In response to the post, “Dress Code Yet Again,” a reader writes:

“I didn’t go through college and get a degree to have some suit come in and tell me how to dress. You can be comfortable and still look professional. As soon as you want to buy my clothes you can tell me how to dress.”

SC Response
I assume you went to college and earned a degree to be the best teacher possible. Modeling is an irrefutable instructional best practice. If your campus has a dress code, consistently modeling the student expectation is the most effective way to teach the expectation. That is fact, not opinion. If you choose not to model the student expectation, you have demonstrated that you value other considerations over effective teaching. Again, observable fact, not opinion. If those facts cut close to the quick, either admit that there are limits to your pursuit of excellence, or do something about it. Getting mad is neither logical nor professional.

So I challenge you to reconsider and resubmit your argument in terms of increasing or decreasing student performance. Make the case that modeling is an ineffective teaching practice and is detrimental to your students. That will carry a lot more weight than “You can’t tell me what to do.” Which obviously, I can’t, nor do I want too.

Think. Work. Achieve.

Your turn…