Imateacher....you are a classic example of blowing something as simple as a dress code out of proportion.

I hope your teaching skills are better than your reading perception.

With your melodramatics, you might make a good theater teacher.

tell you what, wisconsinheat, let me know where you work so I can come over and order you to do something you are already doing and then get the town whipped up about what a bad person you are and thank god I was there to keep a lid on it, then call you a whiner for pointing out the obvious.
Don worry, though, I think that Education is the only field that is run by people outside the field itself. Thankfully I have an insurance man and a phone salesman to tell me how to teach.

Ah, you teachers are too funny. You want to be treated and paid like "professionals" but don't want to be required to dress like one.

Most say they already do dress like professionals,so the problem must not be a dress code...the problem must be that someone in authority has the audacity to put in print what the teachers are saying they do anyway.

Looks like they are professionals alright...professional whiners.

And I wonder why Parker's teacher of the year Sean H. Is resigning at semester to move to Minnesota? I'm sure he says to be by family or something like that, but I'm sure he is taking a job in a school district and community that supports education more than Janesville. So much for retaining the best teachers! What a joke!

B.S. will be happy though because the district can save 20 or 30k by hiring a newby! Just sayin

Teachers dressing like slobs and sluts. Good thing we nipped THAT in the bud, even though there was only one reported conflict in the past five years (thats what I was told when I asked) regarding a teacher and attire. Lees a problem than that other great evil "same day voter registration fraud". At least it is out of the way now and we can move onto more pressing problems, like, say, teachers on their cell phones. Again, there is no problem so the first job will be to create the conflict before solving it, like the dress code. Maybe we can push more master teachers like Sean H. out the door. He may be an award winning teacher, but he does wear jeans, after all.....

I guess I don't really see an issue with teachers being required to wear casual dress clothes to teach. They made adjustments for gym, shop and teachers with small kids and it seems that they listened to the complaints for the first draft and simplified it, so whats the big deal? I've heard comments like its disrespecting teachers, Really? I guess I don't see it that way. I'm in construction by trade and we have a dress policy that is strictly enforced. Even the crew members in the field have to follow the dress code. It is all about image, plain and simple! Why not teach the kids now that when they get into the real world, if you're expecting to make a good living $60K+ a year, you can't have rings through your nose and have your ears stretched out with washers in them and if your pants are hanging down past your butt, you're destined to live in your parents basement or become a rapper! If you look at it from the perspective of a business owner, do you really want the people representing your company to look like a bumb or they just got back from a late night out drinking? If you're being honest, then I would think not. So if the teachers are already dressing accordingly then it shouldn't be a big deal anyways. Only the ones that were not wearing appropriate clothes will be affected.
Life is as easy or as hard as we make it!

Very important stuff here. I think most of Janesville's problems should go away now.

Why make them dress like professionals? Countless people lost any respect for their professionalism after their bongo banging sessions at the capitol in Madison.

leading by example is important...now what of a dress code for the kids?

Well dose something stink in here of I forgot politics at work. The crowing has commenced. Just because there is a dress code now will not mean the way a teacher will teach of improve how schools are run.

Then those two instances Flora is talking about should have been dealt with by the principal involved rather than making a mockery of the entire staff in the school district. People who lump everyone together rather than deal with the culprits help absolutely nothing. In fact, they are part of the problem rather than the solution.

Jon Flora is retired and a longtime school volunteer. He did not say that multiple women are dressing this way. He mentioned, if memory serves, two such instances. -- Gazette reporter Frank Schultz

"GOD MADE THE IDIOT FOR PRACTICE, AND THEN HE MADE THE SCHOOL BOARD" - MARK TWAIN

From nbc15.com article on Janesville's dress code for staff - "Women are wearing skirts way above the knees, wearing real tight blouses, real tight jeans," said Jon Flora, a school district volunteer. Who is this guy??

LOL @ Simon. I know that when people at my business wear ties it makes them more intelligent...wait a minute...uh, it actually restricts blood flow to the brain:) Not in all but a handful of them.

Thank GOD the Board invested all their time and energy into this issue. Where would education be without this kind of priority setting? It was VITAL that this was given the priority it was. We can all breath a little easier now. Education is all fixed.

Now, with teachers dressed "professional" the test scores should SOAR!!!!!

vnvet7071 - I'd never be your employee so you dont have to worry. I also dont work "for" anyone, I work "with" people. There are no supervisors where I work. People do what they are supposed to do, if you do that no one cares if you take 20 smoke breaks a day (I dont smoke), read a newspaper, go for a walk, and even engage in an online discussion via web blogs. The freedom and trust the company has in everyone has actually increased work ethic, and business is great. Unconventional....yes. Effective....VERY. That is something people dont understand.. Working "with" people, much like having the teachers work with the students (dress casual like them)...Not rule over them and dictate them, the success rate is way higher. My CEO wears jeans and sheatshirts sometimes. You can not have an effective team when you place people in different catagories, elevating the teacher on a platform (all dressed up) and then having the students below (dressed down) ... people that cant comprehend this need to educate themselves with the new times, not the old ways. Old ways worked.. but the new ways work MUCH better. And we need to move forward in education and not get passed by China.

