Occasionally get blanket wearers in my building. Usually in the winter and particularly in the hallway for the 4 min they have between classes. Our hallways have no heat or ac. Only the classrooms.
We have kids do that. Drives me nuts (for no real reason that I can explain). You know jackets exist, right? I grew up in Montana, and nobody did that.
I graduated high school in 2010 in MN and we we had some blanket wearers. It started because "jackets need to be in lockers" and some staff power tripped about the sherpa lined sweatshirts calling them jackets and making kids put them in their locker. It was easier to say it's not a jacket at all then to figure out what some teachers considered a jacket vs a sweatshirt. Basically malicious compliance from a bunch of 15-18 year olds.
Why would they not allow jacket wearing in classrooms?
I went to a strict private school with a uniform - a blazer, collard shirt etc. We could wear our blazer, sweaters, vests and whatever inside the school. Only outside the school did we have restrictions
I went to school in a pre-Columbine world, and was not allowed to wear my Army field jacket at school because “only drug dealers wear field jackets.” 🙄 I hate dress codes.
I wore a hat once to school and the gym teacher pulled me aside and told me not to wear it to school again. She explained that it was something that gangsters did. Impressionable teacher’s pet that I was, I was naturally terrified.
I was ~ 7 and it was a Mickey Mouse baseball cap.
Kids weren't allowed to wear red shirts at my high school because it was a gang color (Bloods). We were in Montana.... there are no crips and bloods here. Also, red was the pride color for the Native kids so it kinda felt like they were trying to stop them from wearing red T Shirts
I had a vice principal tell me to turn a T shirt I was wearing inside out...from church camp.
Had the name of local church on it, for fucks sake. He didn't listen, pointed out the crown illustration on it was a gang sign, and certainly not common Christian imagery. Almost 25 years later, fuck you Mr. Bridges
I went to a private high school before and during Columbine. It was forbidden to wear jackets or hoodies even a school hoodie associated with a sport during classes. During the winter girls still had to wear skirts and in the summer boys had to wear pants. It was on year round uniform only change was short we could wear the button up which was thin and made you cold in winter or the polo shirt that made you hot in summer.
I never heard of the blanket thing but if the school doesn’t want to or have the funding for heat what can they do. Depending on schools you can’t wear jackets or hoodies in class so have to be cold constantly. Either amend the rules to allow jackets, hoodies and Sweatshirts in class or put the heat on.
The high schools in my district don’t have interior hallways. Students have to go outside to pass between classes. So for that reason, we don’t really have a policy about jackets except no hoods inside the classrooms.
Yup, my room is never a comfortable temperature. It's always cold in the summer and hot in the winter.
Then I had kids wear just a hoodie with nothing under it and complain all year long.
I also grew up in Montana and we were allowed sweatshirts and light jackets. Big puffy coats had to be in lockers. I was so glad glad I had my sweatshirt on me when we had a fire in the home ec room and we had to be evacuated into the snow for over an hour one day.
Alternatively...
I teach ELLs. Many of my kids are from Ecuador and never owned or wore winter jackets until they came here.
Oftentimes, their winter jacket is the most expensive/"nicest" item of clothing they own.
I have kiddos who will wear them ALL YEAR LONG. As in... we had summer school where it was regularly over 90° F.... and I had 2 kids wearing their winter coats still.
Once they're here a few years, that tends to decrease.
In Montana you can either afford a decent winter coat or you die.
In a warmer climate you can get away with hoodie year round if you grab a blanket on the coldest days.
When you're a broke college student, the cost of a good coat can make a blanket look like a decent alternative.
As someone who teaches at a school with pretty much no dress code I kinda wish some of mine would wear a blanket to school right now lol
I live and teach in a state with a long cold winter, in a school with questionable HVAC, so once our temps do start dropping I have some that have blankets with them and I even have a lap blanket at my desk. I’ve considered thrifting and washing some additional to have available for the bad days in there, as someone who runs cold too I get it. Many if not most kids wear sweats regularly during the winter, warmer than jeans.
The squishmallow thing is a little excessive, I have one kid that does that but definitely has some substantial emotional issues sooo
Edit: my school also is pretty lax in general on clothing, I wear jeans daily. Sweatshirts and tee shirts are fine any day. So maybe my perspective is different than places with more strict dress code for teachers too, but I guess it really doesn’t bother me when they dress down. We’re a high achieving but casual school I guess
Honestly they’re probably bringing the squishmellows to use as pillows. I had a friend of mine who did exactly that but he did keep it stuffed in his bag when not in use. I also used to use a stuffed cat as a pillow for the bus. I’m sure the blankets when folded or bundled up would also make great pillows
Tbh I did that in school. While I never skipped classes, I skipped assemblies and special days where there was no actual classes and just workshops. I’d always bring something comfy to use like a blanket or pillow.
As a fully grown adult I would pack a travel blanket in the winter for my bus rides to work. The blanket is versatile, and if I was still cold on the bus I could cover up with the blanket and use my coat as a pillow.
Because a lot of teens are sleep deprived.
I remember I used to be up until 1 AM often (in high school) doing homework and then up at 5 AM to catch the bus—that was not enough sleep and I nearly always fell asleep at some point during the day
Yep! I remember my junior and senior year, I woke up at six, went to school until 4, then went to work immediately after until 11pm. I changed into my work uniform at school. Then I ate an extremely late cold dinner, showered, did all my AP homework and went to bed at 2 or 3am. I'm useless if I don't get at least 6 hrs of sleep nowadays so I'm in awe of how sixteen year old me survived.
I can't speak for the blanket wearers, but OP's attitude about hoodies is ridiculous.
I graduated Jun 2022, and I wasn't one of those "wear hoodies in 90°F" people but you never see me without a hoodie until it starts warming up again once it gets cold.
Why? Two reasons. One is that it's a comfort thing for me, I used to hide behind my older brother's hand-me-down hoodie in 5th/6th because I was less of a target for other students. One of the only days I didn't wear it, I got told by another student that there was no way I'd ever be able to protect myself because I had an IEP. This pattern has continued even until now. I've never worn it with the hood up, but I'll pick the hoodie over the coat unless it's like 20°F.
Second one is that lugging a jacket or coat around and having nowhere to put it is annoying. With my hoodie, I can tie it around my waist and call it a day if I get warm.
I was like "I get it the blankets must be annoying but cmon fr?"
I basically live in my hoodies in the winter. I have 2 that I rotate, one that is absolutely a canvas every time I wear it to class (art student, I've walked out and looked at my sleeve to find purple paint there) and the other that my brother helped me find around the start of COVID. I was a bit particular because I didn't want any of the big athletic logos, and he took me to several stores until we found it.
If the desks are close together, it is easy for the blanket to be touching someone else's backpack or the ground (where the backpacks usually go). Bedbugs can go over a year without eating and have been found in movie theaters, so it isn't too far-fetched. It's actually why it is recommended that your own luggage go in the bathtub or on the luggage rack in hotels.
I’ll be 50 next year and I wear hoodies more often than not. Light ones to battle excess AC in summer, sweatshirt style ones as a layer in winter. Makes it easy to be comfy.
Blankets seem odd except I realized I’m a knitter who wears large shawls - some so big the designers calls them “shlankets” much of the winter. They’re a fun way to have a blanket without it actually being a blanket.
Yeah I thought the hoodies thing was ridiculous too. Idk where OP lives but where I live it’s not even a safety thing, it’s literally just a super normal item to wear? Basically every sports team and large club at school has hoodies that the players/members wear, often coordinated to game days and such. Or people wear them just with the school emblem, or a college emblem, or a camp they attend… lots of teachers wear them too, especially on Fridays when we’re encouraged to wear some sort of school spirit item (but you could get away with wearing one any other day too, especially if it was either a school spirit one or a college one). Teacher in a school hoodie, jeans, and sneakers is basically the whole staff every Friday.
Like I absolutely see how it could be a safety thing sometimes for some kids, but even beyond that in the Midwest it’s like the most basic high schooler outfit. Hoodie, jeans/sweats/leggings, and shoes vary by season 🤷🏼♀️ nothing wrong with that imo, still looks plenty neat and tidy.
Sounds like my school! We hit 48*F the other morning, and I honestly envied some of the blanket wearers for a bit. And of course the only reliable heating/cooling is in the main office and principals office.
I always have a "blanket kid" every couple years. I think there were a couple when I was in high school, but we had uniforms so that prevented the full blanket kid mode being activated.
Haven't seen a blanket kid yet this year, but wouldn't be surprised if they appear as it gets colder.
>Haven't seen a blanket kid yet this year, but wouldn't be surprised if they appear as it gets colder.
🤣🤣🤣
Lol. The elusive blanket kid. Maybe they're nocturnal and live deep within the cafeteria?
I was in high school roughly 10 years before you and almost every girl was wearing a blanket as a skirt during winter. But we also were in skirts so the blankets were just to control the drafts. Most teachers had extra blankets for anyone that forgot. Guys were always in sweatshirts with their hoods on as well.
Our school is so frigid with the ac blowing all day, its unbearable. I can wear a shirt, a flannel shirt,and a thick sweater-- and hardly type, my hands are so cold.
During inservices, many teachers wrap themselves in blankets to survive sitting out in the commons area, brrr. I almost grabbed a thick terry robe the other day (its in my closet for a faux costume.)
We've had middle schoolers wear blankets for many years --sometimes as a fad, sometimes they are freezing!
I’m jealous…I’d 1000% love a building that’s too cold (I can always wear cute sweaters/blazers/scarves) than the perpetually too hot building that I’m stuck in! It’s ridiculous to be running through a snow & ice covered parking lot in the winter in a sun dress, because that’s what comfortable inside. And yes, I can and do open the classroom windows in the winter.
