Teacher Uniforms

In the Archives of Under Assault, I found an opinion piece advocating uniforms for teachers.

The author wants tenured and certified professors and teachers to wear black robes as part of their teaching attire. The reasons are deeply political and are a reaction to NYC's particular bogeymen, such as the TFAs and the provisional teachers supplanting the tenured and certified teachers.

Still, parts of this argument make sense even if the Black Robe doesn't actually fit all.

First, teachers should have a dress code of some kind. Whether it be shirt and tie or jacket/shirt/tie, the teachers need to set themselves apart from the students. The science department looks very professional in white labcoats, as does the art department. The shirt and tie look is great for those who choose it. I object to blue jeans and ratty shirts and sandals, though. Likewise for athletic attire and sneakers, unless it's the PE teachers. English teachers shouldn't be dressed down that far. I could even tolerate the Black Robe if it had the proper-colored lining and borders.

The point is that the teachers are different from students and should show it.

Under Assault's idea of differentiating teachers based on their tenure status, though, is just petty when I look at it from this distance. I understand the annoyance of having TFAers come be-bopping in "to save the poor benighted losers" with their "unique skills and obvious charm" but you'll never get them to behave by ostracizing them. They certainly won't be tempted to stay yet some of them definitely should. New teachers are always arrogant and full of themselves - the trick is to figure out who mellows to the proper level.