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Old 10-29-2007, 02:25 PM   #23
katepoet
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Join Date: Sep 2007
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We were taught to beware of vanity but that clean and neat counted a lot. I am always surprised when I show up to tutor and my student is disheveled and hasn't even brushed teeth!

If I drink coffee on the way to a session I always chew a piece of strong peppermint gum in the car before I meet a student. I have only shown up once without earrings and that was short notice and I couldn't get my hands and feet working well to do everything I normally do so I had to run so as not to be late. I wear clean, neat clothes in the style I think of as "casual prof" top tucked in, often a vest or jacket, modest jewelry, tidy hair - well, the point is it seems so thoughtless and disrespectful to show up the way they do.

We were also taught that it matters that you make others comfortable for the most part, not to the point of compromising ethics but doing your best not to alienate them. As young adults we were all much more casual about that and I don't believe women should have to dress in dresses or with heels to be professional or dressed up at all. But I do still think clean, neat and appropriate go a long way.

I get a little embarrassed because I have to wear sneakers to be able to walk at this point. I have a black pair for dress occasions but they aren't as supportive as my running shoes so my walk is gimpier in them. But they work well with black dress slacks and a navy blazer.
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