posted
Ok, we have a new principal at our school...the third actually in the last two years. I've managed to weather the storms of changes in the school quite nicely by simply doing my job and doing it well, getting very few parent complaints, lots of parent compliments, and keeping my actions well-documented. I've put up with curriculum changes, schedule changes, building changes....but this new woman may be the one I cannot work with.
On the first day she arrived, I feared I might be in trouble. Here is a description - perfectly styled bleach-blonde hair, size three? five? figure, flouncy dress with wide belt and full skirt, high heels, perfect nails and make up. Think Donna Reed or June Cleaver.
Now me. I'm 5'4", size 10, no hairstyle, no make up, no nail polish, strictly a jeans, polo shirts, and sneakers kind of gal.
It is my firm belief that a teacher of middle school students should be comfortable with himself/herself. I have NO PROBLEM with teachers who want to wear ties and dresses (not together) as long as that is what works for them, but I have a real problem with people trying to impose it on me.
Hence my problem...this principal in her second faculty meeting decided that as her first major change to improve our school, she was going to impose a teacher dress code. No sneakers, no jeans except on Friday, not even nice ones of colors other than blue.
Now, I know this is pretty common practice but it has never been the policy of our school and my husband, who works for the same school system, does not have this policy.
Honestly, while I seriously resent being told WHAT to wear, what really burns me is HOW it was presented.
First, she commented that half the faculty looks like it is going to the beach instead of work. Next, she read us all a little poem about how "Professionalism Begins With Appearance" which was incredibly condescending. Personally I always felt professionalism begins with performance. I am an extremely professional teacher with two degrees, eleven years of experience, the highest scoring 7th graders in my county, and extremely good classroom management and I can tell you that my professionalism is the same whether I'm wearing a dress, jeans, or pajamas.
She stated that if we improved our appearance, our students would treat us differently. Well, I like how my students respect me. I don't want any changes.
When someone voiced that this would cost money her reply was, "Don't give me that excuse. Walmart has nice clothes." Now granted, I DO shop at Walmart, but I don't want some woman who obviously shops at Talbots sp? to tell me to shop there.
And this was her FIRST concern for our school. Not curriculum, not test scores, not safety and security. Dress Code! Followed immediately by a suggestion that we do some "spring cleaning" in our classrooms and that we should not be putting down tape on the floors and carpets in the elementary portion of our school because it damages the surfaces. (Have any of you ever been in an elementary school where there WASN'T tape on the floors and carpets for kids to know where to sit and stand in line?)
I have serious concerns about a principal who puts appearances before the happiness of the staff and the performaces of the students.
posted
Are you comfortable bringing your concerns to her, and then to your superintendant? Or potentially getting together with like-minded teachers and sending her a letter?
'Cause I think you're right, it's unimportant and silly.
Posts: 7954 | Registered: Mar 2004
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posted
can you wear Khaki pants? Personally, I find them to be as comfortable as jeans (though they are harder to deal with...since you have to worry with wrinkles). That way you can still be comfortable, and not clash with the new boss.
The she dealt with the situation was poor...but if she was good at managing people, she would prob be working for a business that would give her a decent salary rather than working as a principal where the pay is crappy and the hours are terrible.
Posts: 1901 | Registered: May 2004
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posted
At first I thought I was the only one sincerely ticked off about this. Then I closed my mouth, opened my ears, and walked around the campus. Everywhere I went, teachers were complaining about this woman. People have gone to our union rep but our union is practically powerless and worthless. Everyone was furious about one of the principal's mandates...dress, spring cleaning, Walmart, beach attire, carpet tape...she managed to alienate the entire faculty in one meeting. Today when we returned from spring break we got a welcome back note in our mailboxes. On the back was a copy of the "dress code poem" and more specifics about exactly what she does and does not want to see on campus.
Several have spoken with her about it. All have been shot down.
Posts: 676 | Registered: Sep 2002
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posted
Lupus, yes we can wear Khakis, but it's the principle of the thing...pun intended. And I have really bad feet. Any shoes other than sneakers cause me pain. I will probably have to get a doctor's note or something, proving yet again how the staff is being treated like the students. She even went so far as to remind some of our skirt-wearing teachers about the fingertip length rule (while wearing a fairly short skirt herself). And if I wear khakis, I will have to go out and purchase khakis. That's money. And while I can "do my shopping at Walmart" I still don't want to spend the funds on a new wardrobe.