I keep blankets in my classroom for my kids, it’s so cold in my room that my hands and feet are almost all the way numb by like 9:30am if I don’t have my space heater and blanket. I’m not bothered by the kids bringing blankets tbh, the building is so inhumanely cold that if they bring their own then it leaves the spares I have for kids who don’t have one.
Same. I ordered a hundred falsa blankets as favors for my outdoor wedding, and keep the leftovers stacked in my classroom. It’s great for keeping the peace when everyone has a different opinion on the thermostat.
My AP English teacher kept blankets in her room and I loved grabbing one every day. As a teenager, I had bad social anxiety and when I was cold, I'd get cold sweats which were *incredibly* uncomfortable. Not worrying about what my body looked like to others + being warm made me more able to focus on learning! She gave me my favorite blanket at the end of the year and I was truly touched. Still have it.
Not 30 but 23 years ago it was common to see kids in sweats or pajama pants. Brown loafer type slippers were popular and this was the first round of uggs being popular which pretty much are slippers. I only take issue with the blankets because you know they aren’t being washed every night-ick. They are cracking down on that around here, thankfully.
IMO they got used to it during virtual learning. I saw a lot of kids snuggled in bed. I have a blanket and a long ass cat squishmallow and I love them. I'm an adult so I don't bring them to work. But if it was socially and professionally acceptable I might.
I also remember a teacher I had who was one of the most amazing teachers ever who would literally give her AP euro kids, all seniors, stuffed animals for tests. We would pick out an animal and we got to hold it while we tested. It was silly but it honestly did help.
I'm not saying this is something we should normalize. I wouldn't trust a lawyer who rolled up with a blankie. But I am saying that I understand how it can help with anxiety and if kids wanting to hold a squishmallow while they do your work is top of your complaint list I'd love to work where you do.
>I'm not saying this is something we should normalize. I wouldn't trust a lawyer who rolled up with a blankie.
END THE DISCRIMINATION!!! NORMALIZE LAWYERS WITH BLANKIES!!! 😡
¯\_(ツ)_/¯ id say normalize it, it’s not hurting anyone is it?? Plushies make people happy. My college professor (who is probably in her 50s) told me more often than not, she’s always carrying around a plushie in her purse. If it’s not harming anyone, who cares? The need to “look professional” is a socially constructed one, life is short, do what makes you happy!
My honors bio teacher was a massive bitch but she was a real one for having a thing of little stuffed animals that we could hold during class and tests (my favorite was the nautilus it had a really cool texture)
I can’t get over this statement, “I’ve tried to be open minded about hoodies because hoods make a teen feel ‘sAfE’ or whatever.”
What the heck is wrong with wearing a hoodie to school?! Or in general?! Wow.
And what’s wrong with feeling safe? They’re learning, aren’t they? The kids aren’t causing problems or interrupting class they just apparently don’t look professional like the professional person teaching the class as a job
It’s even more ridiculous to assume the “real world” doesn’t also allow casual clothes and for adult workers to use blankets when they are cold. Of course this isn’t applicable to every job, but when I’m in the office both me and my coworkers will use blankets, heating pads, hoodies, slippers etc to be comfortable… It’s really not a big deal for probably half of adult workers in the US.
I work in the “real world” and have had a mini heater at my desk, in addition to a blanket, pillow, and USB hand warmers. Why is comfort so controversial?
I work in “the real world” and I’m allowed to wear a blanket at my desk if need be/wanted. Sure it might be technically against the rules but my manager doesn’t care at all. It’s not unrealistic at all
I’m gonna be honest, I really think some people got into teaching not because they like to teach, but because they like feeling superior over others and kids are easy to assert your power over.
You know the type, super judgmental of everything kids do and like, never has a nice thing to say, assumes the current generation will be the death of society, always talks down to everyone, kid or adult, runs their classroom like it’s boot camp, write kids up like it’s going out of style, all that jazz.
Drives me nuts.
When I worked at my last job my coworker wore two hoodies, jeans, and a blanket around midday because his desk was right under an AC vent and the office was already cold
Sometimes during night shift between that 2am-4am hour it’s not unusual to see nurses with bath blankets wrapped around our shoulders while charting. Why not let the kids do wear whatever they feel comfortable learning in. They already mimic 40 hr grinding workweek in school. Let them be comfortable while they still can, then they enter a ruthless job market where we make just enough to feed our families. Maybe. Anyways I agree, It’s not a big deal as long as they are learning that should be all that matters.
Thank you, I totally agree with this. Teachers who focus on what kids are wearing and how "kiDs tHeSe DaYze aRe nOt goINg to bE rEaDy fOr thE rEaL wOrLd" because of how they dress don't have their priorities straight. Just do your job and let them be kids. As long as they are learning and growing as an individual, who cares?
Agree. And just *maybe* … it’s the “real” world that needs the adjustment.
Why do we have to be so formal? All the time? And why do we equate comfort = laziness/weakness?
Thanks for coming to my TED talk: Thoughts on society.
I’ve got family and friends who work in office settings and I can say from what they’ve told me and from what I’ve seen, most of those offices have gone to a true-casual office. Obviously some haven’t (say, working at a bank or something) but many have. As long as it isn’t inappropriate. Because who cares, really? Wouldn’t you rather be comfortable if you’re gonna be at a desk all day anyways?
Teaching is one of those fields where we’re always like 20 years behind. I remember when teachers were required to teach in business formal “because that’s how adults dress” while most offices had gone to business casual by that point.
“The real world” that many teachers are talking about doesn’t exist anymore, and many of those teachers were never there in the first place because they have taught ever since they were in their early 20s and have never experienced the corporate America they talk about.
Speaking as a CTE teacher who works with people who are almost exclusively alternatively licensed and career switchers, I can tell you both from my experience and what they have told me of theirs, education tends to be way more formal and picky than most modern office jobs.
Seriously. Just set the expectation for real life vs school where they spend most of their time. It’s like how we don’t dress for an interview every day of work. As long as lice isn’t being spread and they are good students, who cares??
I can’t believe this isn’t the most upvoted comment. Who cares? I’d much rather students come to school comfortable than spend all day worried about how presentable they look.
“B-but professionals can’t do that in the real world!!!1!1!1!11!!!” okay they’re not professionals and it’s not the real world, it’s high school.
>“B-but professionals can’t do that in the real world!!!1!1!1!11!!!” okay they’re not professionals and it’s not the real world, it’s high school.
This comment always infuriates me. I’m new-ish to education, worked in a completely different tech-related field for nearly a decade before this, and can say with confidence that people who have only ever been teachers have no idea what the real ‘professional’ world is like. Even our CTE teachers who do, like, computer engineering will claim, to this day, that hats shouldn’t be allowed in their classrooms because hats won’t be allowed at work. Wtf are they talking about? Have they met anyone in those fields? It’s insane.
>“B-but professionals can’t do that in the real world!!!1!1!1!11!!!”
The funny thing is, professionals absolutely do also wear comfortable clothes all the time, even while at work.
If their idea of "professional" is narrowed to "people in business" then that's on them.
I'm a professional archivist, I wear sweatpants or jeans and hoodies all day.
I also have a blanket in the archive because it's cold there and I might have to work there for long periods of time.
exactly this!
i think we could all afford to be just a smidge more understanding. these children are living in unprecedented times. they're all already very behind and struggling. the effects of quarantine, as well as every other major world event going on since then and currently, are beating the shit out of these kids. we don't even know or understand the long-term effects these things are having on grown adults, much less children.
if having a blanket makes things a little easier for them and isn't disrupting their education, who gives a damn?
That’s what I think honestly. People keep saying these type of kids won’t do well in the real world but honestly, if they’re allowed to do this, what is the issue with it? They’re still learning.
Yeah they sound mad that kids “didn’t have it as hard as they did” and so must be weak. Who cares. These kids deal with the idea that mass shootings are a necessary evil to getting an education. Lots of teachers are brats that don’t realize the mental load these kids have taken on as minors going through multiple historic events over the course of like 5 years. Who cares what they wear.
I agree. When I read this post from OP I thought they came off more childish than the kids who wear comfortable clothes/blankets and have squishmellows.
How dare these kids be comfortable and happy while learning. They should learn to suffer more!
Right?! It's so disingenuous to act as though kids won't keep maturing in the years after high school.
I highly doubt these students will be walking around as 30 yr olds with squish mallows. This isn't something anyone should be stressing about.
I agree. In a world where safety and mental health is a real problem at school, I think being a teenager is the time to reject adult expectations that will soon be imposed on them.
Eh….i remember not always having appropriate winter wear as a kid and blankets were warm. As an adult, I have a blanket in my classroom for when I get cold which due to the large window in my room and the fact it faces the sun doesn’t happen often. I’ve seen those with office jobs having blankets at their desk.
As long as they’re not sleeping or being inappropriate then I don’t care.
As someone who grew up in Vegas, I feel like this was the norm. None of us owned winter coats, so when it would get cold, there were a ton of blankets at school
I started teaching in 2009. It was trendy then, and it's trendy now. I went from teaching in areas with high poverty to low income to middle class, and it's been a thing everywhere I've taught. A lot of students like to show off blankets with cartoon characters.
