In high school my classmates and I wondered why one of our teachers always dressed in a suit and tie. None of the other teachers dressed nearly as formally as he did (actually many of them dressed quite casually). Mr. M. answered that he was dressed for work. He responded, "School is my work and you dress in a suit and tie for work." That was that. He was very old-schooled that way. We all thought it was rather puzzling and eventually we got him to wear a t-shirt and jeans for Fridays, but every other day he wore a suit and tie.
I didn't realize how much his words affected me until I became a professor. When I was a college student, I didn't give much thought to how my professors dressed. Some of them were more formally dressed and others were very casual (one professor was famous for teaching in flip flops). But when I became a professor, I put in much thought to how *I* was going to dress.
Mr. M. explained to us that he dressed in a suit and tie as a sign of respect for us students. You dress up for important events and he dressed in a suit and tie because he believed that we deserved that type of respect. He took his job seriously and his clothes as a *symbol* of that respect.
It's not that I don't think professors who don't dress up don't take their jobs seriously nor do they not respect their students, but looks are symbolic. As much as we can say that we should "not judge a book by its cover," we do, whether it's looks or a just how a paper is turned in -- neat and crisp or sloppy and crinkled.
I don't wear a suit to class, but I do make sure that I am dressed neatly and professionally when I lecture. The students do appreciate it (enough to make comments on my student evaluations). I do think it makes a difference when a professor lectures in a neat outfit compared to when a professor lectures in a sweatsuit.
A why and an eavesdropping and a brief update
2 years ago
I agree. And as a youngish woman, I found that disrespectful attitudes from students all but disappeared when I started wearing slacks or skirts for all lectures.
ReplyDeleteHowever, there's an alternative hypothesis: time. I wore casual clothes my first few years teaching, but changed to more formal clothes. I was also becoming a more confident and competent lecturer at that time too.
Who's to tell? In any case, I respect myself now by dressing up mostly. First day of class, suit and heels. By finals week, nice jeans. After students are gone, sweats and a hoodie.
I showed to one lecture wearing a long-sleeved shirt and jeans because I was feeling pretty miserable, having just barely recovered from being sick. My students did a double-take and a few of them mistook me for a student.
ReplyDeleteI agree, as a young (and small) woman, it's particularly important to establish authority right away. Clothes definitely help to establish it.