Posts: 676 | Registered: Sep 2002
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posted
Ouch. How good is your relationship (or that of teachers in general) with the superintendent? It may be possible to get things modified.
Also, how did this woman get hired? I'd think the public interview process many states and school boards have adopted would pretty much weed out absurdist condescending perfectionists.
It seems that without drastic action no change is going to take place. There are two possibilities, either she changes her policies or she gets fired. She can either change her policies on her own, or be forced to change them by above. Most school districts would be reluctant to overrule any but the most egregious policies by principals, though, and she seems extremely unlikely to change her position.
Some form of collective action may result in that or another one of the desired outcomes (for instance, a petition coupled with a few well-argued letters to the editor in the local paper from various teachers stating basically what your post does; in particular include how her policy is harming safety for appearance's sakes).
Posts: 15770 | Registered: Dec 2001
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quote: Several have spoken with her about it. All have been shot down.
Then it is definitely time to request a meeting with the superintendant. Preferably for MANY people to request meetings, after he listens to 5 or 6 of you calmly and logically lay out your postitions, perhaps s/he'll decide s/he'd rather talk to the principal than the other 20 people who have requested meetings.
Edit: To add quote, and say I really like fugu's point about letters to the editor of the local paper.
posted
I have never believed that there is a strong connection between competence and dressing up. One of the best professors I have had so far wears dirty, disgusting sandals that are falling apart, and sometimes has his shirt open so far that tufts of hair stick out. It's really disturbing, but he was a fantastic lecturer and took a strong interest in making sure everyone understood the material and did well in the class.
I personally find wearing nice clothes distracting. Also, if your students respect you, see if you can enlist their help. It sounds like your principal isn't going to listen to anyone at all, but it can't hurt to have students involved. Also, you could just all not follow the dress code. She's unlikely to punish everyone and would be a complete idiot if she fired anyone over this.
Posts: 3546 | Registered: Jul 2002
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posted
She's not going to be reasonable - it sounds like she's entirely content in her own self-righteousness.
To be fair, a dress code is not uncommon for developing and maintaining a presence of professionalism, but in the grand scheme of things, it's pretty low on the totem pole, particularly in an academic setting.
Based on the poem (really, really obnoxious), she's trying to straddle the line of being an authority figure and still keep the girly, touchy-feely image intact.
I don't think you're going to have much luck breaking her policies - she was probably sent to the school for a reason and not necessarily a good one.
You might want to ask the superintendent if they have a feedback system for employees to voice complaints.
posted
That's ridiculous. I would think that staff dress code would not be in the principal's jurisdiction; that's the kind of thing that has to be district policy.
Personally, I'd take the route of civil disobedience until she can prove that she has the right to impose such policies.
Posts: 285 | Registered: Apr 2005
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posted
Before you got to the superintendent, think this through. If she has the power to do this, you'll lose and will have a VERY awkward relationship with the principal.
Posts: 26071 | Registered: Oct 2003
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I happen to believe that professionalism does matter, and that it is reflected in how you dress, therefore I see absolutely no problem with her imposing a dress code.
Granted, she sounds like a class A witch with a capitol "b" and I'm not defending some of her comments, like the WalMart one, I also agree there are probably more pressing issues for your school and for her to make this her foremost one might be questionable.
However, I do believe that people in all professions need to accept that part of working and being a professional may well be dressing like one. And I do not think jeans, polo shirts, and sneakers constitutes professional dress. Sorry.
Posts: 14428 | Registered: Aug 2001
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posted
Thank you for the suggestions. The superintendent is out. He, like everyone else in the district, hates our school. We are the most affluent school in the district, receive the most donations, have the best students and resources, and therefore, jealousy is rampant. Instead of being proud of our school's accomplishments, the board and superintendent resent the power the parents in our community have.
How was she hired? By a panel of teachers and parents. But it was by written resume and you really can't tell that much from just a resume. You really need to speak face to face. The procedure is that the panel is given all the applications, they narrow it down to three, and the school board makes the final choice. Believe me, the people who selected her are very sheepish these days and not happy with their selection at all.
As for involving students, well, I'm not sure how it is done in collegiate circles, but in public schools, it is really frowned on when teachers enlist the aid of students in teacher/administrator conflicts. Subtle hints can be dropped in classes, but formal statements requesting student/parent involvement would be considered, ironically, unprofessional. In addition, given the types of people living in our community, I suspect they would find the whole matter of so little importance that it would be beneath them to involve themselves. If it had to do with a good teacher being let go, class sizes, poor education, or safety issues, the parents would be all over it. But dress code? I doubt they would even take a step toward the telephone.
