The Herald
June 19, 2008 04:14 pm
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IN THE “OLD DAYS” they used to denote attendance at public schools as getting a formal education. It’s good to see Sharon School District at least is going semi-formal.
Superintendent John Sarandrea announced this week that the dress code is tightening for teachers and that it is a precursor for students. We applaud the move wholeheartedly.
Somewhere during the last few decades, schools loosened their dress codes for teachers and students alike. During this time we’ve also seen a weakening of our educational system as well as a lapse in discipline.
Just maybe the attire of teachers had something to do with that. It’s easier to respect someone who’s dressed like a professional.
During the 1950s, ’60s and most of the ’70s, it would be unheard of for men to teach without wearing ties. Women wore dresses and later on pants suits. At the same time, students wore dress pants, nice shirts and dress shoes. No tennis shoes allowed, thank you.
Then something happened. Teachers no longer had to adhere to dress codes. With younger teachers, it became hard to even separate them from the students.
Student attire became atrocious. When did shorts and T-shirts (some even with questionable sayings) become the mode?
Kids began wearing the same kind of clothes you would see on the playgrounds. Is it any doubt their concentration on education slumped?
In business the term that’s often used is: Dress for success. That should apply in every school district as well.
Regular classroom teachers should be attired properly. While we wouldn’t expect gym or shop teachers to wear ties — which actually could be dangerous when dealing with machinery — we would think that everyone else from administrators on down would wear them.
And the same goes for coaches during athletic events. It is very impressive to see male coaches who are “throwbacks” and dressed in coats and ties, rather than a T-shirt. Just maybe that’s where the term “sports coat” originated.
Dressing properly or wearing ties also shows a respect for education and that is bound to rub off on the students.
Part of the problem is a lapse by society as a whole. Look at the way people dress for church today or even to attend funerals or weddings. Is nothing sacred?
While some businesses no longer demand ties, they do expect that their employees be dressed neatly and appropriately. That isn’t too much to ask if you are to be called a professional. After all, that’s where the term “white-collar worker” began.
Again we applaud the changes proposed for teachers and students alike at Sharon. Every school district should follow suit.
Of course suits would be optional.
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