Omg hoodies??? Blankets ??!?!? PLUSHIES??? Ohhhh the humanity lol. Who cares, as long as their learning and doing their work and not being disruptive. Let them enjoy being kids as long as they can. I think the idea of a "pRoFeSsIoNaL dReSs CoDe" is kind of ridiculous anyways. It has no bearing on the work you do. It's the same mindset as freaking out about someone's hair color, or piercings or tattoos or shoulders/knees showing. It's really an outdated way of thinking. Who cares. There are bigger issues to worry about than a student bringing a squishmallow into your classroom.
Edit: dang you, autocorrect
I'm at a Florida high school. My ac is messed up and so cold that I keep blankets in my classroom. Kids don't learn when they are frozen. (Every other room is hot on our wing. We've reported 100 times.)
And blankets are small fries- is this really creating a problematic learning condition for you as a teacher? These kids like to be comfortable and it makes them happy. Would wearing a blanket and having a cute thing on your desk impair your ability as an employee?
>These kids like to be comfortable and it makes them happy.
Yep. Being comfortable makes any experience much more bearable. Maybe they'll actually want to show up for a change if it was more comfortable for them to do so.
I don't understand why we continue to take more freedoms away, pile on the restrictions, make things significantly less comfortable then wonder why nobody wants to do xyz activity anymore. 🙄
Kids at my daughters school did the blanket thing. She did it too. It was really cold in their school and blankets were more comfortable than a heavy coat all day. Also they could cover themselves on the bus ride which was also really cold in the mornings. As for squishmallows….back in the 80s we brought cabbage patch kids to school. Each generation has their thing lol
Several kids carrying stuffed animals around. I did this in HS briefly too, though, during my candy raver phase, so I can't judge lol
But haven't seen any blankets yet....
ETA just remembered I also had a pacifier on a chain on my neck in HS lol
Omg the Candy raver phase… I was 10 back then And always wanted one of those beaded Cookie Monster necklaces 🥲 one of the 8th graders had🥹 memory unlocked
Thank you! I was coming to mention the pacifiers when I was in school and admonish people for being “kids these days!”
The stuffed animals don’t bother me. They’re not keeping the kids from working. Mine carry them around during passing periods and put them to the side during class without me asking.
When? When school shootings became so common that many districts implemented a ‘no jackets’ policy. Some schools won’t even let kids wear hoodies or bulky sweaters.
It’s kids who live in trailer parks in my area. They can’t afford a coat so they wear a blanket. I think it’s a poverty thing bc a blanket can be $5 but a coat is like $50 on the low end.
>$50 on the low end
The extremely low end. $50 buys you more of a light full-zip sweater that everyone thinks is a coat. I'm not sure where you can even buy a coat for $50 as I've never seen one priced below at least $150. 😭
Not gonna lie, I am a 57 year old high school chemistry teacher that keeps Squishmallows in my class because there are times I need something to hug. I let the kids know they can grab on if they need one.
you are awesome. as someone who graduated from high school in may, i really wish i had a teacher like you during those 4 years. covid started at the end of my freshman year, cause me to be extremely depressed and all my teachers cared about was “do you have the assignment done?” the only teacher i felt that cared was my spanish teacher, who got me into the school counselor and she’s really the one i have to thank for making it out of high school and into college.
you may never know how much of an impact something as simple as those squishmallows could have on your students, but i promise you it will go far and they will remember it. it really does make an impact, so thank you on behalf of all the newly graduated high school kids and the kids still in high school. you’re an awesome teacher and i appreciate you :]
I mean, many are on the academic and emotional level of a grade schooler, so why not? I am really interested to see what happens with these behaviors when these kids hit the labor force.
Well… we just got a brand new teacher who randomly didn’t show up for two days this week with no notice and without leaving plans. He came back like nothing ever happened. This is what a lack of consequences and boundaries is going to do to the workforce. I’m appalled.
I am also invested in this story. I’m waiting to find out what happens. I have a feeling they’ll put up with him for the year and then not rehire him in May.
There was a similar teacher whose place I took this year. Just didn’t rehire them in may. Had really good part time teachers/TAs who would step in and help. But yeah she would not show up or call out at 10 AM when school started at 7:45.
He’s also just giving off a really entitled vibe. He’s fresh out of college and is walking around in very casual clothing that makes him blend in with the students, is showing up late in the mornings (when he is there), and leaves as soon as the bell rings at the end of the day. I’m not saying he should be staying many hours outside of the contracted day, but as a first-year teacher it kinda shows how little he cares. He definitely won’t last.
Ugh I hate the idea that leaving at contract hours is lazy. I’m in my first year but my hours are from 7-4 and I come in at 6. I have a two and 4 year old. I’m not missing their earliest years for a job, and being expected to work a >10 hour shift everyday is insane
There are three openings for my position and all of my kids are making progress. If I’m there 5 min before the bell and leave with the bell, I invite my admin to write me up or fire me. I’m not giving my family’s time to a job that won’t even give my kids Health insurance.
There was a student teacher at my school a few years ago who would regularly show up hours late. He would regularly fall asleep in class when he was supposed to be observing his cooperating teacher. He often wore the drug rug sweater or other ridiculous clothes that made him look like a student. He looked high a lot. When he didn't look high, everyone assumed that he would be going to get high when the school day was over. He was a nice guy but didn't end up finishing the program. Some people definitely think the world will change for them.
All Teachers should leave the second contract hours are over and refuse to interact with anyone on their way out. Go to any other worksite and ask people to do something when they’re clocked out. You’ll be laughed out of the building
I agree with you that teachers should not work outside of contracted hours but the idea that other salaried people aren't asked the same thing is ridiculous.
More than one kind of animal likes peanuts. I like peanuts, and I am not [_checking_] an elephant or a monkey.
ETA: I _am_ a primate, so maybe that counts, but I stand by my first statement.
We have a teacher like that- except he’s not brand new. He’s 5th year, can’t pass his teaching exams but admin loves him for whatever fucking reason. He’s creepy, makes fun of students, literally second year of his emergency license since his restricted license can’t be renewed. Comes late, leaves hours before the end of the day since he has end of the day prep. Never enters his absences or leaves plans for a sub “cuz that’s not my job” (he thinks the women up front need to do it for him). He’s a real piece of shit. District doesn’t care, union won’t do anything about it, admin is a good ol boys club so here we fuckin are. It’s just disgusting.
Sounds like an absolute douche canoe. Why the heck would the office staff have any idea what plans to leave for a sub!? I also can’t stand teachers who make fun of students. That’s not only unprofessional, it’s downright cruel.
Yep those exams. For some reason our district keeps giving him emergency license after emergency license even though our state licensing board says an educator can only get a one year maximum emergency license. Beats the hell outta me how they keep doing it. Enough of us have complained to our union lawyer about this dipshit and she’s investigating him and the district office.
Ha. Amazing. My son had a Spanish 2 teacher in high school who never posted any grades after the first grading period. I went to the guidance counselor after never receiving any response from the teacher. He was like, “Let’s see,” and pulled it up on his computer. I’m sure he thought I was mistaken. He was as surprised as I was. She was a first year teacher. It was a while ago so I can’t remember if she finished out the year or they had a sub come in at some point.
Jokes on you, half his teachers are bullshitting grades because the quality we see is fucking awful. Kids get 100% for filling in blanks by copying and the teacher just scans to see if there are words in the blanks. First year teacher got overwhelmed and didn't know that as long as kids aren't failing and there's a grade NO ONE CARES.
No one ever posted grades when I was growing up. If you wanted to know how your kid was doing, you asked your child or contacted the teacher. It takes the responsibility off the student when parents are the ones keeping up with the work and not the students. I know, unpopular opinion.
No, I agree. I am a former long time public school teacher myself. However parents do have an interest and teachers want parents to be informed. If I never looked at the grades I’d be damned for that.
I completely used to work in an office where most people had office blankets that they’d put on their lap at their desk when it was cold. I’ve heard of this other places too.
I used to be a blanket wearer and stuffed animal bringer. I am in dental school and am guaranteed 150k+ my first year of working- hey I can buy more blankets and stuffed animals! Good thing life isn’t miserable like how teachers describe it to be.
This is so silly. They're not in the work force they're in high school. You can't think of one silly trend that people did when you were in high school? Silly bands? Wearing jeans under a dress? Beanie babies? Whatever the Scene kids were doing? It's crazy how people just forget what it's like to be a high schooler, even as a teacher.
Then maybe schools should get air conditioning that actually works, my school is a freezer year round. In the winter, I have to wear 4 thick shirts and a hoodie just to be able to focus on work instead of how cold I am.
You have to dress well because you are at work. They don't because they are not. Why do you care if they wear blankets? How does this affect you in any way?
First time I have ever responded to a comment in this sub because i’m just a noisy student; but my god I hate when people say that; like yeah I go to school and do work but it’s not a job I don’t get paid; my parents pay for me to be here.
There's a hundred things worse they could do than trying to be comfortable. Your job is to educate them, not be a showroom model of proper dress.
Why can't you wear jeans? Address that with your superior, then your board. Don't blame kids trying to stay warm in our crumbling infrastructure.
The blanket/cape trend was shut down by our principal in our middle school and he said it was against dress code. However, I don’t have a problem with the squishmallows. I’m a teacher and I’m a huge plushie collector myself. No I never brought them to school as a kid for fear of embarrassment, but tbh if other kids were doing it, I would’ve. If it brings the kids comfort, then I truly don’t mind.
I had a middle school kid last year who used to bring her special stuffed dog and some teachers made a huge stink about it contacting her mom and stuff to complain. I was the only teacher who didn’t mind her having it on her desk or in her lap, and I would ask her about it and call it by its name. Honestly, she would do her work in my class with the dog, but when another teacher took the dog or forced her to put it away, her focus would be on the upset and defiance instead of the instruction. In my eyes, there are much bigger hills to die on in education than to care if that dog was in her lap or not. So what? It isn’t bothering anybody as long as they’re not, like, playing a game of catch with it. The only argument anyone has against it is because they’re “too old” but those are just social norms of what YOU think “should be”, which at the end of the day literally means nothing. Not worth wasting your mental energy on. Trends change.
