Inappropriate Teacher's Dress

The preschool camp is not free. It was offered to me for free, but I
insisted on paying, because I really want to help my SIL business be
successful.

.. These women did dress sexual. I think they dress sexual to get
attention from others, especially men. It does bother me, that I have
two daughters exposed to role models that dress provocatively.
There is a time and a place to dress in a mid-drift shirt. I really
think a preschool is not a place to wear a shirt like that.

"Mary" wrote in message
oups.com...
The preschool camp is not free. It was offered to me for free, but I
insisted on paying, because I really want to help my SIL business be
successful.

So it was your SIL who chose not to do anything about
your complaint?


P. Tierney

"Mary" wrote in message
oups.com...
. These women did dress sexual. I think they dress sexual to get
attention from others, especially men.

What men? The parents of the preschoolers? I don't
really see how their motivations can be discerned.

It does bother me, that I have
two daughters exposed to role models that dress provocatively.
There is a time and a place to dress in a mid-drift shirt. I really
think a preschool is not a place to wear a shirt like that.

I'm still curious as to what it looks like. Maybe someone
could give a link of such an outfit (from a clothing site, I guess)
that would give an accurate picture.


P. Tierney

Ericka Kammerer wrote:
Jeanne wrote:


In DD's Montessori school, the junior high and upper elementary
teachers (who were male) were VERY casual in their dress. These men
usually wore Birkenstocks year-round (maybe rag wool socks in December
and January); shorts and t-shirts were not uncommon in the fall and
spring. But I didn't get the sense that they were unprofessional; in
fact, they were excellent teachers who commanded the respect of the
other teachers, parents and students.


Personally, I see a huge difference between *casual* and
*suggestive*. I have worked in many places where I'd feel perfectly
comfortable in jeans and a t-shirt and my Birks, but I haven't
worked anywhere that I would have thought it a good idea to wear
a real mini skirt, wear midriff-baring tops, have a bare back, or
what have you. (I imagine there are jobs where that might be
appropriate, but I haven't had any of them, and I don't really
see preschool teacher as one of them, personally.)


I thought you were commenting and asking about professional and
appropriate dress, not suggestiveness. Sure, suggestive, sexy clothing
isn't appropriate no matter the age in an instructional environment.
But I didn't really see any of the clothing mentioned as "suggestive"
although mini-skirt (and that's pretty much the only item of clothing
listed that I could see as problematic) could be construed as
"inappropriate" .

Jeanne

On Tue, 21 Jun 2005 05:38:43 GMT, "P. Tierney"
wrote:

I'm still curious as to what it looks like. Maybe someone
could give a link of such an outfit (from a clothing site, I guess)
that would give an accurate picture.

It's a shirt that is shorter, above the waistline of jeans, and shows
a few inches of belly.

Nan

Jeanne wrote:

Ericka Kammerer wrote:

Personally, I see a huge difference between *casual* and
*suggestive*. I have worked in many places where I'd feel perfectly
comfortable in jeans and a t-shirt and my Birks, but I haven't
worked anywhere that I would have thought it a good idea to wear
a real mini skirt, wear midriff-baring tops, have a bare back, or
what have you. (I imagine there are jobs where that might be
appropriate, but I haven't had any of them, and I don't really
see preschool teacher as one of them, personally.)


I thought you were commenting and asking about professional and
appropriate dress, not suggestiveness. Sure, suggestive, sexy clothing
isn't appropriate no matter the age in an instructional environment. But
I didn't really see any of the clothing mentioned as "suggestive"
although mini-skirt (and that's pretty much the only item of clothing
listed that I could see as problematic) could be construed as
"inappropriate" .

