Monday, September 26, 2011

Letter from Massachusetts Department of Education (2005)

This letter was sent to me right before school started 6 years ago. I don’t remember if I read it or just skimmed it, but I didn’t pay much attention to it. I figured if any of my supervisors had a problem with what I was wearing, they would let me know.

I worked in a residential setting with students who had severe emotional and behavioral issues. Anytime you could make them smile for just 10 seconds was worth the effort. These students, along with my co-workers, really enjoyed the t-shirts I wore. Of course, I wore t-shirts that I thought would make everyone laugh. I would wear this one, this one, this one, and this one. I wouldn’t wear t-shirts like this one, this one, this one, or this one.

In the middle of the school year, one of my supervisors told me that I couldn’t wear t-shirts to work anymore. He told me that the letter sent to every teacher specifically said we couldn’t wear t-shirts. I asked for a copy of it, and this is what I got. I still can’t see where it says “no t-shirts”, but maybe my interpretation is just different. I kept wearing t-shirts, but made sure I had a buttoned shirt to cover up if I needed to. No one at work seemed to care, and students kept laughing when I wore them.

I hope all the hard-working teachers are off to a great school year, and aren’t letting their supervisors cramp their style too much!

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