Posts: 676 | Registered: Sep 2002
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posted
Wear jeans, t shirts and sneakers in solidarity and protest, I reckon. Who the heck can afford to buy a ton of fancy smacy clothes?
Posts: 9942 | Registered: Mar 2003
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posted
Leak what is happening to some of your mature students and their parents, let them bring it up in letters to the editor first, before the teachers start being more vocal about it. Especially if they can come up with reasons why not only does casual dress not hinder learning, but why it HELPS. I remember being more trusting of teachers who looked clean and not ragged, but casual at the same time. I feared the dressed up formal looking teachers, and trusted the ones in the polo and jeans and sneakers.
When I was in high school, Teachers had no power, but once students and parents stood up for them, things started happening. A number of teachers were kept from being unjustly fired that way.
Posts: 772 | Registered: Feb 2005
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posted
Belle, I can understand that some people think that--I'm just one of the ones who doesn't. And like many issues where there are differences of opinion, I prefer not to have people forcing their views on me, or vice versa.
And since Cor has a legitimate medical reason for wearing sneakers, doubly so. I would hope that a doctor's note isn't necessary, as that seems overly controlling to require one.
Posts: 3546 | Registered: Jul 2002
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posted
I wouldn't think you'd need student and community involvement at all. The school boards I've had experience with were responsible for district policy, not the principals.
Posts: 285 | Registered: Apr 2005
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posted
Belle, take this into account. "Professional" dress differs depending on the profession. And working with kids is a particularly dirty profession. For example, take an elementary teacher. She works with glue, paint, snot, pee, poop, vomit, paste, pretty much on a daily basis. In my case, it is more of a mobility issue. Yes, I work with messy materials like dry erase markers and white board grit and grime, but I've also been known to hop on a desk to give a dramatic speech or make a strong point. I've done dance steps to illustrate action verbs. I run around the room constantly to monitor performance and offer advice and assistance. I want for my profession the most durable, comfortable clothing and shoes out there.
I'm not revealing myself. I'm not advertising beer companies across my chest. I'm simply being the teacher I was meant to be. And I get results from my students.
I would NOT be the same teacher in less durable pants, that I couldn't entirely count on not to split if I hopped a desk. I would not be able to circulate the room constantly in shoes that were uncomfortable.
How do I know? Because I worked in a private school for seven years and we had this dress code. I sat on a stool at the front of the room. I was inhibited by my own appearance because I always felt like I was playing dress up. It wasn't me, and middle school students can sense like rabid wolves if you are not comfortable with who you are. I was still a good teacher, but not nearly as enthusiastic, not nearly the teacher I wanted to be and feel I have become. They would comment on "dress down days" that I was much more interesting to listen to and watch while teaching.
It is only my opinion, but I feel "professional dress" must depend on the profession.
Posts: 676 | Registered: Sep 2002
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Yep, Celebration Middle School. I love the school, the teachers, the students, 97 percent of the parents, and my teaching assignment. But this has always been a sore point with me. I would hate to have to leave over it. I think I'm one of the rare teachers that actually LOVES teaching middle-school-aged children. But the high school in town is always looking for teachers...and my husband wears jeans every day.
As for protesting through ignoring the rules, I've already begun that. The dress code is voluntary for the rest of the current school year and mandatory next year. I certainly do not intend to make myself uncomfortable by volunteering for it.
And the school is always hurting for good teachers. The turn over rate is tremendous, partially due to the turn over rate among administrators. If I continue to wear jeans every day, I wonder if they would really fire me. Then again, with someone like this, she may be intending to clean house and start with a nice maleable staff she can bend to her ways from the start, a set of new teachers who don't know how the rules have been in the past and simply need a job.
Posts: 676 | Registered: Sep 2002
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posted
This is a middle and elementary school. Students vomit, students are taught how to finger paint, students do messy science experiments, et cetera.
Furthermore, while it is important that teachers be respected, as in other jobs, there is also a need to be accessible, which is weighted far more to less formal dress in a school setting than it is in many settings.
Teacher dress should exist at the intersection of professionalism and practicality, and I think in a middle/elementary school that's below where it is in an office. It is unreasonable to ask an art teacher to not wear clothing that can get paint on it, or to ask a gym teacher to not wear clothing that can get sweaty, or one of many things. Each teacher's situation will be different, and teaching is a highly personalized experience.
