Secrets for Secondary School Teachers by Ellen Kottler, Jeffrey A. Kottler, Cary J. Kottler Read Free Book Online Page A

create an image for the students of someone who is a responsible adult mentor, yet someone who is also “with it” in terms of being able to relate to contemporary fashion styles.
    You would only have to go back into your own memories to recall teachers who wore strange shoes, or out-of-style clothing, or inappropriate outfits to realize just how important it is to dress for success. Your clothes tell a story about you, especially to impressionable youth whose identities are so tied up in their clothing.
    F IRST I MPRESSIONS
    First impressions convey strong messages. As you glance around the room and check out each of your students, note your own personal reactions to each of them. The girl with the three nose rings and studs through her tongue. The guy with the purple hair. The guy next to him wearing all black. The girl who looks like she just walked out of a fashion magazine. In each case, you automatically form a distinct impression and make some preliminary predictions about who you will like and who will be trouble.
    Of course, many of these first impressions are inaccurate and misleading. Nevertheless, they do set up certain expectations that are often difficult to alter. For this reason, you will want to give considerable thought to the ways you present yourself to students and staff.
    C LOTHING C ONSIDERATIONS
    It is important to dress comfortably, especially with regard to shoes, because you will be on your feet most of the day. Although high heels might be in fashion for women, a low-heeled shoe will be more practical. Although a flip-flop may be comfortable, it does not offer the same protection as a shoe or a sandal with leather straps across the front and a sling in the back.
    Another consideration is the temperature of the room. If you are in a room that seems cold to you all day long, you may need additional layers. You may decide to keep a sweater in your room for when you get chilled. If you go inside and outside of buildings during the day, you will want to have a jacket or coat handy. In rainy climates, you will want to have a raincoat and/or umbrella handy.
    Standards of dress continue to change, even in the business world, where more informal dress is becoming commonplace. You may notice experienced teachers around the schoolwho appear perfectly at ease in their jeans and T-shirts. Someday soon, you, too, may reach a point where you can dress exactly how you prefer. As a beginning, probationary teacher, however, you would be smart to dress the part of the consummate professional: stylish, casual, and conservative rather than flashy. Dress codes vary from district to district and school to school. Look up the policies for your district. Is there a policy regarding pantyhose for women? Are teachers allowed to wear shorts? Check with your administration if you have questions.
    Women will be comfortable wearing suits, dresses, skirts with sweaters, skirts and blouses, and dress pants with suit jackets, blouses, or sweaters. Men will feel comfortable wearing suits, slacks and sports coat, and dress pants with collared shirt or button-down shirt with sweaters if it is cold. Clothing should be clean and neat.
    One of my (Ellen’s) favorite stories is of a principal who walked into a secondary classroom and could not find the teacher she was seeking because the teacher looked like one of the students, wearing jeans and a T-shirt—an awkward moment for both principal and teacher. It’s important for an administrator to be able to quickly locate the teacher in the classroom. Dressing more formally rather than informally will help avoid such situations.
    Remember the age of your audience. Students develop crushes very easily on their teachers. I (Ellen) remember one boy who was cutting out paper dolls at the back of the room. I asked him what he was doing. He told me, with more explanation than I wanted to hear: “I’m cutting out paper dolls to dance all over your body.” Hopefully, your students will