Ms. H. . . The Teacher

I. LOVE. TO. TEACH!

For those who already know me, you probably already know this- but I want to tell the rest of you how much I enjoy this endeavor. I spend many summers, including this past summer, teaching swim lessons- but this semester I get to teach Public Speaking to two sections of undergraduate students. I absolutely love the teaching process (lesson plans, office hours, providing feedback, etc), but my biggest surprise (so far) has been how awesome my students are.

While I am sure that many Teaching Assistants, during their first semester of teaching, think very highly of their students; I am convinced that I have the best bunch of students enrolled in Public Speaking at my university. But really, I do have the best. :) Over the past few weeks I've learned about their interests, hobbies, social lives, and even their goals and aspirations. For the most part, they are on time, participate in class discussions, greet me with smiles and sometimes waves when they see me on campus, and they care about each other. Each of my classes has created a feeling of community- this is probably what I love most about my students. I could talk about their wonderfulness for hours, but- since this IS a fashion blog, I will move on.

In addition to the awesomeness of my students, another part of my job that I enjoy is dressing, or learning how to dress, like a teacher. My previous roles as a teacher took place in aquatic centers, so I've come a long way from my days of a swim suit, flip flops, sunscreen, and sunglasses. It's been fun mixing and matching trousers, sweaters, blouses, shirts, skirts, dresses, tights, shoes, etc- but for the most part I've been rather conservative. This week, on Monday, I decided to try something a bit braver, and a bit bolder. This look is inspired by the equestrian look that I am beginning to see more and more often this season (I much prefer this look over the dreadful pirate-y look from a few falls ago).

Anyways, I am curious. . .

What do you all think of this outfit? Is it a hit or a miss? (Pictured above, without coat, and below, with coat).

Winter-white cropped coat: Old Navy (2 winters ago, but they have a similar one this fall)

White silk pleated blouse: Banana Republic (Summer 2007, from way back when)

Shamrock-green cashmere blend sweater: American Eagle Outfitters (thank you Mom!)

Chalkboard-grey lace-trim tank: American Eagle Outfitters

Black skinny dress pants: The Gap (this season)

Black sliver-wedge heel boots: Anne Klein (from Bergner's

**Extra Credit Question (in honor of upcoming Mid-Term exams on campus)

What would YOU do if you saw your instructor running down the halls like this:

Would you:

a) Avoid eye contact and keep moving, away

b) Capture the moment using the camera/videocamera on your phone

c) Call Campus Security

d) Join in on the fun, and also run down the hall

Thank you Margaret H. for taking these photos!