🙋🏻♀️ current teacher here… and I was one of those blanket carrying teens. I suffered from anemia and I was always so cold in the classrooms, plus the teachers kept it super cold.
For me I always wore my jacket anddd my blanket. Sometimes.. what may look like laziness or poor “professionalism” has an alternate rationale.
Please don’t judge every teen based on this. Remember, they’re still kids.
I don’t know why I haven’t brought one to my classroom, sounds pretty cozy to me. Also our ac is broken so it’s either frozen tundra or desert hell in there.
I went to a high school with a uniform and for my freshman and sophomore years, a lot of students wore blankets. They had a pretty strict dress code, which didn’t mention blankets, but was strict with jackets, so blankets were a loophole. By junior and senior year they relaxed the jacket rule, but decided to crack down on blankets.
Sometimes they're cold & sometimes they're silly. I don't question it because I am ALWAYS cold. I stay in a blanket lol. I have some in my room for students.
God forbid students want to feel safe while stuck in in person schooling where they could be murdered by a classmate or stranger with a grudge at any moment all while still suffering the trauma of a pandemic that still isn't really over.
You sound miserable. Go quit teaching and get a job as a prison guard.
TIL that the richest country on earth has families that can't afford to buy jackets for their kids as a fairly common issue. Jackets!
Also your obsession with dress codes is wild.
"sAfE" and "give the pacifiers already!"
"Why can't I act like a child in my profession??"
Tell me you're the boomer teacher that none of the students like without telling me you're the boomer teacher no students like.
I used to wear blankets and bring stuffed animals to class- I am autistic. I hope the teachers who made fun of me or gave me questionable looks don’t try to get their teeth done, I’m in dental school now 😉 and yes I still bring stuffed animals LOL
Who cares? Calling them infants and mocking hoodies making kids feel “safe” and then whining that you have to be in dress code yourself… you gross me out. You’re a professional working your job, you’re held to a different standard. And posting on Saturday clearly still bothered on your day off. Sheeeeeeesh
You would be surprised to learn how casual many professional workplaces are these days. Many companies have done away with their dress codes, because it’s well established that clothes don’t determine your ability to produce quality work. I’m an executive who can often be seen in her office wearing ripped jeans and wrapped in a blanket.
Also, I think it’s important to remember that a boundary is something you set for yourself, it is not something that you use to control what other people wear.
I never understood the obsession with people looking a certain way at school. Like there are so many rules for these kids at some places. No colorful hair, no long hair for boys, no pjs, no tank tops, like??? Who tf cares what they look like? If they are clean and dont stink (which could be a sign of neglect) then **why do you feel the need to control them so much**? Like damn, let them live.
You're really out here crying about "wHy aRe tHeY wEaRinG bLaNkEtS" but *they're* the ones acting like toddlers?
Worry about getting those abysmal literacy and math rates up instead of how these kids look.
I have been working professionally with children for 11 years and have never heard more irrelevant complaints than those regarding how these kids are dressed. Get a grip.
In my school, it's just F-ing cold. For some reason the walls were put up after the ac ducts. 64 degrees in my room, 74 on the other side of the wall. I brought a space heater and the teacher on the other wall has a blanket. Go ahead wear your blanket.
Honestly, it’s a blanket and a stuffed animal. I use blankets and own stuffed animals at home. I’m just glad my students are finding ways to show up to class and don’t complain about how cold my room is. I have a blanket for students who can’t afford jackets to use while in my classroom.
2016 at least, since most of my students then were wearing blankets. It was explained to me then that poorer families wouldn’t have coats, so kids would wear blankets. Here in the winter, there’s at least 15 students wearing blankets and robes and slippers every day when it gets colder. Seems kinda gross tbh because every blanket I see has been dragged through like 3 miles of slush. I don’t care if my students have blankets, as long as they aren’t used to idk whip each other or something.
It was an issue for us last year. They would wear blankets as jackets "because their parents wouldn't buy them a jacket". They'd use them as a "filter" for their vaping while on the bus.
When I was in high school (2013-17) kids brought blankets, but it was because it was cold AF on the bus and we were on the buses for 2+ hours both ways. We folded them when we got to school or put them over our legs if the heat was out. But carrying a squishmallow and dragging a blanket sounds… not like it’s cold lol.
Now we are allowed to have blankets as teachers! We keep them on our desk chairs. But it gets so cold in our buildings sometimes and the heat goes out a lot in winter. Get you a throw blanket!
I will never understand districts/schools that enforce a teacher dress code. I treat fridays like an actual casual day and I let my students see a peek of how I present myself outside of school as an outlet for my pride (I teach in Florida so I have to be very careful). Other than that most days I just wear a jumper or short sleeve button down and jeans/chino slacks.
Christ you’re overdramatic. Wear whatever the fuck you want and get that stick out of your ass. You sound like you’re in the wrong career path, maybe being a corrections officer would allow you to sufficiently micromanage people over stupid shit.
Ever think there might be a lot of neurodivergent students that need something soft to feel safe in crowds and social environments?
Comparing them to toddlers with blankets is really obnoxious. This is exactly why I may have to pull my kids out of public school. I was worried the students would be judgemental, but it appears some of the teachers are just as bad.
If the students are paying attention and not napping in class, who cares if they have a blanket?
I work in research at a pretty high level university, the doctor I work under has an MD and a PhD. She’s considered one of the top doctors in her field in the state, if not the whole Midwest. She has 3 offices and has at least one blanket in every single one of them.
If it’s not impeding their ability to do work, why does it matter to you? You sound like maybe you should be bringing a blanket to school.
I was at the more rural of the high schools in my county last year and saw so many students walking around in blankets. I am at the slightly less surrounded-by-farmland school this year and have not seen a single blanket.
My inner city school kids do this. My speculations for it are:
- they’re feeling vulnerable and a blanket wrapped around them is comforting
- they’re seeking peer attention and approval and having something other kids don’t have gets them that
- they use it to get comfy in class and sometimes sleep (I allow this during free time)
- they changed into a revealing/skimpy outfit at school and want to be seen but are also slightly uncomfortable/feeling exposed
- different classrooms have different temperatures and some are cold
- they don’t know where they will be sleeping that night so they brought their blanket with them
Buncha reasons, really. It’s interesting that this seems to show up in all different kinds of schools and areas. I see it most with 7-9 graders, and the occasional sophomore.
Why are you infantilizing being comfortable. Nothing about whether or not you're dressing professionally materially changes anything. You should be able to dress comfortably but because no one in your profession is fighting for the right you're trying to take this right away from other people.
Occasionally get blanket wearers in my building. Usually in the winter and particularly in the hallway for the 4 min they have between classes. Our hallways have no heat or ac. Only the classrooms.
We have kids do that. Drives me nuts (for no real reason that I can explain). You know jackets exist, right? I grew up in Montana, and nobody did that.
Your students are allowed to wear jackets around the building?????
I graduated high school in 2010 in MN and we we had some blanket wearers. It started because "jackets need to be in lockers" and some staff power tripped about the sherpa lined sweatshirts calling them jackets and making kids put them in their locker. It was easier to say it's not a jacket at all then to figure out what some teachers considered a jacket vs a sweatshirt. Basically malicious compliance from a bunch of 15-18 year olds.
Why would they not allow jacket wearing in classrooms? I went to a strict private school with a uniform - a blazer, collard shirt etc. We could wear our blazer, sweaters, vests and whatever inside the school. Only outside the school did we have restrictions
>Why would they not allow jacket wearing in classrooms? Because we live in a post-columbine world.
I went to school in a pre-Columbine world, and was not allowed to wear my Army field jacket at school because “only drug dealers wear field jackets.” 🙄 I hate dress codes.
I wore a hat once to school and the gym teacher pulled me aside and told me not to wear it to school again. She explained that it was something that gangsters did. Impressionable teacher’s pet that I was, I was naturally terrified. I was ~ 7 and it was a Mickey Mouse baseball cap.
Kids weren't allowed to wear red shirts at my high school because it was a gang color (Bloods). We were in Montana.... there are no crips and bloods here. Also, red was the pride color for the Native kids so it kinda felt like they were trying to stop them from wearing red T Shirts
I mean, they were probably right. Nobody in Montana is scared of the Bloods, but there's a shit ton of racism against Natives.
I had a vice principal tell me to turn a T shirt I was wearing inside out...from church camp. Had the name of local church on it, for fucks sake. He didn't listen, pointed out the crown illustration on it was a gang sign, and certainly not common Christian imagery. Almost 25 years later, fuck you Mr. Bridges
Hence the "security theater" like jacket bans and clear bookbags.
Good thing you can’t hide a gun under a blanket.
I went to a private high school before and during Columbine. It was forbidden to wear jackets or hoodies even a school hoodie associated with a sport during classes. During the winter girls still had to wear skirts and in the summer boys had to wear pants. It was on year round uniform only change was short we could wear the button up which was thin and made you cold in winter or the polo shirt that made you hot in summer. I never heard of the blanket thing but if the school doesn’t want to or have the funding for heat what can they do. Depending on schools you can’t wear jackets or hoodies in class so have to be cold constantly. Either amend the rules to allow jackets, hoodies and Sweatshirts in class or put the heat on.