And dress up for some rinky-dink organization like forward Janesville. That, in my opinion has attempted to elect politicians that suck money out of the taxpayers to give the business community, with very few results.

I can't imagine how I could have worked for one of the largest corporations in the world for forty plus years and never had a hand book. No dress code and they are still around and making money. Just think how much more successful they could have been with B.S. as C.E.O. a dress code and a hand book. I just can't imagine.

And... this School Board found it necessary to tell teachers to " dress up" when attending an outside professional event of some sort- like Forward Janesville etc. I'm fairly certain they already knew that and yet so reminded them. So insulting.

Sigma, if you were my employee , and I saw you spending this much time blogging when you should be working, you 'd be FIRED !!!

sigma40 I agree Janesville is way behind and when someone shows a different way They become outcasts. For those who do not get it, CHILDREN relate better when they see their teachers at the same level as them and to wear *professional* style clothing is not at all on the same level.

why is this news then? They updated our handbook recently, it was not news on here.

Sigma40: Get a grip. This dress code is practically verbatim from my work handbook and I work in the private sector. In fact mine is much more restrictive - i.e. no sundresses, backless, strapless garments etc. - OMG what am I going to wear in the summer? Lol. It's an insult? It's called common practice. Get over it people. I can't imagine this is even an issue for 90% of the teachers who probably dress this way anyway out of 1) common sense & 2) pride for their job. As for the kids - I can't believe there isn't a dress code.

I like the policy.

I would first like to see a dress code for the kids. Actually uniforms across the board! Then worry about the teachers. But honestly when I was younger, teachers dressed very nice. Wearing jeans occasionally was a privilage..

Its not the actual dress code that is the issue people, its the whole concept and message it sends. Having a dress code is basically telling the teachers that you dont think they are capable of dressing themselves appropriately, it is kind of disprespectful. Like most places you work at in the handbook it usually states something that you just need to be dressed appropriately. Defining this is insulting to people. If a teacher is not dressed appropriately it is the principals job and he should just say something to the teacher and not create a whole dress code. I cant view the dress code my PC at work wont read it for some reason. But what next? Do we define what teachers are allowed to bring to school for lunch? God forbit a student seeing a teacher eat something not healthy, and with the obesity epidemic kids could get fat seeing a teacher eat inapropriately.

I think this is a great dress code for the staff. Why is it just for the staff? Why can't it be enforced for the kids too? I think a lot of the "dis-respect" with kids today stems from the attire we allow them to wear. They have no respect for themselves, therefore, there is no respect for anything.

Keep up the good work!

MH - You are correct about "jeans" - I see MANY people attending church even wearing very nice looking jeans. Maybe the School Board can start another dress code at their church - silly people making silly rules. Time to get back to being more concerned with education.

Wholly crap...right it down. This is the third time I've agreed with Sigma. The nail was hit right on the head. Fear is also correct. The school board made it political. They are just trying to give the JEA a preview of the 2013 contract ending. Waste of time! As stated many more students at all levels dress completely inappropriately for school than do the teachers.

*

School Board: Look at ways to better education not piss off the people doing the educating...Doesn't that make sense?

Jeans are not just "hard labor farmer clothes" anymore these days. Very nice dark color jeans are worn at a casual business situation, any woman clothing brand sells them as "trouser jeans".

I don't know about jeans, but the tasteful part can be an issue - thinking of female teachers/staff (in Milton) who wear low-cut cleavage-baring blouses/dresses with spaghetti straps (either obviously with no bras or else with the bra straps showing which is one of my pet peeves right up there with boxers above the waistband). Also, although not addressed here, I would say that it's not appropriate for teachers to wear the level of makeup at school that you would at a nightclub/goth look/raccoon eyes. While nothing inappropriate shows, it's a distraction just like the hair and face paint that is not allowed on spirit days. My grade school age kids ask questions about why certain teachers persist in doing that, so it is noticed.

My biology teacher, Mr. J. Harwood Evans, typically taught in a three piece suit. I never once felt demeaned by his attire, even though I "came from the wrong side of the tracks." Most other male teachers wore shirt and tie outfits. I'm still undamaged.
. . .
But it is true, a decent pair of jeans [not torn & tattered] and a sweatere/shirt combo also presents “professional” image. Regardless of whether you have field trip, recess duty, or outside bus supervision duties.
. . .
During my elementary school years, patched denim and hand-me-downs were my normal situation. Never once did I feel demeaned or diminished by the few male teachers who dressed in sport shirt & tie [ jeans worn by either gender was not heard of ].
. . .
In today’s classroom, what REASONABLE [ we need italics! ] person could find fault with a teacher of either gender wearing a nice pair of jeans [any color], matched with tasteful shirt/blouse, etc.

I read the dress code, and I dont see anything wrong with it. Why shouldnt they follow a dress code of some kind? Many, many (most) other "jobs" follow some sort of dress code. Why should teachers be exempt? It certainly isnt rigid and un-doable...its mostly common sense! Why do teachers seem like they always want special treatment? Just wear what you normally wear---most of you (teachers) probably already meet the dress code without even knowing it.

