With teacher shortages on the rise, you would think school administrators would only reprimand staff for egregious offenses, but apparently, teachers in North Carolina have to be concerned with more than just standardized test scores and irate parents.
One male teacher said his wardrobe was to blame for the wrath of his boss. “Today, I wore khaki pants, appropriate shoes, and a t-shirt that was promoting mental health awareness,” he wrote in a post on Reddit. “I’m in the middle of a class and my administrator pulls me into the hallway to tell me that I’m out of dress code.”
A teacher was reprimanded for wearing a ‘mental health awareness’ T-shirt that violated the school’s dress code.
“Keep in mind,” the teacher wrote, “half of the staff wear t-shirts daily and I’ve never seen or heard of anyone being told not to until today.”
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Almost 65% of teachers admit they’re underpaid compared to similarly experienced professionals in other industries.
Meanwhile, more than 90% of students are in underfunded districts with limited access to everything from educational prep materials to arts programs. The majority of schools across the country are also facing a teacher shortage.
So, how exactly can punishment for a dress code violation be justified in the face of all these issues?
The teacher felt he was singled out for his attire, considering a number of staff members regularly wear ‘casual clothes.’
“You want to know why good teachers leave the profession? I give you exhibit A,” the teacher wrote. “Our school is near being [an] ‘F’ school … Half of our staff are not certified. Every day we are given another impossible task to add to our workload.”
Many teachers argue against rigid dress codes for school staff because comfort in a classroom means education is being prioritized instead of aesthetics.
So, if a teacher’s T-shirt expressing advocacy for mental health is going to help kids feel more heard, understood, and comfortable, the dress code should change, not this Reddit teacher’s.
In an update to the post, this teacher wrote, “I have no issues with a dress code. Some of you think my ‘lack of discipline’ and ‘falling behind on laundry’ makes me a bad teacher.”
“My issue is that she pulled me out in the middle of my lesson, instead of sending an email, texting me, or speaking with me at a more appropriate time,” he explained. “We have lives outside of school walls. I’m behind on laundry. That isn’t a crime.”
The teacher argued that dress code violations should be the least of his school’s concerns.
“We are in the bottom percentage of teacher pay and I’m looking into getting a second job after teaching for 10 years. I’m drowning. In every sense of the word.”
Commenters were almost unanimously on this teacher’s side, arguing that his frustration with his school’s priorities was completely justified, especially after being a pillar of the district for over a decade.
“My school district is desperate for teachers right now,” another peer added under the post. “It seems so ridiculous to micromanage someone for a helpful t-shirt, when they’re begging for staff behind the scenes.”
Teachers are molding the minds of future generations. It would stand to reason that they can police themselves when it comes to appropriate classroom attire. Perhaps administrators should focus on teacher retention instead of promoting an unwelcome work environment.
Zayda Slabbekoorn is a staff writer with a bachelor’s degree in social relations & policy and gender studies who focuses on psychology, relationships, self-help, and human interest stories.