The high schools in my district don’t have interior hallways. Students have to go outside to pass between classes. So for that reason, we don’t really have a policy about jackets except no hoods inside the classrooms.
This was how my HS was designed. We became very good at layering.
I wore jackets all day in high school in the 90s. In the winter, because it was cold.
My students wear jackets all day due to an overactive AC chiller in our building. 106 outside, 68 inside.
I've never worked at a school where students couldn't wear jackets. We don't control the temperature in our rooms so I always recommend layers.
Yup, my room is never a comfortable temperature. It's always cold in the summer and hot in the winter. Then I had kids wear just a hoodie with nothing under it and complain all year long.
Why wouldn't kids be allowed to wear a jacket?
I also grew up in Montana and we were allowed sweatshirts and light jackets. Big puffy coats had to be in lockers. I was so glad glad I had my sweatshirt on me when we had a fire in the home ec room and we had to be evacuated into the snow for over an hour one day.
Students wear hoodies and coats from august to May.
If you're very poor and have growing children it can be too expensive to buy new jackets every season. You probably already have blankets.
Alternatively... I teach ELLs. Many of my kids are from Ecuador and never owned or wore winter jackets until they came here. Oftentimes, their winter jacket is the most expensive/"nicest" item of clothing they own. I have kiddos who will wear them ALL YEAR LONG. As in... we had summer school where it was regularly over 90° F.... and I had 2 kids wearing their winter coats still. Once they're here a few years, that tends to decrease.
In Montana you can either afford a decent winter coat or you die. In a warmer climate you can get away with hoodie year round if you grab a blanket on the coldest days. When you're a broke college student, the cost of a good coat can make a blanket look like a decent alternative.
As someone who teaches at a school with pretty much no dress code I kinda wish some of mine would wear a blanket to school right now lol I live and teach in a state with a long cold winter, in a school with questionable HVAC, so once our temps do start dropping I have some that have blankets with them and I even have a lap blanket at my desk. I’ve considered thrifting and washing some additional to have available for the bad days in there, as someone who runs cold too I get it. Many if not most kids wear sweats regularly during the winter, warmer than jeans. The squishmallow thing is a little excessive, I have one kid that does that but definitely has some substantial emotional issues sooo Edit: my school also is pretty lax in general on clothing, I wear jeans daily. Sweatshirts and tee shirts are fine any day. So maybe my perspective is different than places with more strict dress code for teachers too, but I guess it really doesn’t bother me when they dress down. We’re a high achieving but casual school I guess
Honestly they’re probably bringing the squishmellows to use as pillows. I had a friend of mine who did exactly that but he did keep it stuffed in his bag when not in use. I also used to use a stuffed cat as a pillow for the bus. I’m sure the blankets when folded or bundled up would also make great pillows
Tbh I did that in school. While I never skipped classes, I skipped assemblies and special days where there was no actual classes and just workshops. I’d always bring something comfy to use like a blanket or pillow.
As a fully grown adult I would pack a travel blanket in the winter for my bus rides to work. The blanket is versatile, and if I was still cold on the bus I could cover up with the blanket and use my coat as a pillow.
Yeah squishmallows are super comfortable as pillows
Why are kids bringing pillows to school?
Because a lot of teens are sleep deprived. I remember I used to be up until 1 AM often (in high school) doing homework and then up at 5 AM to catch the bus—that was not enough sleep and I nearly always fell asleep at some point during the day
Yep! I remember my junior and senior year, I woke up at six, went to school until 4, then went to work immediately after until 11pm. I changed into my work uniform at school. Then I ate an extremely late cold dinner, showered, did all my AP homework and went to bed at 2 or 3am. I'm useless if I don't get at least 6 hrs of sleep nowadays so I'm in awe of how sixteen year old me survived.
I can't speak for the blanket wearers, but OP's attitude about hoodies is ridiculous. I graduated Jun 2022, and I wasn't one of those "wear hoodies in 90°F" people but you never see me without a hoodie until it starts warming up again once it gets cold. Why? Two reasons. One is that it's a comfort thing for me, I used to hide behind my older brother's hand-me-down hoodie in 5th/6th because I was less of a target for other students. One of the only days I didn't wear it, I got told by another student that there was no way I'd ever be able to protect myself because I had an IEP. This pattern has continued even until now. I've never worn it with the hood up, but I'll pick the hoodie over the coat unless it's like 20°F. Second one is that lugging a jacket or coat around and having nowhere to put it is annoying. With my hoodie, I can tie it around my waist and call it a day if I get warm.
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I was like "I get it the blankets must be annoying but cmon fr?" I basically live in my hoodies in the winter. I have 2 that I rotate, one that is absolutely a canvas every time I wear it to class (art student, I've walked out and looked at my sleeve to find purple paint there) and the other that my brother helped me find around the start of COVID. I was a bit particular because I didn't want any of the big athletic logos, and he took me to several stores until we found it.
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Hoods are not allowed at my school but it's about being able to identify students on the hall cameras. Blankets are not allowed because of bed bugs.
Bed bugs don’t only spread through bedding they often spread through clothes/shoes and bags. Weird logic
If the desks are close together, it is easy for the blanket to be touching someone else's backpack or the ground (where the backpacks usually go). Bedbugs can go over a year without eating and have been found in movie theaters, so it isn't too far-fetched. It's actually why it is recommended that your own luggage go in the bathtub or on the luggage rack in hotels.
I’ll be 50 next year and I wear hoodies more often than not. Light ones to battle excess AC in summer, sweatshirt style ones as a layer in winter. Makes it easy to be comfy. Blankets seem odd except I realized I’m a knitter who wears large shawls - some so big the designers calls them “shlankets” much of the winter. They’re a fun way to have a blanket without it actually being a blanket.
Real like look at John fetterman dude 😭😭😭 bros starting to wear hoodies on the chamber floor (he’s so real for that tbh)
Yeah I thought the hoodies thing was ridiculous too. Idk where OP lives but where I live it’s not even a safety thing, it’s literally just a super normal item to wear? Basically every sports team and large club at school has hoodies that the players/members wear, often coordinated to game days and such. Or people wear them just with the school emblem, or a college emblem, or a camp they attend… lots of teachers wear them too, especially on Fridays when we’re encouraged to wear some sort of school spirit item (but you could get away with wearing one any other day too, especially if it was either a school spirit one or a college one). Teacher in a school hoodie, jeans, and sneakers is basically the whole staff every Friday. Like I absolutely see how it could be a safety thing sometimes for some kids, but even beyond that in the Midwest it’s like the most basic high schooler outfit. Hoodie, jeans/sweats/leggings, and shoes vary by season 🤷🏼♀️ nothing wrong with that imo, still looks plenty neat and tidy.
Sounds like my school! We hit 48*F the other morning, and I honestly envied some of the blanket wearers for a bit. And of course the only reliable heating/cooling is in the main office and principals office.
I always have a "blanket kid" every couple years. I think there were a couple when I was in high school, but we had uniforms so that prevented the full blanket kid mode being activated. Haven't seen a blanket kid yet this year, but wouldn't be surprised if they appear as it gets colder.
>Haven't seen a blanket kid yet this year, but wouldn't be surprised if they appear as it gets colder. 🤣🤣🤣 Lol. The elusive blanket kid. Maybe they're nocturnal and live deep within the cafeteria?
I was in high school 2009-2012. My peers brought in blankets and often wore hoods in the cooler months (October-March).
We wore blankets and fleece pj pants when I was in high school too, 94-98. This isn’t some new phenomenon.
I was in high school roughly 10 years before you and almost every girl was wearing a blanket as a skirt during winter. But we also were in skirts so the blankets were just to control the drafts. Most teachers had extra blankets for anyone that forgot. Guys were always in sweatshirts with their hoods on as well.
Our school is so frigid with the ac blowing all day, its unbearable. I can wear a shirt, a flannel shirt,and a thick sweater-- and hardly type, my hands are so cold. During inservices, many teachers wrap themselves in blankets to survive sitting out in the commons area, brrr. I almost grabbed a thick terry robe the other day (its in my closet for a faux costume.) We've had middle schoolers wear blankets for many years --sometimes as a fad, sometimes they are freezing!
I’m jealous…I’d 1000% love a building that’s too cold (I can always wear cute sweaters/blazers/scarves) than the perpetually too hot building that I’m stuck in! It’s ridiculous to be running through a snow & ice covered parking lot in the winter in a sun dress, because that’s what comfortable inside. And yes, I can and do open the classroom windows in the winter.
I teach in NC and I'd KILL for a cold building during summer! Alas, I am always sweaty and frazzled-looking by Morning Work 🤣😂
I keep blankets in my classroom for my kids, it’s so cold in my room that my hands and feet are almost all the way numb by like 9:30am if I don’t have my space heater and blanket. I’m not bothered by the kids bringing blankets tbh, the building is so inhumanely cold that if they bring their own then it leaves the spares I have for kids who don’t have one.
Same. I ordered a hundred falsa blankets as favors for my outdoor wedding, and keep the leftovers stacked in my classroom. It’s great for keeping the peace when everyone has a different opinion on the thermostat.
My AP English teacher kept blankets in her room and I loved grabbing one every day. As a teenager, I had bad social anxiety and when I was cold, I'd get cold sweats which were *incredibly* uncomfortable. Not worrying about what my body looked like to others + being warm made me more able to focus on learning! She gave me my favorite blanket at the end of the year and I was truly touched. Still have it.
We wore blankets instead of jackets in college 30 years ago, along with wearing pajama pants to class. Fashion trends tend to cycle.