As I've said elsewhere, I think there are two issues on
the table. One is whether the clothing is functional for the
job. A mini skirt is not functional in a job where, in my opinion,
one of the job requirements should include getting down to interact
with the children on their level.
The other issue is suggestiveness. This is necessarily a
subjective judgement, and people are going to vary on exactly where
they draw the line. It is also going to vary somewhat by region,
with less coverage being more generally acceptable in hotter climates.
Still, I think it is a hallmark of professional behavior that one
considers carefully whether one's attire is appropriate for the
position one is in. As a preschool teacher, I think one not only
has to take one's position as a role model seriously, one *also*
ought to be taking into consideration the fact that one is
representing the school to parents, and even borderline clothing
choices can reflect negatively on the image of the school.
Furthermore, I think the clothing described likely *is* pretty
suggestive. I mean, given that the OP could see these women's
underwear, I don't see how one can conclude otherwise. I don't
think that's even *close* to the line. Frankly, in that situation,
if I were the Director, those women would have been sent home to
change before school, and I would have some serious doubts about
their professionalism--not to mention their common sense. How
much sense does it take to avoid choosing clothing that puts your
underwear on display while working with *preschoolers*?!

Best wishes,
Ericka

On Mon, 20 Jun 2005 21:22:25 -0400, Ericka Kammerer
wrote:

Personally, I see a huge difference between *casual* and
*suggestive*. I have worked in many places where I'd feel perfectly
comfortable in jeans and a t-shirt and my Birks, but I haven't
worked anywhere that I would have thought it a good idea to wear
a real mini skirt, wear midriff-baring tops, have a bare back, or
what have you. (I imagine there are jobs where that might be
appropriate, but I haven't had any of them, and I don't really
see preschool teacher as one of them, personally.)

I agree.

Despite the fact that preschoolers are not adolescents, they are
influenced by the way they see people dressing. Young girls,
especially, have enough pressure and exposure to sexual
innuendo without having teachers (preschool or otherwise)
dress in provocative ways that suggest to them that women must
always dress to attract such attention.

I think that jeans and t-shirts would be more appropriate in a
preschool environment than miniskirts and midriff baring tops.

We also had rules about footwear in the preschools I taught at
- you had to wear shoes you could comfortably run in and play
in - flip flops were not appropriate unless it was a beach day.
The question here was safety not style - things can get dropped
on your toes or you can trip if you run or... well, you get the idea.
We encouraged parents to make sure their children had on
footwear they could climb in and run in with safety. Sandals
were discouraged because open toes on the playground were
not really safe.



--
Dorothy

There is no sound, no cry in all the world
that can be heard unless someone listens ..

The Outer Limits

On 20 Jun 2005 18:41:36 -0700, "Mary"
wrote:

I was not present during the class, but I have to say that I totally
trust my relative and my daughter seemed to have a adequate time in the
class.

Then, IMO, you need to just loosen up and forget how the girls are
dressed. I find the young boys who wear their britches big enough to
fit John Candy more offensive and the men who wear t-shirts with
offensive sayings. If the girls wore t-shirts that said risque things,
I'd be more inclined to question the appropriateness of their dress.
But showing a few inches of belly or thigh is a standard among teens
and young adults right now. I don't like it, but that's my problem. I
won't make it theirs by complaining to management or their parents
about it.

"Mary" wrote in message
ups.com...
When someone is doing an internship, that is the MOST important time
to have professional clothing.

An internship/recomendation is what going to get you your first
real job in your field. Yes, these women are working with children, and
by all means they should be comfortable, and ready to crawl on the
ground. But they should also give a professional impression if they
wish to be taking seriously.

As to my husband, I simply do not see how he could not notice, how
they are dressed. Do I care? Not really, but I do think preschool/day
care is not the place to advertising your goods.

In the end, this is just a summer arrangement, that I did to support
a family members fledging business. I trust this relative, and my
daughters seem to enjoy the environment.

However, if I had walked off the street cold, I would have not have
been impressed, and would not have chosen that facility for my
children.
First impressions are VITAL in business, and when it comes to the
welfare of my children, I have to go with my gut feeling, which is
sometimes all you have.

After all, I have all the power in how I chose to spend my money.

Now can I ask a question about the difference between pre-K and
preschool without being accused of being a troll?

Mary
Here, a pre-K program is usually run by an organization which offers
kindergarten-either a private or public school. A preschool is usually a
terminal program, where the kids would be going to a different school.
Otherwise, they're effectively the same thing. Both preschools and pre-Ks
tend to focus a bit more on academics, at least on paper, and less on being
open convienent hours for working parents than child care or day care
centers, but obviously, there's a lot of overlap.