The Image You Portray
My mind has been thinking hard about what to post on here and today I had an incident that sparked this blog. Image. What does image mean here at Arapahoe? Is it what you wear or is it more than that? On a personal level, what kind of image do you think you are potraying towards your students or towards your colleagues? What kind of image do you want to model for your students and how do you know if you are accomplishing that? And when the image is distorted on both ends, how can you change it (ends referring to you and your students).
posted by Señorita DiSepio at 7:53 AM
16 Comments:
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I think about what kind of image I’m portraying to my students and co-workers every day. I think it’s important to be a positive person and obviously to be a person with good morals and character. However, I think the outward image or your presentation of what you wear/what you look like is what is important on a day to day basis here at AHS. Right or wrong, good or bad image is very important at AHS and pretty much anywhere else you go weather it be to shop or to work. Image is very important.
I think that image has more clout than we may even realize. Whether conscious or unconscious, I feel that we are treated (by admin., peers, and students) in a way that reflects upon the image that we are portraying. Something to ponder...
I feel that the image we portray sometimes has more effect on the way we are treated than our actual professional abilities. I've known great teachers who get hounded because they have a less than polished image and sub-par teachers who rack up the praise because they portray an extremely polished image. It may not be fair, but I think that the image we portray is very important in our profession.
Parents, students, and administrators do judge us to some extent on the image that we portray, either through dress or attitude. To be fair, I know I am guilty of doing the same thing sometimes.
With my experience in several schools, I can say that AHS isn't the most image-conscious school in which I have worked, but it's not the least either. I think in the end you have to look at the image of the school in the community to judge whether you are portraying an image that fits with that.
It is vital for a teacher to portray the best image possible. I know that after parent conferences I was reminded of how students may perceive me. When a student considers me a role model that reminds that what I do makes a difference whether positive or negative. How you act as a teacher makes a difference.
I agree with Crow and Grantham. The image you portray is very important. The way you dress, the people you surround yourself with, and your general professionalism all play a part in the "The Image You Portray"
As teachers, I think we have the responsibility to portray a positive image. Students need to respect you as a person before they open themselves up to learning. I think image is apart of that. If the students and the staff see you as a professional then what you say or do as a positive impact.
I would agree with everything said so far... Image is vital to AHS and it is important to the administration that all of the staff members in the building work to support the image that has been built up. Of course, as a counselor, I try to see past image because I believe image is really only half the battle. Students may decide to portray themselves in a particular way, but when you really get to know them, their image and their personality sometimes aren't congruent. Though image is important for the job (to earn respect), in my mind being a professional consists of much more than just putting on a suit!
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The image I portray to my students is one I find interesting on a daily basis. Does my "image" really extend beyond a "teacher?" My student assistant once said, "we don't care about your personal life." He wasn't trying to be rude in any way and was actually trying to get his teacher to teach him the material rather than ramble about their life. I found this comment interesting because sometimes as teachers we work so hard to build relationships with students by talking about ourselves rather than allowing them to talk about their selves.
“Image” for teachers is one of the most important factors in our job. As a teacher, we not only represent Arapahoe High School, but we are representatives of the community surrounding AHS.
Most important, we are role models for our students, thus we must set good examples through the image we portray. Since I started teaching, I feel as though I am under a spotlight and am watched even outside of school (I’m only a little paranoid). Given this, our behaviors are not only observed in the classroom and around school, but also out in the community (especially for those who live around school) and we must act accordingly.
As we become more established as teachers, I think there becomes less focus on image, but we must continually remember that being a good role model is one of the most important parts of our jobs and professionalism (dress and behavior) is very important for the teaching profession itself.
Image - I am not sure where to go with this - there are so many possibilites. It is important for me to be seen as a community leader. I want my students to view our classroom as a community and I simply lead the community. I hope my students see how much I enjoy what I do and hopefully that makes the learning contagious. How do I know if I am accomplishing this? I do not have an instrument to collect data on this, but I have examples.
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Image. Hmmm…
I think a school’s climate (social, not weather) and surrounding community determine image expectations. Many of the parents in the AHS community are working professionals whose attire matches the business world’s expectations. In addition, AHS is located in a politically conservative community. Because of these factors, many, if not most, of the male teachers and administrators wear a tie at school. This is a bit more formal than I am used to, however, it was an expectation communicated to me right from the start. At the same time, a certain dress code exists among our students. Although we (adults) might not see it, students here attempt to distinguish themselves form other local high schools through their choice of clothing. I’m not really sure yet what label or brand (Old Navy, Abercrombie and Fitch, the Gap, etc.) is “AHS,” but I have no doubt there is one or a combination of labels/brands that our students feel uniquely identifies them as Warriors.
My image is very important to myself, my co-workers, and to my students. At the beginning of each year I always wear a shirt that has the school mascot or logo on it. This sends a message to the students that I am a proud member to my school and community. Not only what you wear, but also how you conduct yourself plays an important part of your image. Your body language and behavior in class or even in the hallways is open to interpretation from your students and peers. A classic example is if you think about a certain teacher you had no faith in or didn’t believe they were good a good teacher. How did they conduct themselves or what did they wear?
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