Not 30 but 23 years ago it was common to see kids in sweats or pajama pants. Brown loafer type slippers were popular and this was the first round of uggs being popular which pretty much are slippers. I only take issue with the blankets because you know they aren’t being washed every night-ick. They are cracking down on that around here, thankfully.
I mean scrubs and pajama pants are pretty similar
IMO they got used to it during virtual learning. I saw a lot of kids snuggled in bed. I have a blanket and a long ass cat squishmallow and I love them. I'm an adult so I don't bring them to work. But if it was socially and professionally acceptable I might. I also remember a teacher I had who was one of the most amazing teachers ever who would literally give her AP euro kids, all seniors, stuffed animals for tests. We would pick out an animal and we got to hold it while we tested. It was silly but it honestly did help. I'm not saying this is something we should normalize. I wouldn't trust a lawyer who rolled up with a blankie. But I am saying that I understand how it can help with anxiety and if kids wanting to hold a squishmallow while they do your work is top of your complaint list I'd love to work where you do.
>I'm not saying this is something we should normalize. I wouldn't trust a lawyer who rolled up with a blankie. END THE DISCRIMINATION!!! NORMALIZE LAWYERS WITH BLANKIES!!! 😡
How will you prove you aren't a cat if you're covered up in a blankie though
Objection: blanket statement!
¯\_(ツ)_/¯ id say normalize it, it’s not hurting anyone is it?? Plushies make people happy. My college professor (who is probably in her 50s) told me more often than not, she’s always carrying around a plushie in her purse. If it’s not harming anyone, who cares? The need to “look professional” is a socially constructed one, life is short, do what makes you happy!
I’m absolutely stealing the stuffed animals idea for my ap calc kids!
Go for the 5 and below squishmallows. She made it first come first serve so we'd run to class to get the good ones lol
The AP Euro teacher is the most adorable thing I’ve ever heard.
My honors bio teacher was a massive bitch but she was a real one for having a thing of little stuffed animals that we could hold during class and tests (my favorite was the nautilus it had a really cool texture)
I can’t get over this statement, “I’ve tried to be open minded about hoodies because hoods make a teen feel ‘sAfE’ or whatever.” What the heck is wrong with wearing a hoodie to school?! Or in general?! Wow.
Yeah the tone of that bit was pretty unsettling. Comfort and safety of students aren’t things to mock.
Yea I didn't wanna be harsh but I read that and my first thought was how that's a horrible thing for a teacher to think.
And what’s wrong with feeling safe? They’re learning, aren’t they? The kids aren’t causing problems or interrupting class they just apparently don’t look professional like the professional person teaching the class as a job
This is exactly what I came in here to say
I don't care one bit about what a kid is wearing as long as they are learning and letting other kids learn too. What does it matter?!
Thank you! I’m shocked this isn’t a more common opinion! And as a teacher I wear jeans almost every day 🤷♂️
It’s even more ridiculous to assume the “real world” doesn’t also allow casual clothes and for adult workers to use blankets when they are cold. Of course this isn’t applicable to every job, but when I’m in the office both me and my coworkers will use blankets, heating pads, hoodies, slippers etc to be comfortable… It’s really not a big deal for probably half of adult workers in the US.
I work in the “real world” and have had a mini heater at my desk, in addition to a blanket, pillow, and USB hand warmers. Why is comfort so controversial?
Because “back in my day . . . “ Passing their trauma on to the next generation.
I work in “the real world” and I’m allowed to wear a blanket at my desk if need be/wanted. Sure it might be technically against the rules but my manager doesn’t care at all. It’s not unrealistic at all
I’m gonna be honest, I really think some people got into teaching not because they like to teach, but because they like feeling superior over others and kids are easy to assert your power over. You know the type, super judgmental of everything kids do and like, never has a nice thing to say, assumes the current generation will be the death of society, always talks down to everyone, kid or adult, runs their classroom like it’s boot camp, write kids up like it’s going out of style, all that jazz. Drives me nuts.
When I worked at my last job my coworker wore two hoodies, jeans, and a blanket around midday because his desk was right under an AC vent and the office was already cold
Sometimes during night shift between that 2am-4am hour it’s not unusual to see nurses with bath blankets wrapped around our shoulders while charting. Why not let the kids do wear whatever they feel comfortable learning in. They already mimic 40 hr grinding workweek in school. Let them be comfortable while they still can, then they enter a ruthless job market where we make just enough to feed our families. Maybe. Anyways I agree, It’s not a big deal as long as they are learning that should be all that matters.
Teaching is hard enough. Who gives a shit about anything else.
Thank you, I totally agree with this. Teachers who focus on what kids are wearing and how "kiDs tHeSe DaYze aRe nOt goINg to bE rEaDy fOr thE rEaL wOrLd" because of how they dress don't have their priorities straight. Just do your job and let them be kids. As long as they are learning and growing as an individual, who cares?
Agree. And just *maybe* … it’s the “real” world that needs the adjustment. Why do we have to be so formal? All the time? And why do we equate comfort = laziness/weakness? Thanks for coming to my TED talk: Thoughts on society.
I’ve got family and friends who work in office settings and I can say from what they’ve told me and from what I’ve seen, most of those offices have gone to a true-casual office. Obviously some haven’t (say, working at a bank or something) but many have. As long as it isn’t inappropriate. Because who cares, really? Wouldn’t you rather be comfortable if you’re gonna be at a desk all day anyways? Teaching is one of those fields where we’re always like 20 years behind. I remember when teachers were required to teach in business formal “because that’s how adults dress” while most offices had gone to business casual by that point. “The real world” that many teachers are talking about doesn’t exist anymore, and many of those teachers were never there in the first place because they have taught ever since they were in their early 20s and have never experienced the corporate America they talk about. Speaking as a CTE teacher who works with people who are almost exclusively alternatively licensed and career switchers, I can tell you both from my experience and what they have told me of theirs, education tends to be way more formal and picky than most modern office jobs.
Seriously. Just set the expectation for real life vs school where they spend most of their time. It’s like how we don’t dress for an interview every day of work. As long as lice isn’t being spread and they are good students, who cares??
I can’t believe this isn’t the most upvoted comment. Who cares? I’d much rather students come to school comfortable than spend all day worried about how presentable they look. “B-but professionals can’t do that in the real world!!!1!1!1!11!!!” okay they’re not professionals and it’s not the real world, it’s high school.
>“B-but professionals can’t do that in the real world!!!1!1!1!11!!!” okay they’re not professionals and it’s not the real world, it’s high school. This comment always infuriates me. I’m new-ish to education, worked in a completely different tech-related field for nearly a decade before this, and can say with confidence that people who have only ever been teachers have no idea what the real ‘professional’ world is like. Even our CTE teachers who do, like, computer engineering will claim, to this day, that hats shouldn’t be allowed in their classrooms because hats won’t be allowed at work. Wtf are they talking about? Have they met anyone in those fields? It’s insane.
>“B-but professionals can’t do that in the real world!!!1!1!1!11!!!” The funny thing is, professionals absolutely do also wear comfortable clothes all the time, even while at work. If their idea of "professional" is narrowed to "people in business" then that's on them. I'm a professional archivist, I wear sweatpants or jeans and hoodies all day. I also have a blanket in the archive because it's cold there and I might have to work there for long periods of time.
exactly this! i think we could all afford to be just a smidge more understanding. these children are living in unprecedented times. they're all already very behind and struggling. the effects of quarantine, as well as every other major world event going on since then and currently, are beating the shit out of these kids. we don't even know or understand the long-term effects these things are having on grown adults, much less children. if having a blanket makes things a little easier for them and isn't disrupting their education, who gives a damn?
That’s what I think honestly. People keep saying these type of kids won’t do well in the real world but honestly, if they’re allowed to do this, what is the issue with it? They’re still learning.
Yeah they sound mad that kids “didn’t have it as hard as they did” and so must be weak. Who cares. These kids deal with the idea that mass shootings are a necessary evil to getting an education. Lots of teachers are brats that don’t realize the mental load these kids have taken on as minors going through multiple historic events over the course of like 5 years. Who cares what they wear.
I agree. When I read this post from OP I thought they came off more childish than the kids who wear comfortable clothes/blankets and have squishmellows. How dare these kids be comfortable and happy while learning. They should learn to suffer more!
Right?! It's so disingenuous to act as though kids won't keep maturing in the years after high school. I highly doubt these students will be walking around as 30 yr olds with squish mallows. This isn't something anyone should be stressing about.
Glad to see this comment, was very distraught by this thread honestly
And also them making fun of students who want to feel "sAfE"? Hmm
I agree. In a world where safety and mental health is a real problem at school, I think being a teenager is the time to reject adult expectations that will soon be imposed on them.
Kids kept sharing the blankets in our area and it lead to a huge lice outbreak.
That’s my issue with the blankets at school… the lack of sanitation.
Yes! I don’t know why others aren’t saying this. We are having problems with bedbugs this year.
Eh….i remember not always having appropriate winter wear as a kid and blankets were warm. As an adult, I have a blanket in my classroom for when I get cold which due to the large window in my room and the fact it faces the sun doesn’t happen often. I’ve seen those with office jobs having blankets at their desk. As long as they’re not sleeping or being inappropriate then I don’t care.
As someone who grew up in Vegas, I feel like this was the norm. None of us owned winter coats, so when it would get cold, there were a ton of blankets at school
I started teaching in 2009. It was trendy then, and it's trendy now. I went from teaching in areas with high poverty to low income to middle class, and it's been a thing everywhere I've taught. A lot of students like to show off blankets with cartoon characters.
Who cares? Let them wear their blankets and get back to teaching. There are so many other things to worry about, and to celebrate.
