"teacher" hair - HairTalk®

> amy, i just started teaching last year and> find that the rules in my school for such things> are quite loose. i think that for the teaching> profession, you may express your individuality> to a certain extent in how you dress, wear your> hair etc. i do not see as many unwritten rules> being played out as there might be for something> like lawyer etc. i would not worry about not having> "teacher" appropriate hair. just be> yourself. if you are looking for advice on a good> style for your face shape, sorry i can't help> you. good luck teaching. very challenging.I taught college freshmen for two years as an undergraduate, and my husband is working on a master's degree in education, so this sort of issue is typical conversation at home. It's important to be aware of how your appearance affects your work, especially in people-oriented fields such as teaching.I have to completely disagree about not needing to have "teacher-appropriate" hair. When working with children (or especially pre-teens and teens!) it is very important to be able to maintain an appearance of authority. I don't mean that you have to scare them or intimidate them, but rather that they have to respect you and obey you. One thing that can make this a lot easier is care about one's personal appearance.Now, this doesn't mean that you have to look stuffy or unfashionable, nor does it mean that you can't express yourself. However, it does mean that there are certain things you have to be conscious of - for example, if you are teaching middle or high school and you tend to look young, it is important not to choose a hairstyle that accentuates that. If you are teaching middle or high school, it is also important not to try to be *too* in line with teenage styles, or you are likely to run into one of two problems - either the students will fail to respect you as an authority figure because you look too much like one of them, or the students will laugh at you for trying too hard to relate to them and failing. Teaching younger children has its own challenges, but maintaining authority is easier when you have an automatic height advantage and a few extra years between you and the students, so you can get away with a little more with elementary school.While there may not be as many unwritten rules from the administration as there are in many careers, there are numerous ones from the students, especially if you are teaching above the grade-school level. The trick is, you have to figure them out for yourself, and they change constantly.My advice is that you choose a hairstyle that you think looks attractive on you. Don't pick one that looks too young, and don't pick one that accentuates anything you consider a bad feature, because the students will notice it. Consider your wardrobe, if you've already got the clothes you are likely to wear, and coordinate with it - if not, think about your hair when you choose your clothes. The specific appearance you present isn't that important, but it is important that you feel comfortable with it (since you sure don't need any more stresses, and students pick up on stress), that you look in control and organized, and that it fit within any dress code that might exist.I wish you lots of luck, both with your hair and with your teaching. It's a challenging job, but it can be very rewarding, and I can't think of anything more important to the future.Laura Jane lswanson@sunflower.bio.indiana.edu