Hank, No Tie
Hard-line traditionalists may wince, but I think a sport coat with no tie is a perfectly acceptable look. A nice one, even. In fact, when going out to a restaurant or bar, I’ll often wear a sport coat with woolen trousers and a nice shirt, but forgo the tie. This kind of ensemble is especially good in areas of the world where a necktie – no matter how casual – is still seen as somewhat of a formal statement (I’m looking at you, Bay Area).
If you decide to go tieless, I recommend at least wearing a pocket square. Not doing so can leave the look a bit unfinished. Something made out of a matte wool or linen will do better than a shiny, wet silk. The latter will have a sheen that may be too distracting when there’s no tie to counterbalance it. You might also want to tamp the square down a bit, so that it’s not sticking up too high into the air. I don’t think pocket squares should ever look too loud, but this may be even more important if you’re just wearing a square alone.
For your shirt, stick to solid light blues, or something like the soft pink that Alan Flusser is seen wearing above. Both are considered more casual than a solid white. For something even more causal still, consider shirts with stripes or checks (such as tattersalls, graph checks, or ginghams). Remember, the bolder the pattern, the more casual the shirt is considered. This kind of combination – a casual shirt and sport coat, worn with a hank, but no tie – will allow you to look sharp, but also well suited to certain casual environments.
(Photos via The Sartorialist, Alan See, A Bit of Color, Tredici e Lupo, Off the Cuff, and StyleForum member Montesquieu)
Hey #fashionable teacher ladies! If you’re looking for a cheap dress for the holidays, tomorow is the big day for Neiman Marcus for Target! Stop in and pick up a fantastic outfit on a budget in a classic style that’ll last for years. :) Probably a pretty great dress for attending band concerts, plays, and all those holiday parties!Countdown to Neiman Marcus: One more day!
I’ve started searching out a few students and trying to open a dialogue, because honestly, I remember what it felt like on the outskirts of the #education community and truly how exclusive it can feel. Sometimes you just need someone to reach out and I don’t mind being that person.
However, I also know how wonderful and including #education feels now. I know how much strength, encouragement this community gives me on bad days and how much pride I take in being a part of it. I can understand these students wanting to be included too.
That said, a message to students that want to join into the conversation: your anger toward us is unjustified. In most cases, it seems (to me) to be a projection of the feelings you have toward the teachers in your own lives. You are entitled to your anger. I can even understand it. But you are not entitled to be rude and lash out toward people you don’t know. You need to understand that this community is an established network of caring teachers and friends that you are asking to be a part of — and you haven’t been asking nicely.
If you want to join this conversation, if you want to be treated like adults, you need to take responsibility for your own words and understand that [just like the real world] when you insult people you’ve just met — or insult the community they take pride in — whether you feel you are justified or not, they probably aren’t going to want to play nice with you either. I certainly wouldn’t.
I think students like swallowtailskies, fluorescentink, imsoappalled, and lizabethdavid have something to say and worth listening to. I think it’s important to consider what their anger and vitriol are directed toward and, just like in our classrooms, it’s usually not about us. I think teenagers need some guidance here to join the #education discussion, the same way we guide students on appropriate discourse in our classrooms.
Is this our job? No. But #education is our passion, something we take pride in and time out of our day to contribute to. It’s worth the time to think about it."
Hitherto Unexplored.: On ‘Student Voice’:
The current tumblr #education conversation reminds me of something.
Have fun with this folks! If you forgot today, join tomorrow!
woo!
My school’s management system electronic turn-in option apparently has a lot of glitches, so my department head suggested a Dropbox account because then I can see when the students turned it in, close it after the deadline, etc. I was thinking about using it or using Google Drive.
My concern is…
On Edmodo, you can set each student to ‘read only’ so you won’t need worry about them posting to the whole class.
Try surveying your students. Review the feedback you get and make adjustments.
Things to consider including in your survey:
- How worthwhile do students feel your class is?
- Do they think you move too quickly or slowly with material?
- Do they feel motivated in your class?
- Do they think you explain difficult things clearly?
- How useful do they think the assignments you give are?
If you’re teaching very young children, you can alter this or survey their parents.