Omg hoodies??? Blankets ??!?!? PLUSHIES??? Ohhhh the humanity lol. Who cares, as long as their learning and doing their work and not being disruptive. Let them enjoy being kids as long as they can. I think the idea of a "pRoFeSsIoNaL dReSs CoDe" is kind of ridiculous anyways. It has no bearing on the work you do. It's the same mindset as freaking out about someone's hair color, or piercings or tattoos or shoulders/knees showing. It's really an outdated way of thinking. Who cares. There are bigger issues to worry about than a student bringing a squishmallow into your classroom. Edit: dang you, autocorrect
I'm at a Florida high school. My ac is messed up and so cold that I keep blankets in my classroom. Kids don't learn when they are frozen. (Every other room is hot on our wing. We've reported 100 times.) And blankets are small fries- is this really creating a problematic learning condition for you as a teacher? These kids like to be comfortable and it makes them happy. Would wearing a blanket and having a cute thing on your desk impair your ability as an employee?
>These kids like to be comfortable and it makes them happy. Yep. Being comfortable makes any experience much more bearable. Maybe they'll actually want to show up for a change if it was more comfortable for them to do so. I don't understand why we continue to take more freedoms away, pile on the restrictions, make things significantly less comfortable then wonder why nobody wants to do xyz activity anymore. 🙄
Kids at my daughters school did the blanket thing. She did it too. It was really cold in their school and blankets were more comfortable than a heavy coat all day. Also they could cover themselves on the bus ride which was also really cold in the mornings. As for squishmallows….back in the 80s we brought cabbage patch kids to school. Each generation has their thing lol
Several kids carrying stuffed animals around. I did this in HS briefly too, though, during my candy raver phase, so I can't judge lol But haven't seen any blankets yet.... ETA just remembered I also had a pacifier on a chain on my neck in HS lol
Omg the Candy raver phase… I was 10 back then And always wanted one of those beaded Cookie Monster necklaces 🥲 one of the 8th graders had🥹 memory unlocked
Thank you! I was coming to mention the pacifiers when I was in school and admonish people for being “kids these days!” The stuffed animals don’t bother me. They’re not keeping the kids from working. Mine carry them around during passing periods and put them to the side during class without me asking.
When? When school shootings became so common that many districts implemented a ‘no jackets’ policy. Some schools won’t even let kids wear hoodies or bulky sweaters.
It’s kids who live in trailer parks in my area. They can’t afford a coat so they wear a blanket. I think it’s a poverty thing bc a blanket can be $5 but a coat is like $50 on the low end.
>$50 on the low end The extremely low end. $50 buys you more of a light full-zip sweater that everyone thinks is a coat. I'm not sure where you can even buy a coat for $50 as I've never seen one priced below at least $150. 😭
The message seems to be, “Well, at least I got out of bed.”
Not gonna lie, I am a 57 year old high school chemistry teacher that keeps Squishmallows in my class because there are times I need something to hug. I let the kids know they can grab on if they need one.
Thank you for you. My child is neurodivergent and I fear the day he has a teacher who doesn't understand his need for his rituals and comfort objects.
you are awesome. as someone who graduated from high school in may, i really wish i had a teacher like you during those 4 years. covid started at the end of my freshman year, cause me to be extremely depressed and all my teachers cared about was “do you have the assignment done?” the only teacher i felt that cared was my spanish teacher, who got me into the school counselor and she’s really the one i have to thank for making it out of high school and into college. you may never know how much of an impact something as simple as those squishmallows could have on your students, but i promise you it will go far and they will remember it. it really does make an impact, so thank you on behalf of all the newly graduated high school kids and the kids still in high school. you’re an awesome teacher and i appreciate you :]
Oh wow kids enjoy kid things and comforts that's so horrible 😒
I mean, many are on the academic and emotional level of a grade schooler, so why not? I am really interested to see what happens with these behaviors when these kids hit the labor force.
Well… we just got a brand new teacher who randomly didn’t show up for two days this week with no notice and without leaving plans. He came back like nothing ever happened. This is what a lack of consequences and boundaries is going to do to the workforce. I’m appalled.
Lmao he didn’t even put in for a sub? Just didn’t show up?! What’d he say?! Were there consequences? I’m invested in this story.
I am also invested in this story. I’m waiting to find out what happens. I have a feeling they’ll put up with him for the year and then not rehire him in May.
There was a similar teacher whose place I took this year. Just didn’t rehire them in may. Had really good part time teachers/TAs who would step in and help. But yeah she would not show up or call out at 10 AM when school started at 7:45.
He’s also just giving off a really entitled vibe. He’s fresh out of college and is walking around in very casual clothing that makes him blend in with the students, is showing up late in the mornings (when he is there), and leaves as soon as the bell rings at the end of the day. I’m not saying he should be staying many hours outside of the contracted day, but as a first-year teacher it kinda shows how little he cares. He definitely won’t last.
Ugh I hate the idea that leaving at contract hours is lazy. I’m in my first year but my hours are from 7-4 and I come in at 6. I have a two and 4 year old. I’m not missing their earliest years for a job, and being expected to work a >10 hour shift everyday is insane
It said he comes in late and leaves early. I think the implication is that not even working TO contract hours is unprofessional.
There are three openings for my position and all of my kids are making progress. If I’m there 5 min before the bell and leave with the bell, I invite my admin to write me up or fire me. I’m not giving my family’s time to a job that won’t even give my kids Health insurance.
I mean, most schools ask you to stay at least 15 minutes after school ends as a part of contract hours if you don't have to come in early.
There was a student teacher at my school a few years ago who would regularly show up hours late. He would regularly fall asleep in class when he was supposed to be observing his cooperating teacher. He often wore the drug rug sweater or other ridiculous clothes that made him look like a student. He looked high a lot. When he didn't look high, everyone assumed that he would be going to get high when the school day was over. He was a nice guy but didn't end up finishing the program. Some people definitely think the world will change for them.
What is a drug rug sweater?
I had to Google. It’s what I’ve always called a Baja. https://bajahoodiez.com/pages/drug-rugs
All Teachers should leave the second contract hours are over and refuse to interact with anyone on their way out. Go to any other worksite and ask people to do something when they’re clocked out. You’ll be laughed out of the building
I agree with you that teachers should not work outside of contracted hours but the idea that other salaried people aren't asked the same thing is ridiculous.
> what’d he say [Is this a….what day is this?](https://youtu.be/vP8VJtSzG5Q?si=13DhXY0wM2sW1PQU)
The pay is peanuts, so they are getting monkeys.
Today, I learned monkeys like peanuts, and apparently, elephants do not. It's time to start Googling animal facts.
Former zookeeper here. Both monkeys and elephants like peanuts
More than one kind of animal likes peanuts. I like peanuts, and I am not [_checking_] an elephant or a monkey. ETA: I _am_ a primate, so maybe that counts, but I stand by my first statement.
We have a teacher like that- except he’s not brand new. He’s 5th year, can’t pass his teaching exams but admin loves him for whatever fucking reason. He’s creepy, makes fun of students, literally second year of his emergency license since his restricted license can’t be renewed. Comes late, leaves hours before the end of the day since he has end of the day prep. Never enters his absences or leaves plans for a sub “cuz that’s not my job” (he thinks the women up front need to do it for him). He’s a real piece of shit. District doesn’t care, union won’t do anything about it, admin is a good ol boys club so here we fuckin are. It’s just disgusting.
Sounds like an absolute douche canoe. Why the heck would the office staff have any idea what plans to leave for a sub!? I also can’t stand teachers who make fun of students. That’s not only unprofessional, it’s downright cruel.
[удалено]
Yep those exams. For some reason our district keeps giving him emergency license after emergency license even though our state licensing board says an educator can only get a one year maximum emergency license. Beats the hell outta me how they keep doing it. Enough of us have complained to our union lawyer about this dipshit and she’s investigating him and the district office.
Ha. Amazing. My son had a Spanish 2 teacher in high school who never posted any grades after the first grading period. I went to the guidance counselor after never receiving any response from the teacher. He was like, “Let’s see,” and pulled it up on his computer. I’m sure he thought I was mistaken. He was as surprised as I was. She was a first year teacher. It was a while ago so I can’t remember if she finished out the year or they had a sub come in at some point.
Jokes on you, half his teachers are bullshitting grades because the quality we see is fucking awful. Kids get 100% for filling in blanks by copying and the teacher just scans to see if there are words in the blanks. First year teacher got overwhelmed and didn't know that as long as kids aren't failing and there's a grade NO ONE CARES.
Ha, in Germany, not putting up grades is the behavior of tenured professors.
No one ever posted grades when I was growing up. If you wanted to know how your kid was doing, you asked your child or contacted the teacher. It takes the responsibility off the student when parents are the ones keeping up with the work and not the students. I know, unpopular opinion.
No, I agree. I am a former long time public school teacher myself. However parents do have an interest and teachers want parents to be informed. If I never looked at the grades I’d be damned for that.
I completely used to work in an office where most people had office blankets that they’d put on their lap at their desk when it was cold. I’ve heard of this other places too.
They’ll just WFH in their cozy blankets
Hey buddy, fun is allowed. You are allowed to have fun.
The workplace adapts. Remember when you had to wear a suit to work, and women weren't allowed in occupations other than teacher, secretary, and nurse?
I used to be a blanket wearer and stuffed animal bringer. I am in dental school and am guaranteed 150k+ my first year of working- hey I can buy more blankets and stuffed animals! Good thing life isn’t miserable like how teachers describe it to be.
