Dressing for Student Teaching (Women)

My number one tip for a woman about to start student teaching is to get a full length mirror.  Before you wear any outfit, you need to step back and lean over all the way at the waist.   Lift up your head to see if you can see down your shirt or see your bra in anyway.  Teachers lean over desks all day long, so you must check that this line of sight is G rated. 

Next, you need to get as good a view of your butt as you can.  Do you see your bra through the back of your shirt?  Can you see your underwear?  Are your pants too snug on your butt?  (My personal rule was that snug fit on the top of my butt was okay, but not rounding down to my legs).  When you lean over or squat, does your underwear show or even worse your butt crack?  If you feel the need to put your hand to the back of your pants as you lean down, then this outfit is probably not okay.  You either need longer shirts, higher pants, or better underwear. 

Where I taught, the student dress code was no Bs: no backs, bras, bellies, or butts!  As the teacher, you shouldn't be breaking this rule! 

Here are a a few tips about specific items of clothing:

Bras - My student teaching adviser addressed the whole group of us about to start our student teaching and talked to us about nipples.  She told us that when you are nervous it is not uncommon to get visible nipples.  If you teach Kindergarten, maybe no one will notice, but teaching teens, well, that is a bit of a nightmare.  The simple solution is a slightly padded bra.  I used to always have a cardigan sweater handy because I get a chill easily, which leads to the same problem. 

Underwear  - Right now (2012) low rise pants are still fashionable, though I did see them say on the last season of Project Runway that high waisted pants were fashion forward.  (I hope that is wrong because I find low rise so much more comfortable).  Get bikini underwear, and get it low cut.  This will prevent worry about your underwear showing when you lean over.  I also recommend trying boy cut briefs instead of thongs to prevent pantilines.  I also recommend pantiliners, especially around when your period starts.  Teachers do NOT have the luxury of running to the rest room if they feel something might be starting.  A pantiliner should get your through until you can get someone to watch your class for a few minutes or a natural break. 

Skirts - As a teacher, there is a distinct possibility that you will be back lite when you walk around the room in front of your windows.  Make sure that any skirts you wear aren't going to be too transparent.  Also remember that you may be sitting down in front of a room full of students who are almost at the level of  your crotch.  Your skirt must be long enough so that they aren't looking right up it at your underwear.  I also used to worry if my shirt was showing too much when I walked down stairs as students were walking up them.  I know slips are out of fashion, but a slip will help you feel more confident in all these areas, and also prevent pantilines. Any skirt that doesn't reach the tips of your fingers when they are held at your sides is too short (unless you have unusually long arms). 

Shirts - Obviously, nothing should be too tight or low cut.  As I mentioned above, lean over in front of a mirror in any shirt you plan to wear teaching.  Also, raise your arms all the way up to see if your shirt moves up more than you feel comfortable.  Also be careful of fabric that is too see through and shows your bra outline.  Lastly, if you wear a button up shirt, make sure that nothing can be seen through the button gaps.  You can use fabric tape to close gaps between buttons.

Shoes - Sensible shoes are most important.  You might be standing a lot of the day.  You might have to run or at least walk swiftly.  You might have to go up and downstairs several times.  No stripper shoes!  I'd also say to leave the very causal flip flops at home until you are well established.  

Make Up and Hair - Keep it low key.  Anything  over the top can bring out the worst in kids to pick on, either to your face or behind your back, and even if that doesn't hurt your feelings, it distracts from your teaching.  If you are teaching high school, avoid hair and make up that makes you look too young.  I used to wear my hair up and avoided funky nail polish and glittery make up while teaching.  I saved those for weekends, or causal Fridays a couple months after school had started. 

Top Writing Mini Lessons

Effect / Affect

Homophones such as the theres

Punctuating dialog

Complete Sentences

Expository paragraph template

Funnel paragraph introductions

Conclusion template

Formatting titles

Comma rules

Semi colons

Colons

Ending with a preposition

Passive voice

Parallelism

Removing I from formal essay writing

Strong verbs / removing "to be"

Removing vague words using banned word list

Plagerism

Summarizing

Paraphrasing

Quoting

Citation