Respect

One of my buddies often remark how we referred and continue to refer after all of these years to our college instructors as "Professor" (me) and "Dr." (him).  I think that's the measure of respect we had for them and what they did so well.

I always wear a tie to class.  (OK, full disclosure requires admitting that, in 42 years, I didn't wear a tie twice, forgetting it both times.  But, one of those times, Karen dropped off a tie on her way to work--after a frantic phone call from me.)  It's a personal thing and I understand that others don't and their reasons for them.  Wearing a tie, for me, is a way to respect the profession, the position.  One of the first things I always notice about Governor Snyder is that he is tie-less.

What reminded me of this was both yesterday and last night seeing other instructors in Levis and tee shirts or flannel shirts with sneakers.  Certainly others can dress the way they want to dress.  And I'm not at all sure students even notice or if it has any impact on teaching, learning, or classroom dynamics.  Nobody would admit it had a negative influence anyway, would they?

I understand, perhaps, elementary teachers and art, physical education, etc. teachers not getting all dressed up.  Theirs is a messy world!  But there's a difference between dressing down (note, I didn't say "slobby") and otherwise.

Perhaps it was merely coincidence and there's no correlation, but of the half dozen or so lectures I heard last weekend, the best were delivered by professors and authors who wore ties and the worst two were given by those in Levis.

Again, I don't know if it's a correlation and I certainly don't believe in a dress code for teachers, although I would keep a close eye on my staff if I were an administrator.  I'm sure those who dress down would argue that has no impact on their teaching.  They might be right.  But to me it's a matter of respect.