Man points out how schools are offering 'jeans pass' as a reward to teachers: 'It is insulting'
A man says that if a school artificially restricts a practice just so that they can use it as a reward later then it is not a sign of good leadership.
Sometimes, not only students but even teachers feel that certain rules imposed by school management are unreasonable. Especially when it comes to appropriate clothing permitted within school premises. Recently, education philosopher and author Justin Baeder shed light on this topic, explaining why giving a 'jeans pass' as a reward to teachers seems manipulative and "insulting." When a school principal informed teachers that they could earn jeans passes if they lived up to a certain expectation, Baeder considered it a lack of good leadership.
Though the education philosopher wasn't sure what exactly earned teachers a jeans pass, he felt that this was not what instructional leadership should look like. Maybe the idea of wearing jeans was considered too casual or not - either way the school management "artificially restricting" wearing jeans only to "dole it out as a reward" was an "insulting" approach. "How infantilizing is that to teachers to say, 'It's okay for you to wear jeans but only if I say so and only if you please me by jumping through some hoop'," Baeder said. He emphasized how teachers would feel infantilized and manipulated when they are treated this way. "If it's okay with a pass, it's okay without a pass," he said.
Pointing out how teachers need to be treated as adults and professionals, Baeder said just because people like to win prizes that doesn't mean they can be treated as a "token economy experiment." Suggesting an effective solution, the author said, "If you want to get people to do things, look at intrinsic motivation, look at being a leader, look at being competent, look at giving people a reason to do the things that you care about," and added, "Don't try to bribe them with dumb things like jean passes." With over 67000 views, this video garnered great support on the social media platform.
"Admin encouraged us to pay $5. They cited a study that said teachers work less stressed in jeans. Why not jeans daily then for free?" commented @gypsykind150. "After years of Jean passes and Jean Fridays, I work at a school that allows jeans. I think the difference is trusting adults to look professional with jeans and then speaking to those who are abusing it," wrote @kaelibe. "Teachers are treated like we’re still students. When will we be treated as professionals?" commented @itskirstinrenee.
@eduleadership Jeans passes are infantilizing. It’s either OK to wear jeans to work, or it’s not. Don’t artificially restrict it so you can dole it out as a reward. #education #teachersoftiktok #principalsoftiktok #edleadership #jeans #teacherquittok ♬ original sound - Justin Baeder, PhD
Baeder had already spoken about this context in a video from last year, where he emphasized how jean passes were a sign of a lack of professionalism. Though the intention of school management to recognize teachers' efforts and reward them comes from a good place, the author pointed out that treating teachers like children is not the way to it. "No amount of goodwill or kindness after that point can get us back to where we need to be," said Baeder. So, he mentioned that educators needed to be seen as professionals and be allowed to make their own professional decisions on what was appropriate to wear. "We have to treat people like adults if we want people to do professional work," Baeder said.
@eduleadership If jeans are OK with a jeans pass, teachers should be able to wear them all the time. #education #teachersoftiktok #edleadership #principalsoftiktok #professionalism ♬ original sound - Justin Baeder, PhD
You can follow Justin Baeder (@eduleadership) on TikTok for more content on education.
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