<p>D will be student teaching four days a week in the fall. She’s been away all summer and will just have a couple of weeks to pull together a suitable wardrobe, so I’m sure I’ll be helping. She has a few pieces, but is basically a skinny jeans plus interesting top kind of girl. What’s appropriate for the classroom these days? I guess she’ll be able to take some cues from the teachers when it comes to cold weather clothing, but has to start off with three or four outfits that will do for early fall. I’m thinking black pants and black flats with some kind of blouse and maybe a cardigan, but then I’m out of ideas. </p>
<p>business casual should be fine - but with comfortable shoes - no jeans, no low cut tops - dress pants or khakis (any color) with simples shirts or sweaters.</p>
<p>Talbots & Lands End have some nice business casual pieces. I believe most of their summer items are on clearance now.</p>
<p>My daughter is a 4th grade special ed teacher. She wears Toms flats most days, leggings or khaki/twill pants, occasionally some nice crop pants, and blouses or knit tops before cold weather kicks in. She is a major outlet shopper and especially likes the teacher discount at her local J. Crew outlet. </p>
<p>Everything needs to be washable. Black pants are great but show every trace of glue sticks and um…nasal discharge from upset kids. Also the pants and tops need to keep her back side covered when she’s bending over, which will be most of the time. Shoes must be comfortable and stay on if she has to suddenly move quickly. </p>
<p>I agree with all the others. Many of our teachers wear long skirts and maxi dresses as well. No one dresses very formal but not sloppy either. Cover up key parts of the body. You don’t want to be bending over a 5th grader and noticing where his eyes are going! Likewise, nothing real short. We had a new teacher wear very tiny shorts and a tank top for first day that teachers were back (no students) and that made a big stir in a negative way.</p>
<p>Layering is helpful in many schools since they often have trouble regulating the temperature. Last year my students had math in a classroom that was 65 degrees while our homeroom was often 78 or higher. The above suggestions are good, especially comfortable shoes. Student teachers should be careful to not dress the same as the most casual dresser in the building. They should aim for above the building’s average while not being so dressy that it is hard to work with students. On the other hand, most staff members and teacher evaluators remember how hard it is to pull together a new wardrobe. We are used to seeing the same pieces–even entire outfits-- more than once in the same week. MommaJ I hope your D likes her student teaching experience!</p>
<p>I have some very comfortable dresses from Boden that I like to teach in (I have to wait for a good sale). I wear Toms in the warm weather, and boots and leggings in the cooler weather. I also got a couple of sports bras that are solid colors and come up high which look just like a cami if they peak out from a shirt and prevent bending over problems (see Maia from Moving Comfort). Tops need to not only cover the backside, but also the midriff when your hands are over your head. Lots of cardigans for temperature variations.</p>
<p>Last year I bought three pair of black pants an two pair of black leggings. I wore them all week with different tops or knee length dresses over the leggings. For fall, ballet flats, winter, comfortable boots. I teach elementary art so have found that tops with prints disguise stains, etc. </p>
<p>Have to chuckle and know that some of those leggings above are a result of our famous “leggings” thread last winter!!! 
</p>
<p>Hi, as a teacher the single most important thing for me is comfy shoes! There is nothing worse than being on your feet all day and wearing heels that are too high. Also remember that for small children, you inevitably bend over a lot – skirts can’t be too short, tops can’t be too low. A couple of sweaters that go with everything will help. I second ^ post, everything shold be washable!</p>
<p>Um…I don’t know any 20 something student teachers who would consider shopping at Talbots…or Lands End! </p>
<p>Comfort is important. Your daughter needs flat shoes with a sole that won’t slip on slippery school floors. Toms are a good choice, but any other flat and comfortable shoe would be good too.</p>
<p>My 20 something daughter substitutes at a high school, she has grey, black, and tan business casual style slacks from places like Banana Republic and Ann Taylor Loft. She has tops that are a bit more modest (translation, not as low cut and not as sheer) as what she might choose when going out with friends. She always takes a lightweight cotton sweater with her as temps do vary in the rooms.</p>
<p>Key things…your daughter will be bending over, and possibly sitting on the floor. The little kid chairs are little! She needs to have clothes that will work in this environment. So…things that are too tight or too low cut just won’t work.</p>
<p>Leggings with longer cute tops sound fine to me.</p>
<p>If your daughter is teaching elementary school, she needs to find out if she will be doing recess duty outdoors. For that, I used to switch into sneakers, and I kept a warm jacket, hat and gloves at school. If she will be doing outdoor bus duty, she needs a raincoat of some kind and an umbrella.</p>
<p>The key…she needs to look like she is going to work, not out for drinks with her friends!</p>
<p>My daughter bought a bunch of things on sale at Loft that have served her well. Solid slacks in various colors along with twin sets or other medium weight tops. A sweater or two would be good, and definitely several pairs of comfortable flats, but not TOO flat because that can be tough on the feet and back when standing all day. She did a lot of mix and match stuff with a couple of nice blouses/sweaters to be a little dressier for meetings or observations. Comfort and washability are key.</p>
<p>^^^ Yep to that last sentence!</p>
<p>If you have a JCrew outlet near you you can really find some great sales on their stuff - pants, skirts, dresses, tops - and if she shows a school ID she gets an extra discount - sign up for their email alerts. :)</p>
<p>I think it depends on the school,and the part of the country.
I would dress a touch more formally than the tenured teachers at my daughters school, some of whom wore flip flops and jeans, but I would make comfort the priority, including comfortable shoes.
Boots are good, I have two pairs of these Merrells, plus waterproof as a bonus.
