Dress

[anzatech]

A slacks and polo shirt would do...depending on your audience and the set-up. Just weigh every occasion whether you could wear short or long sleeve polo tops. What matters most is on how you carry yourself. that would be a great impact.

[clintoncerejo]

As you are a teacher you should go with the formal trouser and shirt..Sure you'll look damn call in it

[ThousandsHardships]

You should probably wear a collared shirt with long pants. Other than that, it doesn't matter. No one will think less of you if you're wearing jeans. But stay away from T-shirts (unless they show school spirit) and sweats. And don't wear anything with holes or rips.

[JenCook]

My favorite creative writing TA wore nothing but flannel, corduroys and colorful argyle socks for the entire semester. There was no loss of respect because he was an amazing instructor. If you dress professionally and still can't teach, you're not going to win more respect. 

[ShiningInShadows]

This thread sure got a bump!

 

After several years in the professional world, I think I would have a hard time wear jeans to class as a student let alone teaching.  "Business casual" is my rule. I will often sport all-leather police-style boots (as long as they don't look sneaker-ish) and maybe.... MAYBE some dressier cargos, but I have a wide selection of slacks and button-ups for a reason.

[annieca]

My rule of thumb: Don't look like an undergrad student. If they can't tell you apart from one of your own, you are not dressed to teach.

 

I don't like this rule, at all, and I don't think it's practical. If I TA, I will potentially be TAing students my own age. Yes, I will dress up to not look like them, but there is no escaping the fact I am two years ahead of where I am suppose to be and no amount of nice clothing will change that fact.

 

My favorite professor (male) always wore a button down shirt (tucked in), dress pants and black shoes, even if he was teaching a small, personalized class. The only non-dressy thing about him was his coffee cup or the beer stein he uses as a water mug in his office. Still, great and respected professor throughout campus.

[Zencarrot]

I don't like this rule, at all, and I don't think it's practical. If I TA, I will potentially be TAing students my own age. Yes, I will dress up to not look like them, but there is no escaping the fact I am two years ahead of where I am suppose to be and no amount of nice clothing will change that fact.

 

My favorite professor (male) always wore a button down shirt (tucked in), dress pants and black shoes, even if he was teaching a small, personalized class. The only non-dressy thing about him was his coffee cup or the beer stein he uses as a water mug in his office. Still, great and respected professor throughout campus.

 

This comment has received a bit of a negative reception so maybe I should clarify.

 

I am generalizing, but most undergrad students come to class like they just rolled out of bed or finished a workout at the gym. I'm essentially saying don't come to class wearing ultra-casual clothing a hoodie, sweatpants, or flip flops. Like you, I am also a very young TA and it was not long ago (in undergrad) that I did dress like that in class. For some people (like me) it will take a concious effort to purchase a new wardrobe and stop using the aforementioned clothing (unless you're at the gym).

 

If anything, I suggest this as a bare minimum requirement for anyone who is TAing, and I think it is a perfectly realistic and practical standard.

 

Hope that clears things up.

[somethinbruin]

You should probably wear a collared shirt with long pants. Other than that, it doesn't matter. No one will think less of you if you're wearing jeans. But stay away from T-shirts (unless they show school spirit) and sweats. And don't wear anything with holes or rips.

 

I disagree regarding the jeans (which seem to have come up several times on this thread). In the department that I've TA'd in for the past two years, and at the universities I adjuncted at before coming here, jeans were expressly off limits. Your colleagues may very well think less of you (that would certainly be the case around my department), and their opinion is just as important as the students'. 

 

My cohort's teaching mentor perhaps put it better than I can. He said, "After you've got tenure, you can wear whatever the hell you want. Until then, dress up." For me, that would mean khakis at a minimum. Since I'm a woman, that usually means dress slacks and blouses/nice tops, with the occasional skirt/dress. But I would caution strongly against jeans, not because I think it will have an overwhelming negative effect on your students, but because it could affect how your are perceived within your department. Most professors don't wear jeans when they teach, and you should be dressing for the job you want.

[Zencarrot]

I'm going to sum this thread up with a resoundingly definitive: it depends.

[Roquentin]

For me, comfortable shoes are an absolute must. I find that teaching well is a matter of comfort (with the material, the students, and yourself). So yeah, shoes, shoes, shoes.