Nothing like having a solution to a problem that did not exist. The right wing on the board loves the fact that they can flex their muscles and PROVE to everyone how much power they possess. Look for more of this in the future.

How important a person is shouldnt be dictated by the clothes they wear. Sending the message that someone is better than you because they dress better is a horrible message to send kids. How a person is dressed is the image people see. Why create the difference between teachers and students by dress? If teachers have a dress code then students should also. The key to succesful learning and teaching is to have the teacher and student on the same page as each other. If you create visible differences all you do is create a psychological barrier that keeps them from connecting 100%. I dont think most of you people can think that deep though.

I think the time the board spent on this was a waste of time. I have never seen any of the staff at my daughters school dressed inappropriately. I think that when the teachers are at the elementary level they need to be comfortable, as a huge part of the teaching process is interactive with the students, which sometimes means sitting on the floor, kneeling on the floor, standing outside in very cold or very warm weather. I truly think that if they were going to waste time with a dress code it should have been for the students not the teachers. I see more students at every level inappropriately dressed then I have ever seen teachers.

Another example of when right wing goofies get in power, they think they can return us to some dream world that never was, and all will be well. They love to tell other people what to do. Exactly what they constantly rail against. Can you say hypocrites righties. What a sorry group we have on our board.

""Dear Fear, stop trying to throw politics into this."" Dear user, it is political, nothing more. Just because ou agree with it doesnt mean that its in any wayy reasonable to treat people like garbage in a power play. This is a school board acting as if they are administrators. Do you really believe that there is some rampant dress code isue in Janesville that cannot be handled by administrators that are already paid good money to do so? Maybe each board member should be assigned a school to rule?
You should really look at this for what it is. Its not whining, its disrespect, plain and simple. Not about educating kids, about whether jeans are acceptible. Again tell me how many 1st graders will see their teacher in jeans and be negativel affected by it. This is just an illusion and a sign of things to come from this board. Sadder days are ahead, teachers here in Janesville are about to be dragged through the mud by the political minority here. I have said it before and will say it again, we NEED to change how school board members get elected here. 1 on 1 matchups is the only way to get a feel for the candidate and what the stand for, and their true reasons for wanting to run for school board. Passing this dress code and screwing teachers out of salary/benefits are what these people and the political minority want. If fiscal sanity were their goal the would look at the self funded insurance that is already there and work WITH the JEA. Does anyone think these people care about a single teacher in the district? No they care about union hatred, the care about an extra 10 bucks on their property taxes, oh wait sidewalks are coming, never mind. But hey at least we have a rule that teachers aren't allowed to wear jeans to school or show clevage!! WIN!! For who is what I wonder.

Again the School Board manipulated into thinking what they're doing is important. Keeps them from discussing anything of importance. Why don't they bring up charging for parking again. That should blow some time.

"If 'your' important, 'than'" finish school"! Remember, "you don't get a second chance 'on your' first impression." Just...reiterating (or is it "re-literating"?)

In any case, I can almost hear the celebratory "whine" being swallowed around town. Or should I perhaps more appropriately remark, "I can most here the celibatory whim barn swallows round tone"?

However, I don't think it will hurt the teachers to "come out of the closet" sporting their work clothes for a bit. It can't hurt the grades any!

Must be a crime now days to actually have standards to follow. Dear Fear, stop trying to throw politics into this.

I thought the tea party board members were about saving tax dollars, guess not.

If, as fear says..."This will change NOTHING."
Then why are they getting so upset about it?

Just carry on and quit whining.

I read the dress code and it seems fair to me, exceptions are allowed for teachers of young children, phy ed., shop and other classes/departments where business casual is well, stupid. Now lets get back to educating the children O.K.

This will change NOTHING. Principals are already the ones in charge of enforcing it.
Bassman-Teachers already look as professional as need be. This is just the board flexing its muscles, oh ya and wasting time not doing ANYTHING about actually making schools in Janesville a better place for kids to get educated. I am sure that if a 1st grade teacher wears a pair of Jeans to school occasionall that he/she will lose all respect of his/her students. Said it before sa it again, this is a bunch of old crabby people or insurance salesman that are under illusions that our schools are like a business. Let me ask you this, if we are going to enforce a dress code on Teachers , dn't you think its time for one for kids? Funny how "freedom loving" conservatives want freedom, just not freedom to dress yourself. I could see this being a problem if there were mass reports of stinky teachers in t-shirts and shorts, but we dont have it. All we have is a board and certain members of it who are drooling over their newl found power over teachers. When there isn't a ONE of them who could effectively teach a kindergarten class. Wear your business suits on finger painting day, I dare you. When you have recess duty in 10 degree days enjoy your business slacks on the playground for 15-30 minutes. This is what happens when you have ridiculous, unreasonable people making decisions about a workplace they know very little if nothing about.

I don't see the dress code affecting anyone, or if it does it will be for the better. And there's exceptions, and the Gazette even provided the link!

If your important, than look important. The teachers in my day wore dress clothes not every day clothes. You don't get a second chance on your first impression,just saying!

Shows you how stuck back in time Janesville is.