I think it is appropriate to ask teachers to dress appropriately, and to let it be known what that standard of appropriateness is generally considered to be. But requiring specific standards of teachers for dressing is belittling them in a way it is not for other professions. Instead, for someone perceived to be dressing inappropriately, have a meeting with them where the issue is discussed openly and honestly.
Not to mention that the whole idea of allowing you to wear jeans on friday seems to acknowledge there's no real point to the dress code except control (which is also true in many other jobs, but they're both typically private and tend to involve far less creative professions than teaching).
Posts: 15770 | Registered: Dec 2001
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posted
That would be so lame. Then she'd get the sort of teachers that just don't care. I think she should compromise. Good teachers, and I know from experience at my own schools I went to should be treasured and respected.
Posts: 9942 | Registered: Mar 2003
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posted
Cor, our new(now three years of tyranny) superintendent said the same thing, except that we looked more like we came out of the garden, not the beach.
What does your contract say? If there is nothing about a specific dress code, wear what you want. We do.
Posts: 10890 | Registered: May 2003
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posted
And another thng. I don't need heels and panty hose to have my students respect me. I am sorry for teachrs who do.
Posts: 10890 | Registered: May 2003
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posted
Thanks for the boost in confidence, Eljay. I won't be doing any linking just yet. I am somewhat high profile in my school. I have a reputation for being the boat rocker, not because I really attack anyone, but because I am determined to state my opinions on any matter. (Hmm....and I'm a Hatracker. Go figure.) I have been playing the dog and pony show for three different principals and three different assistant principals in the past three years. Oohh, I forgot one. Make that four principals in three years. I have grown tired of having to prove my competence. But I'm not quite ready to retire yet....
Posts: 676 | Registered: Sep 2002
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posted
Cor, your views make sense to me. At the moment, I dress up (suit, or at least smart trousers and jumper) for teaching because otherwise I'll look like a sixth-former, but it can be restricting sometimes (like when you want to stand on tables).
As for the principal, she sounds incredibly difficult to deal with. I'm not sure quite what I'd suggest. Your students will almost certainly notice that you are dressing differently, though, and will probably ask questions - have you thought about what you'll say?
Posts: 1550 | Registered: Jun 1999
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posted
How/why have the previous principals left, btw?
I know in our district its very hard to get rid of the principals other than voluntarily, so high turnover only happens at stressful schools or when there's a coincidental sequence of occurrences in the principals' personal lives.
Posts: 15770 | Registered: Dec 2001
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posted
OOOOhhhh, Fugu, excellent point about the jeans on Friday thing. You are totally right. If jeans are okay on Friday, then....? It does defeat the purpose except to show her desire to be a controller. Oh, and I fogot to mention...this is her FIRST principal job. Lucky us.
As for our contract, it simply says "professional dress" with no specifics. That's why many of us are considering ignoring her. But I don't want to end up with the most undesirable teaching schedule next year, either.
Posts: 676 | Registered: Sep 2002
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posted
One of my former roommates and her sisters went to school in Celebration. I don't suppose you ever had any Knox girls (all very tall and obsessed with horses) in your class?
Posts: 285 | Registered: Apr 2005
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posted
You can be just as mobile in khakis, and a nice button down shirt. Even if you have trouble with your feet, (and I have chronic ingrown toenails so I know this) you can be very comfortable in loafers.
I'm not saying teachers should wear three piece suits and high heeled shoes.
I've been to my daughter's school many, many times and been around the kindergarten and elementary classrooms. They have a dress code, the men wear ties, they don't wear jeans or sneakers and I've never seen it hamper a teacher in any way. Most of the females seem to wear khaki pants, or navy pants with nice shirts, some seem to prefer loose cotton dresses.
Now, I'm not trying to be completely contentious here. I understand you have a certain style of dress and you like it and don't want to change. That I can understand - and I sympathize that your new boss is unreasonable and doesn't seem willing to listen to people.
However, I do know that in the working world, you will have bosses that set standards, and you should have to abide by them. It goes along with having a job - especially a job like teaching where you are in the public eye. Your students see you every day, your co-workers, and the parents and public that come by the school. Your principal is well within her rights to set a dress code, and I suspect most parents would not find that an unreasonable thing. Certainly I don't have a problem with my kids principals setting dress standards at the school.
