Exempted Educators

If you’re a regular reader, you know how I feel about school uniforms and you know that we chose to opt out of the “mandatory” uniform requirement at Honeybun’s school (check out “A Uniformed Education” and “The First Day” for a refresher).  We abide by the dress code which includes things like no jeans, gym shorts, leggings or logos.  I’m all for a dress code which ensures children are dressed appropriately for school and learning but I do not believe in every child looking the same.  We’ve had no issues since the first weeks of school when Honeybun would come home telling me “the gym/music/Spanish teacher told me I wasn’t in the right uniform.”  And while Honeybun seems to be the only child in the entire SCHOOL that does not wear the uniform, it does not bother her (or hubby and me).

What has begun to bother me, though, is the seeming lack of dress code for the teachers and other staff.  Each afternoon as the children trickle out in their monotonous, matching clothes, this is what I see from the staff:

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Some of the teachers do dress how I feel is appropriate in nice but relaxed clothes and comfortable flats (which is how I always dressed myself as a pre-school teacher).  What bothers me, though, is the overabundance of jeans (not permitted for students) and open toed shoes, mostly flip-flops (absolutely not acceptable for students).  The school states on their website that “Research Suggests that school uniforms identify student population from strangers on school grounds” and as I pointed out in “A Uniformed Education”, a 5 year-old not in uniform will probably not raise questions about whether or not she belongs at the school.  However, there is often no way to tell the staff from the parents (or strangers) aside from the ID badges which the staff have but are not always visible.

In addition to the jean and flip-flop epidemic I’ve also seen some very disturbing clothing choices by the staff.  I saw one teacher/assistant one day wearing a very short sun dress with a SHEER sweater over and her bra blatantly hanging out of the back of her dress.  I guess I’m irritated about it because it feels like a “do what I say, not as I do” sort of thing.  There are rules and high expectations for the students but the staff is not held to the same standards.  I strongly believe in modeling appropriate behaviors, not just expecting children to adhere to seemingly random expectations.

2 Comments

  1. Joe Hinkley October 23, 2013
    • Melissa October 23, 2013