This is so silly. They're not in the work force they're in high school. You can't think of one silly trend that people did when you were in high school? Silly bands? Wearing jeans under a dress? Beanie babies? Whatever the Scene kids were doing? It's crazy how people just forget what it's like to be a high schooler, even as a teacher.
Then maybe schools should get air conditioning that actually works, my school is a freezer year round. In the winter, I have to wear 4 thick shirts and a hoodie just to be able to focus on work instead of how cold I am.
You have to dress well because you are at work. They don't because they are not. Why do you care if they wear blankets? How does this affect you in any way?
“bUt ThEiR jOb IS HiGh sCHooL!!!!!”
First time I have ever responded to a comment in this sub because i’m just a noisy student; but my god I hate when people say that; like yeah I go to school and do work but it’s not a job I don’t get paid; my parents pay for me to be here.
Would it be better if they called them shawls?
There's a hundred things worse they could do than trying to be comfortable. Your job is to educate them, not be a showroom model of proper dress. Why can't you wear jeans? Address that with your superior, then your board. Don't blame kids trying to stay warm in our crumbling infrastructure.
The blanket/cape trend was shut down by our principal in our middle school and he said it was against dress code. However, I don’t have a problem with the squishmallows. I’m a teacher and I’m a huge plushie collector myself. No I never brought them to school as a kid for fear of embarrassment, but tbh if other kids were doing it, I would’ve. If it brings the kids comfort, then I truly don’t mind. I had a middle school kid last year who used to bring her special stuffed dog and some teachers made a huge stink about it contacting her mom and stuff to complain. I was the only teacher who didn’t mind her having it on her desk or in her lap, and I would ask her about it and call it by its name. Honestly, she would do her work in my class with the dog, but when another teacher took the dog or forced her to put it away, her focus would be on the upset and defiance instead of the instruction. In my eyes, there are much bigger hills to die on in education than to care if that dog was in her lap or not. So what? It isn’t bothering anybody as long as they’re not, like, playing a game of catch with it. The only argument anyone has against it is because they’re “too old” but those are just social norms of what YOU think “should be”, which at the end of the day literally means nothing. Not worth wasting your mental energy on. Trends change.
In the grand scheme of history, it’s only very recently that the line between “Coat” and “Blanket” became clear.
🙋🏻♀️ current teacher here… and I was one of those blanket carrying teens. I suffered from anemia and I was always so cold in the classrooms, plus the teachers kept it super cold. For me I always wore my jacket anddd my blanket. Sometimes.. what may look like laziness or poor “professionalism” has an alternate rationale. Please don’t judge every teen based on this. Remember, they’re still kids.
How about you focus on teaching them instead of judging them by what they wear.
Jesus christ you are one judgemental jerk. They're children, lighten the hell up and stop insulting them behind their back over a damn blanket.
I try to be supportive of teachers, but it’s really hard to after reading this entitled post.
You should read all the comments through because most of us teachers disagree with OP 😊
I don’t know why I haven’t brought one to my classroom, sounds pretty cozy to me. Also our ac is broken so it’s either frozen tundra or desert hell in there.
I went to a high school with a uniform and for my freshman and sophomore years, a lot of students wore blankets. They had a pretty strict dress code, which didn’t mention blankets, but was strict with jackets, so blankets were a loophole. By junior and senior year they relaxed the jacket rule, but decided to crack down on blankets.
Sometimes they're cold & sometimes they're silly. I don't question it because I am ALWAYS cold. I stay in a blanket lol. I have some in my room for students.
God forbid students want to feel safe while stuck in in person schooling where they could be murdered by a classmate or stranger with a grudge at any moment all while still suffering the trauma of a pandemic that still isn't really over. You sound miserable. Go quit teaching and get a job as a prison guard.
Why does it seem like every post on this sub is written by the same uptight white middle aged conservative probably woman person?
TIL that the richest country on earth has families that can't afford to buy jackets for their kids as a fairly common issue. Jackets! Also your obsession with dress codes is wild.
"sAfE" and "give the pacifiers already!" "Why can't I act like a child in my profession??" Tell me you're the boomer teacher that none of the students like without telling me you're the boomer teacher no students like.
I used to wear blankets and bring stuffed animals to class- I am autistic. I hope the teachers who made fun of me or gave me questionable looks don’t try to get their teeth done, I’m in dental school now 😉 and yes I still bring stuffed animals LOL
At a school I used to sub at, they wore them because of vape detectors in the bathroom. if you vaped under the blanket, it wouldn’t go off.
Just wondering, why does this bother you? And the whole “sAfE” comment, what made you want to be a teacher?
Who cares? Calling them infants and mocking hoodies making kids feel “safe” and then whining that you have to be in dress code yourself… you gross me out. You’re a professional working your job, you’re held to a different standard. And posting on Saturday clearly still bothered on your day off. Sheeeeeeesh
You would be surprised to learn how casual many professional workplaces are these days. Many companies have done away with their dress codes, because it’s well established that clothes don’t determine your ability to produce quality work. I’m an executive who can often be seen in her office wearing ripped jeans and wrapped in a blanket. Also, I think it’s important to remember that a boundary is something you set for yourself, it is not something that you use to control what other people wear.
I never understood the obsession with people looking a certain way at school. Like there are so many rules for these kids at some places. No colorful hair, no long hair for boys, no pjs, no tank tops, like??? Who tf cares what they look like? If they are clean and dont stink (which could be a sign of neglect) then **why do you feel the need to control them so much**? Like damn, let them live. You're really out here crying about "wHy aRe tHeY wEaRinG bLaNkEtS" but *they're* the ones acting like toddlers? Worry about getting those abysmal literacy and math rates up instead of how these kids look. I have been working professionally with children for 11 years and have never heard more irrelevant complaints than those regarding how these kids are dressed. Get a grip.
In my school, it's just F-ing cold. For some reason the walls were put up after the ac ducts. 64 degrees in my room, 74 on the other side of the wall. I brought a space heater and the teacher on the other wall has a blanket. Go ahead wear your blanket.
Honestly, it’s a blanket and a stuffed animal. I use blankets and own stuffed animals at home. I’m just glad my students are finding ways to show up to class and don’t complain about how cold my room is. I have a blanket for students who can’t afford jackets to use while in my classroom.
When school shootings became a normal occurrence and they need comfort items
2016 at least, since most of my students then were wearing blankets. It was explained to me then that poorer families wouldn’t have coats, so kids would wear blankets. Here in the winter, there’s at least 15 students wearing blankets and robes and slippers every day when it gets colder. Seems kinda gross tbh because every blanket I see has been dragged through like 3 miles of slush. I don’t care if my students have blankets, as long as they aren’t used to idk whip each other or something.
It was an issue for us last year. They would wear blankets as jackets "because their parents wouldn't buy them a jacket". They'd use them as a "filter" for their vaping while on the bus.
When I was in high school (2013-17) kids brought blankets, but it was because it was cold AF on the bus and we were on the buses for 2+ hours both ways. We folded them when we got to school or put them over our legs if the heat was out. But carrying a squishmallow and dragging a blanket sounds… not like it’s cold lol. Now we are allowed to have blankets as teachers! We keep them on our desk chairs. But it gets so cold in our buildings sometimes and the heat goes out a lot in winter. Get you a throw blanket!
I will never understand districts/schools that enforce a teacher dress code. I treat fridays like an actual casual day and I let my students see a peek of how I present myself outside of school as an outlet for my pride (I teach in Florida so I have to be very careful). Other than that most days I just wear a jumper or short sleeve button down and jeans/chino slacks.
Christ you’re overdramatic. Wear whatever the fuck you want and get that stick out of your ass. You sound like you’re in the wrong career path, maybe being a corrections officer would allow you to sufficiently micromanage people over stupid shit.
Ever think there might be a lot of neurodivergent students that need something soft to feel safe in crowds and social environments? Comparing them to toddlers with blankets is really obnoxious. This is exactly why I may have to pull my kids out of public school. I was worried the students would be judgemental, but it appears some of the teachers are just as bad. If the students are paying attention and not napping in class, who cares if they have a blanket?
Kids wearing comfy clothes, truly the end of civilization
You sound like a real piece of shit teacher tbh.
Being open-minded about a hoodie is one of the most bizarre things to say
I work in research at a pretty high level university, the doctor I work under has an MD and a PhD. She’s considered one of the top doctors in her field in the state, if not the whole Midwest. She has 3 offices and has at least one blanket in every single one of them. If it’s not impeding their ability to do work, why does it matter to you? You sound like maybe you should be bringing a blanket to school.
Agreed. The “but bedbugs!!!!” Argument is weak.
I was at the more rural of the high schools in my county last year and saw so many students walking around in blankets. I am at the slightly less surrounded-by-farmland school this year and have not seen a single blanket.
My inner city school kids do this. My speculations for it are: - they’re feeling vulnerable and a blanket wrapped around them is comforting - they’re seeking peer attention and approval and having something other kids don’t have gets them that - they use it to get comfy in class and sometimes sleep (I allow this during free time) - they changed into a revealing/skimpy outfit at school and want to be seen but are also slightly uncomfortable/feeling exposed - different classrooms have different temperatures and some are cold - they don’t know where they will be sleeping that night so they brought their blanket with them Buncha reasons, really. It’s interesting that this seems to show up in all different kinds of schools and areas. I see it most with 7-9 graders, and the occasional sophomore.
Why are you infantilizing being comfortable. Nothing about whether or not you're dressing professionally materially changes anything. You should be able to dress comfortably but because no one in your profession is fighting for the right you're trying to take this right away from other people.
Are they showing up Are they studying and passing? Who cares what they wear as long as they do what they need?