[Captiva strap](<a href=“http://www.shoes.com/en-US/Product/EC1319924-5181638/MERRELL/Espresso/Womens+Captiva+Strap+Waterpro.aspx?campaign=MERRELL&CMP=KNC-adwordspla&cpc=adwordspla&gclid=Cj0KEQjwvLGfBRDfkrr19KDS-7YBEiQA8CoFJxuYwmGGFAdZt8S4TNqy7kPMbA8JIyBumylCeDAobIkaApkq8P8HAQ&k_clickid=6abfc839-fd12-71c9-3ad4-00000cfa5e5d&KPID=5181638-EC1319924-10.0M&partnerid=adwordspla”>http://www.shoes.com/en-US/Product/EC1319924-5181638/MERRELL/Espresso/Womens+Captiva+Strap+Waterpro.aspx?campaign=MERRELL&CMP=KNC-adwordspla&cpc=adwordspla&gclid=Cj0KEQjwvLGfBRDfkrr19KDS-7YBEiQA8CoFJxuYwmGGFAdZt8S4TNqy7kPMbA8JIyBumylCeDAobIkaApkq8P8HAQ&k_clickid=6abfc839-fd12-71c9-3ad4-00000cfa5e5d&KPID=5181638-EC1319924-10.0M&partnerid=adwordspla</a>)
Classrooms are sometimes like the vintage Volkswagen bugs. The heat is either on or off. So you could be freezing or more likely overheated, in which case you may want to keep some slip on shoes for the classroom and wear the boots for recess.
Print dresses are cute, comfortable and don’t show as much as solid colors.
Skorts are also very practical and I find them much more comfortable & flattering than pants.
A dress/skirt matching sweater will be enough for most staff meetings, as I wouldn’t dress much better than other faculty, especially at first, since they will be evaluating you to see if you fit in.
I buy almost all my clothing at Patagonia, REI,Title nine or Athleta.
I have a few lined corduroy dresses from Boden, that are really cute, but not great for moving around much.
I like knit dresses, like the Patagonia Margot, although it is low cut enough that I usually wear a cheap camisole from Costco underneath it unless I am going out. It also looks cute with leggings.
Prana, Horny Toad, Merrell and Royal Robbins are other brands that are made like iron that are stocked at activewear stores like REI.
<a href=“Women's Casual Dresses by Patagonia”>Women's Casual Dresses by Patagonia;
<p>Patagonia clothing especially can last for decades, even though it can be pricey.
JCrew imo is overpriced for the quality, although inbetween seasons they can have amazing sales.
( their outlet carries stuff made for the outlet, so it is even poorer quality. 
)
They also have an education discount. I believe.</p>
<p>TEACHER’S DISCOUNTS: if your daughter teaches, tell them to always ask if there’s a discount for teachers. When I taught I was astonished at how many places gave teachers discounts. </p>
<p>Umm…where I worked, there was a very minimal dress code for teachers that specifically prohibited flip flops, any clothing that was sheer or short or low cut, jeans (except on special fundraiser days) and shorts. </p>
<p>We were also asked NOT to wear outdoor boots IN the building, or shoes with soles that left black marks on the floor.</p>
<p>So…perhaps the OP’s daughter should contact her cooperating teacher to see if there is a dress code of any kind…although a business casual type of garb would be suitable for most anywhere.</p>
<p>And FYI, one doesn’t have to get more dressed up for faculty meetings. You just wear whatever you wear to school. At our staff meetings on days prior to when the students actually came to school, we were in meetings for part of the day, and were setting up our rooms the other part. We were permitted to wear very casual clothing on those days as often we were moving furniture.</p>
<p>No one is going to judge your daughter on her clothing unless it is extremely provocative…which is unlikely.</p>
<p>D’s grade 6-12 school had several young beginning teachers last year. They all dressed what most would call “business casual”, but not what some above suggestions read “preppy” to me. That is, no twin sets, but artsy sweaters for example. Seattle’s not very skirt-friendly, so I saw pants only, but you can dress those up or down. The teens and young 20’s around here wear tank tops under many kinds of shirts to make them more modest as well as for variation-many of the teen-centric stores sell these tanks in dozens of colors. Not everyone can fit a sports bra. </p>
<p>My niece teaches and does wear dresses with jackets or sweaters, but her shoes are always, always comfort shoes-some styles aren’t too ugly and they beat having pain all day (as a comfort-shoe wearer myself). It makes a difference what grade you’re teaching. Lower elementary teachers are going to be bending down, playing with glue, etc. while high school teachers are going to need to look older than their students and will likely bee standing quite differently than primary teachers. Also, weather and location matter. In Seattle, teachers can be very, very casual, and are allowed to show tattoos. That’s not the case in D’s district.</p>
<p>Places like Express or NYand Co have good dressy clothes for her age. </p>
<p>Thanks everyone for all the good ideas. The bending over/crouching down thing (front and back issues) is the sort of thing I would never have considered. D’s been working with kids all summer (older ones, though), so she may be way ahead of me on the practicalities. </p>
<p>@thumper1, D won’t even know her school assignment until a few days before she starts, so she can’t contact the teacher for advice. Big city, myriad possibilities.</p>
<p>D is hard to fit, so factory outlets and small stores with limited selections are not a good option–we don’t have a J. Crew Outlet in our area anyway.</p>
<p>I’m not concerned about her impressing anyone–it’s more a matter of fitting in and being comfortable. </p>
<p>I’m remembering my own elementary school days when every female teacher (and they were all female) wore skirts, hose and heels. And it wasn’t a problem for them because they never bent over to address us or work with us, more like they delivered instructions and discipline from on high. On the other hand, they did deliver an occasional hug, and that’s not even permitted any more.</p>