How do elementary teachers dress

Shoes that float are forbidden. And wearing jeans—common in so many offices and professional workplaces—still remains a treat for special days in many schools. Peter B. But, he says, the school administration encourages teachers to wear comfortable shoes, even sneakers, as teachers are on their feet most of the day. And on Fridays, teachers can dress down a bit more, as long as they are wearing the school T-shirt. He recalls a human resources course he took years ago, in which he learned that most hiring managers form a strong opinion of job candidates within seconds of meeting them—a practice he intentionally eschews.

But for some administrators, the pandemic has proved to be the inflection point that could lead to permanent change. As for the Boonville district, which officially relaxed the teacher dress code this year, Marriott reports no negative reaction from the students to the change. But Marriott has yet to decide whether the teacher dress code will remain officially relaxed beyond the current school year. All Topics. About Us.

Group Subscriptions. Recruitment Advertising. Events and Webinars. Leaders to Learn From. Current Issue. Special Reports. EdWeek Research Center. EdWeek Top School Jobs. EdWeek Market Brief. Menu Search. Parents and school administrators sometimes have different views than their children's teachers about what is appropriate classroom attire.

Clearly certain aspects of the job -- keeping up with active youngsters, overseeing messy art projects, going outdoors for recess -- support more relaxed dress requirements than professions such as banking or law.

But views differ on how to strike the right balance between comfort and practicality, on the one hand, and professionalism and appropriateness, on the other. Some schools are adding a primary school staff dress code to codify this balance. Dress codes for elementary teachers share some commonalities. Male teachers should wear collared shirts with tailored pants; shirts must be tucked in, but ties and jackets are usually not required unless meeting with parents or administrators.

Female teachers may wear tailored pants or skirts with coordinating blouses or sweaters, and the Lakewood Public School District explains that clothing should be modest, not too tight and appropriate to the season. Exceptions typically are made for P. Private elementary schools may impose stricter dress codes on both teachers and students than do public schools. In religiously-affiliated schools or those private schools where students wear uniforms, staff often are required to wear traditional professional attire in neutral colors.

By the way, these rules came from teachers around the world, in all kinds of schools—public, private, charter, union, non-union, you name it. Wow, you better buy some steel-toed shoes! At one school, a reader wrote that their shoes have to pass an old-fashioned witch hunt test. I had skin cancer and asked if I could wear a hat outside. After the rest of the staff complained, this crazy rule has been stricken from the books.

Plenty of schools require teachers to wear some type of uniform, but what about when that uniform is a little too familiar? Stockings aka hose were de rigeur for women for many years. Even when they wore jeans and the school shirt. In Texas heat! Our favorite stocking story came from a teacher who decided to take this silly school rule literally.

When told she needed to wear hose every day, she tied them around her neck like a scarf!