Why do some older teachers try to dress and act like their students?

Question

In sixth grade, I had a couple of teachers who wanted to wear like Aeropostale and American Eagle just because we were wearing it. They always wanted the same shoes we had and everythibg. I just did not understand. They were alredy young once.

Answer 1

Its not pretentious of you at all to ask that question.  Teachers are supposed to dress appropriately to work.  There are dress code standards even if they are not enforced at schools. Everything is about perception.  People are more likely to respect, look up to and like people who dress nice.  Think of why people suddenly respect a person with a doctors white coat as opposed to a regualar person.

Hard truths:

You need to understand how people become teachers.  Most people that become teachers do so because they couldn't find a job doing anything else and teaching is their back up plan.  They either decided to do it at the last minutes (like 5 months before graduation) or were disgusted with their career and resorted to teaching to earn money.  MA and teaching credential programs don't (in general) require a GRE test to get in.  You just apply with a few letters of rec. (easy stuff to do) and a poor GPA (2.5 to 3.0) and you are accepted.  Teachers should have higher standards (dress and education)  but there is simply no way to raise standards without weeding more people out and we are already hurting for teachers in under served communities as it is.

Most teachers have a humanities degree.  The people that majored in communications, music, history, poly sci., art and psychology and some business majors ended up teaching.  People with poor GPA's and science degress teach.  Everyone else goes on and has a career in their field and if they hate it they get retrained or go into teaching.  They wear unprofesional clothing because alot of times they are unprofessional or just to lazy to wear better clothes or have self-esteem issues and alot of the time the school administration jsut doesn't care.  School administrators are ofter grumpy, underpaid people and dislike teachers.  But as long as no one dies in a classroom and they pass state tests they are happy.  Younger teachers are more motivated to teach, AP teachers in high school are some of the best.  The rest are somewhat burnt out.  

Also dress standards have deteriorated everywhere.  At engineering firms I have worked at, most people wear jeans as opposed to dockers or slacks and a tie.  Its really hard to convince people you are serious about your work and yourself if you don't dress appropriately.

Some people will get upset at this but the truth hurts esp. when it hits home.

Hope his helps!

Answer 2

I'm old enough to have gone to school in the UK when teachers still wore their academic gowns in class and around the school.   Underneath the gown the male teachers wore either a business suit (often shabby) or a sports jacket and grey trousers.  The women wore either a dress or a skirt and blouse.

As pupils (not students in those days) we wore school uniform.

By the time I qualified as a teacher, gowns were going out of fashion.  Something I have always regretted.  As a teacher I have always worn either a decent suit or slacks and a sports jacket.  I have always worn a tie.  Teachers are professionals and they should dress as such.  The school is their place of business, not a fashion parade.

These days suits are probably stuffy, particularly in America.  But teachers should still dress smartly.  Minor fashion accessories are OK - especially for women, but extreme fashion statements should be avoided.

Whenever I discussed school dress with my students they told me that they liked their teachers to dress semi-formal and smart, because they thought it showed the teachers had respect for them.  They felt that teachers who dressed too casually or eccentrically were not showing proper respect for their students.

If teachers want to wear "Aeropostale and American Eagle" let them do so - as long as they wear a decent academic gown over the top!!!

Re. Broke's comment, I was a teacher because I wanted to b teach, not because I couldn't do anything else.  I've done other things - before and since I was a teacher.  I found teaching a very satisfactory main career.

Former teacher, now embarked on second post-retirement "career".

Answer 3

their lame

Answer 4

more then likely these teachers were wearing Aero and AE WAY before you were even out of diapers.  I was wearing AE in high school and college both of which i did in the mid 90's. Since when do you have to be under the age of 18 ...or in 6th grade for that matter to wear clothes from those stores.  Heck, i recently bought a dress and a shirt from there.  How are you teachers supposed to dress? Be happy that you have a teacher that you have things in common with, be happy that you have a teacher that dresses cute.  You will understand someday when you are their age, or maybe you have already made the decision to dress like a grandma post 25 years old.  Give your teachers a break...

Answer 5

Rigo is correct.  Aeropostale and AE aren't actually designed with 12 year olds in mind in fact the opposite, they are designed for people who have jobs and can afford to buy their own wardrobe like teachers.  Being young doesn't stop once you finish high school either.  One can be young at the age of 25 or 35.  This is a good lesson for you to learn, 'The world does not revolve around you.'  Welcome to life.

Answer 6

That's pretty pretentious of you to think only you are allowed to dress in contemporary style.

They are human beings just like you. Your brain does not automatically go into geriatric thinking when you turn 21.

Answer 7

I'm sorry. Shall I run to the mall and buy some floral skirts and granny shoes?!? Geez!

I do not wear Aeropostale or American Eagle, but I don't dress like an old lady either. Teachers work hard to earn their money and buy their own clothes. Perhaps you should consider yourself lucky that your parents work hard and buy your clothes for you so that you can dress like your teachers!

Broke: You know something? Yes, I completely disliked your comment, but not because it hit home at all. The teachers I know and work with all LOVE being teachers. We aren't teaching because it was a back-up plan or we disliked our previous jobs. In fact, we didn't have previous careers (just the rinky-dink jobs we worked through high school and college) before we began teaching. It's not something we are doing just to earn money. I seriously doubt you know enough teachers to generalize as you did.