Thursday, July 12, 2007

business casual

I'm about to leave for the ASHA Schools conference in Pittsburgh to present our poster presentation with my fabulous research partner. We are ridiculously excited that, not only do we get to present our research at a national conference, but that we get to go on a 'business trip' like real people.

The dress for 3 full days of presenters is business casual. I do not have 3 full days of business casual clothing acceptable to wear in the summer time. If it was 3 days of combined seasons I'd be able to pull it off, no problem. Or perhaps one day of formal wear, and 2 days of business casual.

Since it's for educators, does business casual include my very nice skirts that have paint on them from where I bent down to talk to Jose and ended up sitting in his spilled paint? My expensive pants that have marker on the knee from where Rosa got overly excited and waved her marker-holding hand in the air? The very fabulous linen skirt that seems permanently wrinkled from sitting criss-cross-applesauce on the rug?

My professional clothes seem to be like a quilt, each piece telling a story of an adventure in my classroom. I just don't think that's what they mean by business casual.

1 comment:

Suzanne G. said...

First of all, I suggest that you open your presentation with a discussion of your "business casual" through the story of your clothing. Segue from there into your presentation.

Your presentation is like a novella and you are the heroine. The main character in a story needs to have some flaws or we cannot identify with them. Flaws make us like them and root for them as they live the story (your presentation).

I'd go with the linen or the paint.

Secondly, I'm leaving teaching because I was not renewed by my principal. I've been teaching 8 years and have either been lain off by budget cuts (music teacher) or this (very hurtful). I'm demoralized, but I love to teach.