Looking the part

Tomorrow marks the beginning of the new school year for many schools across the United States. The school in which I am employed is no exception to this. First days, or first impressions for that matter, are paramount in any given situation. For the students, first days can be both exciting and intimidating. I, myself, can remember many first days of school during my middle and high school journey. The thought of, "Where will I sit at lunch?" in particular always troubled me. Of course, as always, the first day jitters subside and eventually fade unleashing the humdrum days of learning in full force.

Even as a teacher, I still get these first day jitters in excess. Of course now I know full well where I will be sitting at lunch. No... my jitters often involve my wardrobe. Be that as it may, I believe the key to setting a positive and professional tone for the school year lies with first day apparel.

Being my third year working in a school, I have developed a certain strategy for attaining the perfect outfit to set the aforementioned tone. I do not want to appear too casual. Nor do I want to appear too professional. Either of these in excess would give off an inaccurate representation of who I am. A happy medium must be reached that expresses both professionalism and fun.

This is the sort of outfit that requires careful and painstaking planning. Allow me, if you will, to break this down.

Socks

The idea of socks may seem rather mundane to some. Especially since no one really sees them during the day. However, socks that border the line between simple and quirky have often made a good conversation starter. 

Socks that I wore to "New Teacher Orientation"

These socks, for example, may seem to be too flashy. In my case, however, they just happen to match the school's colors. This is a win.... all-around.

Ties

This is pretty self-explanatory. Neck ties of any sort of awesome. Bow ties, in particular, give an almost post-modern look that is clearly too detailed to go into. (At least in this post)

Some of my ties...

So which one do I choose... That is the question for the ages.

I could go on for hours.... and hours.

In summation, I suppose the real cusp of this matter is the notion of confidence. If I feel confident, then theoretically, others should feel confident via osmosis. Either way, on the first day of school tomorrow, I will unequivocally "look the part."



For those interested in looking the part, here are some starting points.

1. The Best Socks on the Planet!
   
2. Excellent Ties