Tips for New Teachers: You’re a Pro, So Dress Right

I have seen many new teachers enter the workforce with an abundance of content knowledge and educational pedagogy. Yet even as these new educators take their professional development seriously, they increasingly overlook an area that continues to lose importance. That area is professional classroom dress.

The old adage “dress for success” still applies to the 21st century teacher. I know this may seem like one of the last items that should be on a new teacher’s checklist. After all, there are a lot of things to worry about, from lesson designs to IEPs, but new teaching professionals should certainly place this among the most important aspects of their careers simply because professional attraction generates a respectful report to students and others.

Teaching is a profession. Therefore, teachers must appear professional to earn respect on a professional level. If you were to schedule a meeting with your attorney or an appointment with your doctor, you would expect each to introduce themselves in a certain way. If they didn’t, I would undoubtedly question their professionalism and inevitability, their ability to perform well in their respective jobs. What most new teachers don’t realize is that there is an air of authority in the way professionals dress.

Therefore, teachers should dress in appropriate professional attractiveness every day in the classroom or in front of parents and the educational community. First, you are modeling correct professional behavior. Teachers are the first professionals that students deal with on a daily basis in their lifetime, and it is imperative that students begin to see what is expected of them as they enter the professional ranks. Second, it distinguishes teachers from students.

You are the professional and the classroom leader and therefore the one who deserves respect in the classroom. Therefore, you should stand out among those who wear jeans, yoga pants, shorts, and t-shirts. Now, this is not to say that there are no occasions when dressing is appropriate. Certainly, schools will have spiritual days, drug and alcohol campaigns, and a host of other events that will encourage students and staff to wear different attractions. And yes, teachers should uphold the spirit of the day, but in a respectful way.

The dress and appearance of a teacher is part of his personal brand. Your brand is more than your professional persona. It is the essence of who you are. Incorporate everything from your integrity to your personality. Your brand is how your students, your parents, your administrators, and your peers will see you. It is part of your professional reputation.

Also, when we see someone dressed professionally, we assume the mindset that it is time to get serious about the matter at hand. In this sense, the attraction of a teacher sets the tone for the classroom learning atmosphere. New teachers need to analyze their appearance and ask themselves if they are portraying the personal brand they want to market to students, parents, administration, and the wider community.

Teachers today must adopt the mindset that they are professionals, professionals in charge of the most important tasks of youth development, and therefore deserve to be treated as such. This mindset should begin each morning before the educator walks out the door. You are a professional, so dress well. Be what is expected of you and your effort will be accompanied by the required respect.