Society

Teachers told to exercise decorum in classroom

By Wang Hongyi (China Daily)
Updated: 2010-09-17 09:20
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SHANGHAI - "No skin-tight or sleeveless attire and no cleavage Clothes should not be transparent or too revealing Wrinkled and filthy clothes should also be avoided."

This is not a business dress code, but one of the latest rules issued for primary and middle school teachers in Nanjing, capital of East China's Jiangsu province.

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The document, released by the Nanjing education bureau on Monday, proposes 15 rules covering teachers' dress and behavior, which were drawn up in an effort to improve their professional image.

"Whether engaged in teaching activities or out in public, clothes should reflect teachers' professional characteristics - elegant, graceful, befitting a teacher and in step with the times," the rules said.

According to the document, they are advised to be upright, solemn, cultured and elegant in their appearance, without applying heavy makeup or wearing jewelry that is ostentatious. Teachers' use of peculiar colors to dye their hair and painted fingernails are also banned.

As a professional group, teachers have always played an important role in cultivating social etiquette and manners in students. They represent a model for others to emulate, an official from Nanjing education bureau said.

The document advises teachers how to sit, stand and walk. They are required to stand erectly in the classroom, without leaning against the wall or walking up and down the aisles. They are further told to communicate with their students as equals and to smile.

"To dress appropriately in the classroom is part of a teacher's job," said a Tianjin teacher, surnamed Wang.

"I would never wear my weekend clothes to work in the presence of students. Teachers' appearance conveys a message to students, their parents and even society," she said.

"Students like to imitate the way adults speak and behave, so teachers should help them establish good etiquette and manners."

Another woman, surnamed Ge, said she was frequently appalled by some of the fashions worn by young teachers, which she branded "too trendy" and incapable of setting a good example for students.

"Teachers exercise a formative influence in shaping children's character," she said, suggesting that the regulation be expanded across the country.

A parent, surnamed Li, said: "Many of the teachers' daily dress choices are within the acceptable range - not 'too loud' in the classroom. They are normal people, who are entitled to have a normal life outside school."

In response to the new rules, some teachers voiced their objections, with one of them posting a comment on Sina.com that teachers will feel confined by such regulation, which gives them less choice in their lives.