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Lilli
02-09-2013, 06:43 AM
... and how do you deal with it?


I mean are you as obsessed with keeping you dressing privatissime as I am?
On the one hand the thought of being outed terrifies me.

On the other hand, I sometimes have the feeling, that - being out there in front of people every day - these people may already have seen something odd in me, and maybe taken it for what it is and liked it already wihtout me noticing. But that may just be wishful thinking - I am after all quite authoritative as a teacher.

But still - one never knows what others really know and accept about oneself.
The world might me much more open minded than we feel.

I would be interested in your thoughts if you are a teacher yourself.
Is one of you?

chelle
02-09-2013, 11:33 AM
I am a retired teach and wore only panties for last 20 years. Kids are very observant about clothes and notice the smallest details. Girls related easier with me than any other male teachers at school. I taught chemistry and physics, traditionally male donimated courses, and always had more girls than boys. Onec in a college one-week workshop in physics, A&M univ, the physics prof was so shocked that I had larger percent of girls than did the female physics teachers in the groupl. He wanted to know what I did to get so many girls in those classes, but I really could not think of any reason. Students make so many weird statements about teachers, regardless of what there private lifes may be. That is just a part of students that you accept and go on.
Chelle

Melissa Rose
02-09-2013, 11:58 AM
I am a college instructor in the music department, and I teach 2-3 nights a week each semester. This is one of the few public places where I routinely maintain my male self. I do not have a need or desire to teach as a woman since I am not full time transitioning and I started teaching in male mode. I also do not under dress or partially dress at all. I feel it would be a distraction and disruption not only in my classes, but to the department. My classes are also 90%+ male which creates its own dynamic, and one class routinely involves working with people outside of the college. I want the classes to be about learning with the focus on the material and students and not on myself. My students and their education comes before my personal desires. If I was going to full time transition then it would be completely different.

I am lightly involved in LGBT training for staff and faculty, and I do it as a woman since I focus on the trans part and the current course instructors have little knowledge and experience in this area. This increases the risk of being outed at the college, but it is a minor risk I am willing to take for a worthy reason. My personal life and privacy has always been respected, and no one has tried to out me to the best of my knowledge. I work in one of the most liberal departments in a large, multi-campus system in a diverse and liberal area (California) with legal protections. While it would definitely create talk behind the scenes, it would unlikely cause severe career damage to me. I work as a woman in another job and it is great. I'm treated just like any of the women in the office and no one would know any different by observing. So it is not fear that is holding me back, but a strong desire to do what I think is best for my students and department.

Beverley Sims
02-09-2013, 01:08 PM
I know of a number of teachers with various sexual orientations and the closest they come to mixing teaching with their lifestyle is to teach a subject about it because they know that subject intimately.
A gay man conducts dancing classes and is good at expression and can really assist the females how to gesture.
A philosopher and a psychologist both teach gender related subjects sensitively and with little bias.

Diane Smith
02-09-2013, 01:51 PM
I am a full time teacher at the middle school/high school level. It is an unusual school and situation; we have grades 7 - 12 in one combined program, and are actually a unit of the state university, established to do curriculum research with a population of gifted students (that being defined as the top 5% on various standardized tests). We have an all-honors, college prep program where virtually all our students advance to four-year universities. My subject matter is computers and media, but our two introductory courses are required for all students; only in the upper level electives (programming, web design and such) do we see a preponderance of male students.

I do not wear women's outer clothes to work, but also don't hide my long, colored hair and nails or permanent makeup. I'm sure there are conversations about my appearance, but our students are very academically focused and tend to be liberal in their political and social orientation, so I have never received any obvious disrespect as a consequence of it. And as a state and university employee, I am protected by a very strong set of anti-discrimination and inclusiveness policies, so I'm not overly concerned for my job. We have a couple of out gay teachers (and a few others who are more discreet), and two active student GLBT clubs. All in all, it's a pretty good situation to be in, although I would not be comfortable dressing fully on the job unless I were to officially transition (which is not in the plans at the moment).

- Diane

GaleWarning
02-09-2013, 02:41 PM
I am a secondary school teacher. I am in the closet professionally.
It's not the student's reactions I need to worry about; it is those of their parents and senior personnel in the education ministry.

bridget thronton
02-09-2013, 05:26 PM
I am a college professor and wear pants suits at work and flats or boots (no makeup other than nude lippy)

Eryn
02-09-2013, 05:49 PM
Not just for teachers, but for those in any public-contact profession one has to realize that one or two minor traits will not out you as a CDer. The general population, even including the dreaded teenagers, is not on an active CD-hunt and things like pierced ears or subtle manicures will not make the connection unless you provide too many traits.

OTOH, I recall a recent case where a California GG teacher was removed from the classroom because, in a previous career, she had appeared in XXX movies. There's nothing at all illegal about that, but the powers that be decided that she could not be "effective in the classroom" (whatever that means) because of her past and they made it stick with the judge. California TGs do have more legal protections than XXX actresses, but the possibility still remains that some self-appointed guardian of public morals will decide that being open about CDing also negates a teacher's "effectiveness."

flatlander_48
02-09-2013, 10:30 PM
OTOH, I recall a recent case where a California GG teacher was removed from the classroom because, in a previous career, she had appeared in XXX movies. There's nothing at all illegal about that, but the powers that be decided that she could not be "effective in the classroom" (whatever that means) because of her past and they made it stick with the judge. California TGs do have more legal protections than XXX actresses, but the possibility still remains that some self-appointed guardian of public morals will decide that being open about CDing also negates a teacher's "effectiveness."

In a way, I can relate to this in a way. I'm a mechanical engineer and in recent times, I spent 6 years in Taiwan supervising machinery installation teams. If I was at home in the US, I wouldn't give a second thought to underdressing. For me, it is a minimum of a thong with sometimes an extra firm brief or pantyhose thrown in. However, being on a construction site made me really think about doing this. If I were exposed, because I had an accident on site or whatever, it would be a difficult situation as a construction site is essentially macho turf. My "effectiveness" as a leader would be compromised. In other words, it's hard to lead a group that would be laughing behind your back.

So, I thought about this for a while. Around the time when I had been in country for about 2 years, I finally decided. What occurred to me was that I had built up enough good Kharma that it would probably be OK. Sure it would be bumpy for a while if anything happened, but eventually the dust would settle and life would go on.

However, the difference between this situation and my circumstances is that I don't think I would be sent home if my personal habits came to light. The problem is how much control you have over your situation. Unfortunately in education, you don't have much. My ex-wife was in education and I understand how it goes. Doesn't take very much for the elephant to fall over on top of you.

tara_c
02-10-2013, 12:12 AM
i worked in a all girls high school i taught the media class and was head of i.t. for the school i came out was told hide it and was fired. so yea big risk speak to a lawyer first.

BillieAnneJean
02-10-2013, 12:25 AM
Ladies,
About thirty years ago when I was very young and had no idea this "hobby" existed, I was on a construction job. My part of the project was very technical and very much the center of things. One day as I was walking across the third floor, out in the open for all to see, I felt something odd on my right lower leg. When I looked down, I was surprised to find a white rag or something hanging out the outside bottom of my pant leg. I reached down and pulled it out. Once I had it fully exposed, I realized it was one of my wife's very sexy and lacy panties. At that time I had NEVER had panties on, had not discovered CDing. I quickly wadded them up and breathed a sigh of relief that no one had seen them. I would have been teased mercylessly. It did not have anything to do with my CDing later either. That was my only time wearing panties to work. By accident.

Ozark
02-10-2013, 12:44 AM
Retired second career teacher.

I fully appreciate defined benefit retirement programs!