The Well-Suited Teacher.

[Confurious]

To preface, I am a music student doubling in Piano performance and music education, and as an ed major, we have a certain field experience requirement to fulfill en route to certification. I've seen how male teachers dress before and in most cases, it does not involve a suit or tie. I sort of understand this convention, some kind of business-casual manifestation for the classroom. But I am wondering, is it actually inappropriate to wear a suit as a teacher?

Would I appear overdressed wearing something like this?:

(yes, it's a cross-post)

I ask because the more I suit up, the more I seem to enjoy it, and consequently, the more I desire to do so. I figured I could get away with it in the classroom, but now I am second guessing myself. Mind clearing this up?

 

[TheFoo]

Some will argue that a suit is intimidating to students. But I think students need to be intimidated a little more. My worst teachers were the ones that wanted to be our buddies. You can still care about your students while setting yourself apart from them.

 

[Elgin]

Yep, you're overdressed for the job. I understand the impulse but you should only dress a little nicer than everyone else, i.e. maybe wool pants, shirt tie, but not matching jacket.

 

[specialblend]

I really hated how my professors dressed, they always looked like they didn't have a clue or didn't think that looking professional should be part of the job. When you are giving a lecture in front of 200 people who possibly admire you why wouldn't you want to look your best.

I think a suit is a bit much for the gig. But I always like the image of a teacher in a nice sport coat, wool or cord pants, decent shoes and a nice button down. Look the part is all i'm sayin

 

[JRPate]

Go for it. I went to school in Santa Cruz and I couldn't stand the fact that teachers dressed like children at the beach.

 

[gawkrodger]

I teach and wear a suit. Go for it!

 

[DrZRM]

I'm a professor, I like to wear a suit from time to time, do what makes you feel good. nobody is going to begrudge you, enjoy yourself.

 

[charlie48]

I chair a university department so I get to hire (and supervise) over thirty faculty. Some are slobs but most actually aren't. Most men wear decent pants, nice shirt, even a tie and sportcoat. A few wear suits. The shoes suck - but that's everywhere. The women wear skirts, dresses, suits. So I'm not sure the knock on faculty is always on the mark.

As far as the original question, I think you can go with what you posted as long as you don't act like a pompous ass. I think students respond well to faculty who take the classroom environment seriously.

Charlie

 

[Confurious]

Well yes, of course. Acting like a pompous ass regardless of dress is likely do get you black-listed by students. Now it is interesting how perceptive some children are. My first teaching experience was in a private academy very close to where I go to school. Now keep in mind, these are second graders, and the first comment one of them made (most likely in jest) to my co-op: "Mr. _____, why doesn't your tie match your shirt right. You look silly." Never underestimate these kids. Now I most absolutely plan on moving on to a graduate program and attaining my professorship down the road, so dressing for that job is not really a concern. And from what I have seen from most of my professors here, particularly the Dr.s, there is NO dress code of any kind, for better or worse. Suits to sweats and everything in-between, really.

 

[NakedYoga]

Originally Posted by charlie48

As far as the original question, I think you can go with what you posted as long as you don't act like a pompous ass. I think students respond well to faculty who take the classroom environment seriously.

This.

I am a law student, so I am used to seeing professors wearing suits or sportcoats/ties. Few of my undergraduate professors did so, but the ones who did were never ridiculed or looked down upon (as far as I know). The key, in my opinion, is your attitude. You can either come off as an uptight, pompous ass, or you can come across as someone who takes education seriously and enjoys dressing well. As I'm sure you are well aware, students pick up on their professors' demeanor/attitude very easily. As long are you are respectful, I would say wearing a suit or a sportcoat and tie would actually be a benefit rather than a detriment.

And in my mind's eye, I see a piano (or other classical music) teacher as being well put-together. I think you should go for it.

 

[koolhistorian]

Go for the dressed part, in fact students want their teachers to look "different", in the sense that they are authority figures, so they should look like that. Even if with my university students I rarely wear a suit (feels hugely overdressed), good looking sports coats or blazers with very decent pants and shirts, good looking shoes and a tie will do the job. The only thing for "newbies" in the teaching profession is to avoid to look too stiff or too friendly, and it is not very easy when you teach people that are very close to your age (worst case scenario, before european reform of the higher education system was the young teaching assistant assigned to a terminal year practical course, extremely hard to manage as personal relationship).

 

[Thurston]

Not only do you look good; your post has an above-average sentence structure. Maybe you should teach English. I think the suit is fine. It has a young vibe that seems appropriate. I'd ditch the poofed square though.

 

[Working Stiff]

That tie is way too narrow for those lapels (or for any other possible outfit / situation). And I hate the unbuttoned top button.

 

[Confurious]

^I don't recall the purpose of this post being specifically for critiquing the outfit (but rather the outfit's appropriateness given the context you obviously paid no attention to), but...thanks anyway? The tie is certainly my skinniest and probably not of the sort I would wear to work, but the unbuttoned top button stays put.

Thanks for the input, guys. I'll see what happens when I start student teaching later in February.

 

[Bic Pentameter]

double post