to move
|
shoes too high or too tight
| cute but practical
|
clothes that are sheer or fussy
| camisols, slips, or lined items
|
outfits too warm or too summery
| layers that allow for a range of temps
|
bare-faced or too-heavy makeup
| polished make-up
|
appears rumpled, rushed, or slovenly
| well put-together clean, wrinkle-free outfits
|
breath or body odor
| pleasant-smelling
|
Have you ever had an embarrassing wardrobe malfunction in the classroom?
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Comments
I have so many outfits that i class to be professional outfits. comfortable clothing is the first and upmost important. no clothing to tight or too loose is unacceptable. no extremely bright colours that distract students. soft colours such as baby pink, gray and brown. Not dark depressing sexual type colors such as the little black dress either. slacks and skirts are fine as long as the are not thin and see through. blouses included. strapless shirts and clothing that show undergarments are unacceptable too. had to be honest. : )
Great suggestions for the busy school professional! Comfort cannot be sacrificed for style, and coverage is equally important. When you bend over in the classroom, hallway, or office, you don't need to put on a show, whether male or female. I found that the layered look was helpful for any temperature, and so practical when needing to switch from dressy to casual in a quick moment.
Of course! I think squeaky shoes are even worse than hard shoes - the students can't stop giggling and lose concentration.
- Author
This is true, nifwlseirff ! May I include your suggestion in an edit? I had a student just a few weeks ago ask me not to wear a squeaky pair of shoes again!
Hi, welcome to Hubpages, this is a very good Hub! As a retired teacher I agree with everything you wrote! Voted up and interesting. Please continue to write articles as good as this one!
Although my phone is always with me (it's my dictionary as I teach EFL), my watch is also essential! It's less distracting to check time on a watch than to pull out my phone.
Plus, flat, soft soled shoes are important - I'm on my feet for much of the day, and walking around noisy, echo-ey, wooden-floored classrooms. Noisy solid heels are a distraction, especially when students are doing writing or reading tasks!
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