Should Teachers in Karachi Wear Uniforms?

My vote is "YES"

I personally think that schools' administration should start thinking about the idea of setting a particular dress code or uniforms for their staff.  There is this daily issue of what a particular teacher might be wearing today or whatsoever, so to avoid such puzzles, why not set a really nice and decent uniform for them?

While some teachers come to school in a presentable dress, some really disappoints you. But we cannot blame them for that too. What if that's what they can afford only or they really have this weird choice.

Once they come in uniforms, not only will it add to the standard of your school, they will look very decent and professional at the same time. Three sets of uniform for the whole year is not a bad idea at all.

Some teachers may find it expensive and extra expenses but it is all justified by the fact that now they will be able to save from making new dresses once in a while and instead spend just once on these.

Another important thing that just be part of the rule is Teachers' Hygiene which is very important not just for the school environment but for students too. Remember , children learn from what they see more than what they hear. They should take shower daily and come to school smelling fresh. They might not be able to retain their freshness till off timings, so a solution for this is they use deodorant. They can easily buy one from Rs.95 and above depends on the brand, this should be a burden for them. Rs. 95 or even 150 every month shouldn't be a burden. But if the school administration is rich and has a big heart, why not gift your teachers one if not every month every three months ? :D

Picture taken from http://www.graphicsfactory.com

This post is related to my previous post "Should Teachers Dress Up" and I'm kind of giving a suggestion to solve the issue discussed earlier which is neglected by most schools. I hope somebody authorized reads this and would make a difference.

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Should Teachers Dress Up?

Well YES! Teachers in most of other countries wear uniform and look really good and decent in that. But in Pakistan, uniform is not introduced in schools yet for teachers, well not that I heard of.

We are individuals and have our own taste in every matter including dressing up. Not everyone looks as pleasing as you might expect because you might not like her choice of dress. But, hygiene and neatness is something that is common and should be common to each of one whether you're a Pakistani or American.

In school, one get to see teachers cat walking around the school ,showing off their style and fashion which I,as a Head love to see because I like teachers to look their best all the time.

Here's the actual situations in most of the schools. In normal days, like during regular classes, teachers do not pay too much attention on what they wear and end up looking like a great disappointment. The young teachers , the ones below 30 try their best to look good which is appreciable. Though some of them over do it by wearing really large accessories. The "little bit older" teachers, the married ones you can say, come to school in their house dress, very lousy looking and stinks a lot as if they have changed their babies' diapers but not their clothes.

Coming to school in a bad condition shows how disorganized, un-interested and unhappy you are. When you are in school, you are a different person and should leave behind all your worries at home because you are going to deal with different people specially your students. Before anything else, you are the first your students are going to interact first, so the more pleasant you look,the more happy the day will be for your students as well as for you. Kids idolize their teachers,  they look up to you as someone they would want to become when they grow up specially the girls. Show them how you would want to see them and how you would want to be seen. Think about this deeply.

So prepare your clean clothes the day before going to school so you get enough time to choose for the best, doing this in the morning the same day you got to school, will make you choose hurriedly and you'd end up picking a "not-so-good"  dress or a dress you've been wearing for the last 4 days. You don't want that , do you?

Iron your clothes neatly and shower daily to avoid unwanted and unbearable odor.  Please take care of how you smell too, I get a really bad headache whenever a staff member enters my office spreading a really unpleasant smell around the place and you don't want to leave such an impression to anyone. Buy yourself a good deodorant , a nice body powder or perfume/body spray. Your kids will love you for this as well as colleagues.

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Checking of Notebooks/Copies- A Problem for Teachers

As a child, I always saw my teacher as a celebrity who wears good clothes, nice shoes, carry a good handbag, who can sing very well as she teaches us how to sing the nursery rhymes , gives us work to do and checks them. Checking was the best part of being a teacher, I thought so. I just loved the idea of being able to mark a tick with a red pen.

But only after I became a teacher myself did I realize , checking copies is no game for kids and in fact the most difficult task for a teacher. Being in this profession, you get to do a lot of checking whether as a teacher or Head. As a Head the main problem with teachers as per my observation is very late checking of notebooks. For me it's a blunder not just by a teacher but from the school too. As a teacher , I had no one to guide me on how to solve this problem but now, I would like to take this opportunity to share what I learnt and discovered to be the best technique in keeping track of your checking.

How to be on time in  checking students' work

After giving the students their work, keep moving around the class and watch out for the student who finishes her/his work first and check it immediately. Continue this till the last copy but don't worry if you are left with few copies to be checked after the period is over because it's normal. You must be wondering how you will be able to check the copies so quickly as it would need a thorough concentration. So there's also a solution to that. When you are on round, don't move blankly but instead keep an eye on what the student's are writing and catch their mistakes and make them correct it there and then. In that way you will only just need to put a "tick" on it.

Another important point is, do not waste your time in chatting while in the staff room and make checking of copies a priority. Once done, you can chat as much as you can. ;)

Voila!! Problem solved.

The above is what I think is the biggest problem but I'll be coming back with other problem that teachers face while working.

Do let me know if you have any problem that you face in the classroom and are seeking for solution.

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