In my opinion - suck it up, try to catch some good sales, and look for a practical, comfortable wardrobe that fits the new dress code and you can still be happy with. Trying to fight it isn't going to do you any good, and will most likely just get you off on the wrong foot with your new boss.
Posts: 14428 | Registered: Aug 2001
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posted
By the way, the princpal sounds exactly like my ex-business partner and his little crony. Frankly, I'd be far more annoyed with her attitude - if she's like this now, there's more and worse to come. I ended up leaving; if I could stand the way they were running the business I might not have. Of course, if I'd been interested in staying, I wouldn't have let them set such stupid policies. So instead I left to follow my real dream, and bad management was a boon to me.
Unfortunately, it sounds like you're already in the profession of your dreams, so that doesn't help you. Checking the contract is a good idea, and if the union contract is up for renegotiation soon, get it in the contract if it's not.
quote: Then again, with someone like this, she may be intending to clean house and start with a nice maleable staff she can bend to her ways from the start, a set of new teachers who don't know how the rules have been in the past and simply need a job.
This wouldn't surprise me at all. I think it's ridiculous for her to be willing to lose good teachers over how they dress.
Posts: 1021 | Registered: Sep 2004
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I agree with the heels and panty hose opinion. If that's what a teacher WANTS to wear, great! If that is what makes her comfortable, great! If she has a need to wear it, like she feels it makes her look older and that is the image she wants to portray, great! But every teacher is unique. (and usually a little eccentric) And what works for one will most certainly not work for all. And no matter what anyone says, I firmly do not believe that better dress will gain an INEFFECTIVE teacher respect. It might work for a few days, but students, especially in middle and high school, will see through that in fast time. Nor will jeans turn a good, effective teacher into some kind of drooling moron on the tape-free elementary school floor.
Posts: 676 | Registered: Sep 2002
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posted
Seems to me that a middle school teacher should be able to dress on the modest end of what a middle schooler would wear. It can enhance connection -- not that I'm a middle school teacher, but I drive a bunch of them around and I do dress very much like they do, just not as tight. My blue hair helps establish some connection, as they see me more as cool than authoritative. For what that's worth.
In HS, the two best teachers I had were on opposite ends of the dress spectrum. My english teacher wore nice cords and a tie every day. My biology teacher had a ponytail, wore jeans and a flannel shirt every day. He was a licensed guide too, which he did in the summer. (This was in Alaska.) He was fascinating because he really knew geology & biology...the clothes he wore really fit who he was.
For me, I'd be seriously tempted to wear the letter of the law but not the spirit...as in, wear nice pieces that don't match. Or wear nice pieces that were stylish 15 years ago. Goodwill would be very helpful with this.
Posts: 5948 | Registered: Jun 2001
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Belle, I think we're just going to have to agree to disagree here. I've popped plenty of buttons on button down shirts trying to be overly mobile or enthusiastic, and khaki just doesn't hold up the way jeans do. As for loafers, I had them. My feet roll inward. I walk on the sides of my shoes. And I have large, deformed toenails that can't take pressure of any kind without digging into my skin. My options have always been strong leather sneakers, or cheap sneakers that I'm willing to replace when they start to roll. Or I can wear grandma's "special support" shoes, but I really would prefer not to and they would still have to have give on the tops while supporting on the sides.
As for "sucking it up" my feeling is this. Teachers "suck up" far too much as it is. We suck up insufficient pay. We suck up outrageously overloaded classrooms (I had two of 38 this year) and the rest were pretty close. We suck up phrases like "Those who can't, teach." I'm tired of sucking it up. The more we suck up, the more they pour in our glass.
posted
Fugu, the other principals left for a variety of reasons. The first left when the high school broke off and got a campus of its own. He's the one who hired me. He looked at my resume, not my clothes, and even made a comment about how he would much rather have the teacher who did different accents while teaching grammar to keep the students' attention than the one wearing a business suit. I loved him. He retired from the high school a year ago where he will always be remembered for playing the "Chicken Dance" during the changing of classes and singing "Hi ho, hi ho, it's off to class we go" on the p.a..
The second one was another impeccably dressed lady who did not hire me when I had first gone to her for a job. She worked with the man I mentioned in the above paragraph. They were co-principals. She looked me up and down from hair to shoes. And I WAS dressed in khakis and a nice button-down shirt at the time. This, apparently, was insufficient. She met me four times through my husband before she could even remember my name. However, once I got hired, we worked well together. She never really cared what went on with my clothes so long as I never got any parent complaints about my teaching. She trusted me to do my job and she didn't try to change me. She was eventually driven out by the parents in the community over a conflict with a beloved assistant principal. _As I said, our parents have serious power.