[danieleWrites]

I've TA'd for two years and been an adjunct for 2. I teach English.

 

First rule: Follow the explicit dress code for the department.

Second rule: Follow the implicit dress code for the department. There is a culture and you can only figure it out by noticing what other professors wear.

Everything else is just personal tastes and ideas.

 

I've worn blue jeans, t-shirts, and running shoes nearly every day of class that I've taught. I haven't had any discipline or respect problems. While credibility does begin with appearance, it doesn't stay with it. We've all had professors that looked the part, but were pretty much a complete waste of time. We've all had professors that didn't look the part, but were awesome.

 

My rules: be hygienic, know your stuff, be prepared, and respect the students first. The one thing that I've done that has gotten me instant respect, a respect that I can continue to build on, is telling the class at the outset that I set an alarm so that class will never run over. English professors have a nasty, nasty, nasty habit of thinking they can use the student's time between classes to finish the lecture/discussion. I promised students that I would respect their time, and that I would expect them to respect mine. It works; and it's as simple as that.

[TeaGirl]

Fascinating. I've been an instructor for 2 years and a TA before that and all I have to say is that no one really cares how you dress as long as it's decent and you're clean. This was my experience in both departments. However, if dressing up makes you feel more authoritative or confident when starting out, or dressing like everyone else in the department makes you feel like you belong then by all means go for it. Although, I've never seen a student or professor think better of a lousy grad student because they dressed well or worse of an good grad student because they dressed badly.

 

I've seen professors in button down shirts and formal slacks, some in a tshirt, jeans, and sneakers, and others, like my advisor, in Hawaiian shirts, shorts, and sandals with socks. I've seen TA's wearing sneakers and tshirts and others more professionally dressed.

I usually wear well fitted jeans, a nice top or blouse, and a scarf or accessory because that is how I like to dress. I've worn everything from high heeled fancy boots to flip flops, flats, and sneakers in class. Some days I'm super casual and other days I'm all dressed up. Nobody cares, whether it's colleagues or students.

[artimacia]

I would agree, it all depends. You could dress a little casually if you're assisting a professor, a little nicer if you're actually teaching the class, etc... My situation is a little different. I've TA'd for two years, but it was in a lab. It was better to wear more casual clothes because they may potentially get ruined, not to mention we always wore lab coats.

[GeoDUDE!]

I've TAed geology for a year, and i think it depends on the subject. For example, at AGU, the biggest conference in my field, people giving talks wear jeans and hikingboots, and maybe a dress shirt. So for teaching, jeans and a T-shirt are fine. For my last class I wore rolled up black jeans, a blue v-neck and a pair of chaco sandles. IT just depends on where you are.

 

When I was an undergrad studying physics, I wore a dress shirt everyday to class. Thats the way my school was, so i followed it. SO my advice ? Ask your advisor!

[darkknight9]

Unless its strictly forbidden, I would reserve jeans for days that you might have to teach both in the lecture hall AND in the lab. Spending money on things that will make you look snappy will look GREAT the first few weeks. After all the chemical mishaps of a few sections of undergrads wears through your lab coat and you discover multiple holes in your nice clothing you will wish you had started wearing something tougher. Jeans, a polo shirt, socks and non slip brown tennis style shoes.... Save the khaki's and/or dress pants for non lab days.

[CageFree]

I disagree regarding the jeans (which seem to have come up several times on this thread). In the department that I've TA'd in for the past two years, and at the universities I adjuncted at before coming here, jeans were expressly off limits. Your colleagues may very well think less of you (that would certainly be the case around my department), and their opinion is just as important as the students'. 

 

My cohort's teaching mentor perhaps put it better than I can. He said, "After you've got tenure, you can wear whatever the hell you want. Until then, dress up." For me, that would mean khakis at a minimum. Since I'm a woman, that usually means dress slacks and blouses/nice tops, with the occasional skirt/dress. But I would caution strongly against jeans, not because I think it will have an overwhelming negative effect on your students, but because it could affect how your are perceived within your department. Most professors don't wear jeans when they teach, and you should be dressing for the job you want.

 

This is highly dependent upon your school culture. Very few people "dress up" in my department... in fact, some professors regularly wear shorts and teva type sandals with hawaiian shirts. Clean jeans with a blazer would be considered 'dressy' around here.