Appropriate dress reflects the students state-of-mind...
I admit that I under-dress for class. That being said, I teach a technical certification course where the students are predominately young adults dressed in jeans, tee shirts, and flip-flops. As I dressed professionally the first few weeks, a line quickly appeared. This line was clearly erased around the third week, when I started to dress as they did. My point is that, as in life, every situation is different. By my breaking protocol, the students better related to me; yet, in my opinion, I was still able to be a successful model, manager and motivator.
Does this indeed show a lack of professionalism, as this module would have you believe?
Hi Windi,
What are some strategies that you use to help your students understand the rules and then follow them? Sometimes as you know working with adults this can be a challenge as they may act like children but want to be treated like adults.
As with all rules they exist for the purpose of order and safety. It always amazes me when "adults" fail to understand this concept.
Gary
I don't think so. I think students must follow the rules, whatever they may be. This teaches them to follow befor they can lead.
Hi Danny,
As with anything you can over requirements for dress. The key point is to dress professionally for the career area. If a uniform is the dress then the instructor should be dressed in a clean crisp uniform that reflects the field.
I have never had a problem with over doing dress requirements as long as I reflected the dress of the career.
Gary
Can you over do it with dress code requirements?
Hi Angelia,
Well said. Being a model involves all aspects of our professional lives. We are creating a base upon which our students will build their own prespective of what a professional is.
Gary
I go back and forth with this issue. On a personal level, I am more comfortable in casual dress rather than business dress. Wearing casual clothes reflects my personality, but I find that when we can "dress down" for work, my professionalism my "slip" a little as well. For me, the clothes I wear to work remind me to act in a certain manner...ie more professional. When I dress like an instructor, my students are more likely to treat me as such.
Hi Yuraima,
By professional dress I am talking about what is appropriate for that profession. In business classes the dress my be suits and for auto tech the dress might be uniforms suitable for the shop. For the medical profession the dress may be scrubs and that is considered professional. The point is to get the students to the point where they understand the kind of dress they are to wear and put it on without any question. They must reflect that they are professionals at all times, just we must as instructors.
Gary
Hi Dr. Gary,
I understand and agree with high standard of professionalism; however, this results very difficult when teaching an adult unique population in a medical post-secondary institution. Our students need to wear scrub or uniforms and follow "medical professional standards" that seems different from the regular professional dress code. Do you have any suggestion or orientation regarding this topic that I can use with my students please?
Thanks.
Yuraima
I agree 100% with Chuck. However, I also believe that you shouldn't over-do it with business suits or anything TOO formal. It can easily distract a student and may even make them uncomfortable.
No it does not show a lack of professionalism.
For young adults dressed in jeans, tee shirts, and flip-flops, casual dress is fine.
For corporate training, professional dress is required.
Hi Mark,
Good comments about dress. The key thing with dress is respect. In the situation you outlined you have to chose what type of dress will give you the respect you need to maintain class control. It may be one notch above the dress of your students and that is ok. It is finding a comfort level for you and your students that reflects the field for which they are training. Anything dealing with the arts brings a number of questions to the surface such as this one. See to find that level and you will do fine.
Gary
Yes I too struggle a bit with this question, but my situation is very unusual. I am working with musicians learning about the music industry, so tatoos and piercings are the norm.....
I myself am a straight up guy with the usual attitude of coat and tie for interviews and business casual for work and client meetings etc.
I would like to see all teachers dress a notch above the students, but since I don't relate to most students in terms of musical taste (since age has a large part to do with this) or even the youth culture, dressing more like them is one way that they might feel more comfortable or find common ground with me. I still think that I dress a bit better even with my uncertainty. I had a supervisor who said "Instructors should not wear shorts" while the students could. That was good enough for him.
Hi David,
Well said. I am a firm believer in always acting the part of a professional. If you dress down you will find it hard to dress up. The bar has been set in the minds of the students and it is very hard to move that bar. As you said it is easier to set a high bar and work from there.
Gary
This seems to be the experience of a new instructor. You don't make an impression "dressing down", it only lowers professional standards by not setting the bar high enough. If you cut corners inorder to fit in then may become part of the schools teaching culture and manifest itself in other areas as well.
Hi Martin,
Good question. I think you have to find your own comfort zone for dress and behavior as a professional educator. Personally, I would not be comfortable dressing like the students. I would be comfortable dressing for my field. That is the guide that I use in all of my conduct in the classroom. I ask myself if I am reflecting the standard for my career field? Since I am training people to enter it, I want them to be able to model it.
If you were able to develop rapport with your students and you did not have any class management problems then you were still a part of the 3M model.
Gary