The third was an interim principal who came in for about six months until a new permanent principal could be found. She was previously retired and doing the job as a favor to someone on the school board. She wore jeans and jean dresses. I loved her. She always spoke her mind and thoroughly respected me for speaking mine. "You're going to be trouble," she once told me, pointing a finger at me and smiling. And "You're really good at what you do, but no one ever tells you that, do they?" In the few months she was there, she managed to actually get more money for our school from the board, even though we owed money due to budget mishaps with the previous principal. This was unheard of, given the fact that the entire county sees our school as incredibly spoiled as it is. We were able to hire several new teachers and my class sizes were reduced...because of her. Her priorities were right. She made an incredible difference in student/staff morale in such a short time. I miss her terribly. She left when we hired the dress code queen. Sigh. She could have taken the job, coasted along knowing she wasn't there permanently, and left. But that wasn't the way she did things.
You should get a group of the most loved teachers to go to them and throw a hissy fit. If they think this PYT is going to cause a group of their favorites to quite it might suck the power out of her power trip.
Then again, she sounds like a first class, power-hungry (till she finds her rich husband) pain in the ass. But, the good news is that she's already scheming how to get the hell out of the school she's currently trapped in. So, either introduce her to a rich guy (whose relocating soon) or make sure she gets glowing performance reviews so she can be promoted out of your school quickly.
Posts: 171 | Registered: Jun 2001
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posted
(The reason I ask about the sorority is because we had that same principal at one of our schools. (Blond, pretty, tiny,brand new as a principal, young, impeccably dressed and groomed, superficial, ineffective, and gone in a year. And I'll be damned if I can remember the name of her sorority, but she told us the first time we met her.) I can't imagine having to teach under her. But then again, I don't have much patience for inanity.
Posts: 171 | Registered: Jun 2001
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posted
I don't know if she belonged to a sorority. I don't believe she's mentioned one. But it may be in tomorrow's "morning words of glee" in the mailbox.
In her first email to the staff, a couple of months ago, she called us the "Best staff she had ever worked with." She'd been there about four days. How could she possibly know? I hate false sentiments.
posted
I'm distrustful of people in suits. To this day, I get nervous around them, especially men. Guys my age in suits often look ridiculous to me. Women in suits don't bother me as much, but I still watch my wallet. In general, I associate cold, dispassion with uniforms, including suits, and these are not positive connotations. Strangely, I'm completely at ease with all medical uniforms. Maybe it's because my mom's a nurse.
If you are under forty-five, and you aren't some sort of elected official, I just don't see why you need to wear a suit. There is an element of poser game-playing, or something, that goes along with it.
posted
Is it people of all races or just white men in suits that creep you out? I mean, is it like white women that clutch their purses a bit closer when a black man walks by?
Posts: 171 | Registered: Jun 2001
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posted
I don't know. I know it's not the same with women. I just always imagine that a young man in a suit is either up to some scam or is play acting. Either way, they are not to be respected or trusted, and are probably either taking themselves too seriously or exploiting me.
My ex was an elementary school teacher who dressed up for the kids. I never noticed how well she dressed on schooldays, until she mentioned it. She always looked good to me, so I didn't think too much about it.
posted
I'd just stick with Khaki's and not have a conflict. Yes, it is annoying...and I think she dealt with the situation incorrectly. However, dress codes in the work place are not that unusual. If your feet hurt, buy a nice pair of "dress" sneakers. They have sneakers that are all white or all black that you could wear.
I do agree with you that she is dealing with the situation incorrectly, and is not acting professional...but sometimes you just have to do what you boss wants. You might be able to make waves, and get other teachers involved. You might even be able to win the argument (though I think it would be a long shot). However, you are going to have to work with this woman potentially for a long time. You just have to ask yourself if it is worth making her mad.
I guess I am a bit biased, because the job I am taking next year will require me to wear a dress shirt and a tie for the next 35 years or so and it doesn't really bother me (though they will be paying me more...so I guess I can put up with a lot).
Either way, I hope things work out for you. Having an annoying supervisor at work can make life tough. I've had to deal with people like your principal, and I know that its no fun...and I had the knowledge that my supervisor was relatively short term.
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