The centerpiece of a classroom: a teacher commands the room and the lesson. Some teachers wave their hands in extravagant movements, some speak varying volumes and some pace through the whole room.
With hundreds of students whose eyes and ears glean knowledge from them each day, clothing becomes an unavoidable aspect of a teacher’s presence. Four Jefferson teachers shared their opinions on the way clothing, from suits to sweats, interplays with their presence.
Clothing is a window into how French teacher Valerie Ives is feeling that day and how she tries to bring energy to the classroom with unique colors.
“You have to look decent in front of the students,” Ives said. “It’s more about how I feel. Some days I feel good, some days I don’t feel that good. It reflects on my clothing.”
Raised in the South of France, Ives also noticed a difference in clothing styles between French and American schools.
“When I was younger, I would dress a lot better,” Ives said. “In France, a good part of the schools put more effort. They wear nice shoes [and] they like high heels. I think that’s what really differentiated me when I came as a student to the United States, because I would go to school always wearing high heels.”
Computer science teacher Dan Tra picks the best quality, lowest-priced clothing. The effectiveness of Tra’s clothes takes priority over aesthetics, he said.
“Free, cheap clothing is good,” Tra said. “It should keep me warm and keep germs off me. It shouldn’t break when I run into the wall. I pick the next shirt, the next pants and the next pair of shoes [in my closet]. There’s no planning.”
In contrast, for history teacher Gwen Wright, clothing acts as a fun accessory to her teaching skills.
“I think presentation really does come down to the substance of who you are,” Wright said. “But, at the same time, sometimes people only get a really quick snapshot of you, so how you present yourself is important. What you wear can help do that, in addition to the substance of what you’re saying and who you are as a person.”
Wright highlighted how staying professional is important, but she likes to have fun by adding accessories to her outfits that might make her a little more relatable to her students.
“I know for the holidays, [Jefferson] does their holiday spirit days, and I love that sort of attire,” Wright said. “I have a lot of holiday sweaters, which people probably saw back in December. It makes teachers more relatable to students when they try to dress up with the times while maintaining that balance of comfort and professionalism.”
Computer science and math teacher Steven Willmore believes professional clothing is a must for going to work, except on Fridays.
“I don’t go all the way to comfort, because if I did, I’d show up in sweatshirts and workout clothes,” Willmore said. “I try to at least keep my color schemes working a little [and] try not to clash. If I really clashed, it’d be hard to focus, and I might become conscious of that.”
Willmore emphasized how a pair of slacks and a dress shirt make him feel professional during the week, and jeans let him close off the week in comfort.
“I think Monday through Thursday, I’m closer to professional, and then on Friday, I’m closer to comfortable, always,” Willmore said. “I look forward to wearing jeans on Friday.”