Contemporary American Academic Wear (For Teacher).

[Larry Lean]

Dear Sir,

Despite spending too much time hob-nobbing at my daughter's school I realise that you are in fact the only Teacher with whom I have even the slightest rapport. I hope therefore that you'll accept this question in the spirit in which it is asked -

I'm my usual way not too long ago I described my current style of dress as being like a disgraced Prep School master (or somesuch). Silly nonsense of course, but you & I both know that.
Then you popped up to chat to me on FNB's Styleforum and quickly popped off again before I could pick your brains. Hence my turning up here at your 'home'.

... And so my question is this:
I recall from my schooldays in England in the 60's & 70's a quite self-conscious effort on behalf of the newer masters ('Beaks' as we used to call them) to 'look the part'. A certain kind of suit. Various Tweed jackets. That whole wonderful world of corduroy & flannel. They wanted to 'fit in'. To look like that which they were.
Is this now dead?
The teachers in the UK I now meet all seem keen to dress down and to 'relate' to their tender charges. Is this the same in the U.S.?
I'm guessing yes.
I think we get most of our ideas along these lines from the trail-blazers of relaxed dressing in America... And who's to say that these ideas are wrong? (I'm thinking here not of sartorial standards, but of the good that might be done by school children feeling that their teachers are in some way like them and not 'the enemy'.)
Where do you stand on all this as an educator?
Do you favour 'the common touch' or do you find benefits in keeping the distance between master and novice as you instruct?

No trolling here, just interested in your sartorial take on the art of teaching.

l.

 

[Larry Lean]

To be fair to the forum, although I'm very interested in Teachers take on all this, anyone with a point of view on this is just as welcome here, otherwise I could have just PM'd the guy.

The old business of looking like a teacher, lecturer, professor, whatever, seems out of favour for whatever reason.
Maybe it's to do with something they now teach them in training?

 

[Teacher]

Yes, you're right: overall, there is a tendency for younger teachers to dress closer to their students than to the Dean (Don). I'm not really sure if this is a product of egalitarianism, the relaxed dress codes of the last couple of decades, poverty, or some combination of the three (I would suspect the latter). I have no problem with it; I dress up a bit more, though I don't wear a tie.

 

[Get Smart]

this time of year is a low point for teachers+sartoriality as the dreadful "Holiday sweater" makes its ugly presence known on the backs of many educators throughout our fair land.

my fiancee is a teacher, and the dress of her peers is a constant source of amusement for us

 

[LabelKing]

Originally Posted by Get Smart

this time of year is a low point for teachers+sartoriality as the dreadful "Holiday sweater" makes its ugly presence known on the backs of many educators throughout our fair land.

my fiancee is a teacher, and the dress of her peers is a constant source of amusement for us
It's always amusing to see how those Holiday Sweaters sell on eBay. Somehow there is always a buyer.

 

[matadorpoeta]

Originally Posted by LabelKing

It's always amusing to see how those Holiday Sweaters sell on eBay. Somehow there is always a buyer.
there is one born every minute.

 

[vaclava krishna]

Originally Posted by LabelKing

It's always amusing to see how those Holiday Sweaters sell on eBay. Somehow there is always a buyer.

LK,

do you have a holiday, hat?

 

[LabelKing]

Originally Posted by vaclava krishna

LK,

do you have a holiday, hat?
Vaclav,

I do have an holiday hat. It is a Russian fur hat.

 

[vaclava krishna]

Originally Posted by LabelKing

Vaclav,

I do have an holiday hat. It is a Russian fur hat.

LK,

this people have a holiday party, for sweaters

http://www.nytimes.com/2006/12/21/fa...=1&oref=slogin

Perhaps we should have 1, for hats.

 

[LabelKing]

Originally Posted by vaclava krishna

LK,

this people have a holiday party, for sweaters

http://www.nytimes.com/2006/12/21/fa...=1&oref=slogin

Perhaps we should have 1, for hats.
Vaclav,

The perfect venue would be the Oyster Bar for our festive hats. Do you have an Holiday Hat?

 

[vaclava krishna]

Originally Posted by LabelKing

Vaclav,

The perfect venue would be the Oyster Bar for our festive hats. Do you have an Holiday Hat?

LK,

that is a wonderful idea, they have 1 room called the Saloon, which would be very nice.

Here is my current, holiday hat, that I spoke of another thread:

Next year, I would like to purchase 1, with a large feather.

 

[LabelKing]

Originally Posted by vaclava krishna

LK, that is a wonderful idea, they have 1 room called the Saloon, which would be very nice. Here is my current, holiday hat, that I spoke of another thread:

Next year, I would like to purchase 1, with a large feather.
A very large feathered hat; what would Mink Deville choose? I like the green velvet of your current Holiday Hat. It is appropriately Holiday.

 

[Larry Lean]

Originally Posted by Teacher

Yes, you're right: overall, there is a tendency for younger teachers to dress closer to their students than to the Dean (Don). I'm not really sure if this is a product of egalitarianism, the relaxed dress codes of the last couple of decades, poverty, or some combination of the three (I would suspect the latter). I have no problem with it; I dress up a bit more, though I don't wear a tie.

Thanks for that. Makes sense.
I can see arguments both for and against the relaxation of dress in this way.
But at the end of the day all that really matters is that the kids are listening.

I do like that whole Tweedy fantasy of school/college life back in the day, 'tho... Seems very comfortable, stylish & relaxed to me.

My best to you for a very Happy Christmas.

l.

 

[thinman]

As a university professor, I try to find a balance between being taken seriously by students and being approachable. When I teach, I wear a jacket, but no tie. My goal is to communicate to students that I'm serious about teaching and they should take their classes seriously too. But I'm 6'3" and naturally intimidating, so I try to tone that down a little by skipping a tie and wearing fabrics with a softer finish, like tweeds and flannels, OCBDs, etc.

 

[Larry Lean]

Originally Posted by thinman

As a university professor, I try to find a balance between being taken seriously by students and being approachable. When I teach, I wear a jacket, but no tie. My goal is to communicate to students that I'm serious about teaching and they should take their classes seriously too. But I'm 6'3" and naturally intimidating, so I try to tone that down a little by skipping a tie and wearing fabrics with a softer finish, like tweeds and flannels, OCBDs, etc.

Sounds like an excellent & totally appropriate look.