Kilted students/instructors..

[KiltedCodeWarrior]

Ok, another topic dealing with being kilted at work. I attended a week long, off site training course this week. Great course, and I of course attended kilted. I did not think about it until I was walking into the training facility on the first day when it hit me that I was having another coming out experience! I was going to be in class with all of these people for a week, which is different than walking into a local store, buying something, and walking back out. I was going to be with these people 8 hours a day for 5 days straight!

Anyway, it got me to wondering about others experiences kilted in a work environment, specifically in training (and I will say that my experience was great. It turns out the instructor is a Farquharson (I hope I spelled that right, I know that the tartan is offerered by Rocky on the USAK site) and very proud of his heritage. He commented to me the first day (when I was wearing my tan UK original from Bryan) that he thought it was great.

So, has anyone else attended training for work while kilted? What was your experience? Was it accepted? Did the instructor, or anybody else, acknowledge that you were wearing a kilt?

And for the instructors, have you ever taught a class while kilted? How did it go? How did the students respond? I have taught in the past and think that teaching in a kilt would be great! A great way to capture the students attention and to generate discussion during the course.

[GlassMan]

I teach all my stained glass classes while kilted and my students love it. It just adds to my reputation of being a "very eccentric genius at stained glass" (their words not mine).

[Southern Breeze]

I've been to two Landscape design classes kilted and only had one remark,a compliment on the kilt.There were more than a few looks,but that was all.
On the instructor side, I train all our new employees and I can definetly say that wearing a kilt keeps their atention focused on you.

[Canuck]

I teach at Ryerson University one day a week. I have been kilted teaching for the past four years. No biggy it's just a matter of fact kinda thing.
If they ask I tell them it helps me cope with my M.S. and we move on.

[Rick]

I was kilted for a professional development course I team taught on materials selection, i.e., metals, ceramics, plastics. I worked the kilt into the opening lecture. Rather than starting off with math for optimisation early in the morning, I presented a qualitative graphical illustration of how selection of kilt fabric influences total life cycle cost. My premise was that paying higher initial cost for a heavy wool kilt reduces recurring costs as it does not require ironing as often as lighter weight wool or cotton kilts. While I do not have any hard data to back this up quantitatively, using myself as the example went over very well and it got people thinking about the concept for the selection strategy that we were teaching. For those in attendance who knew me, it was just Rick being Rick and from those I did not know, which was the majority of the audience, I received nothing by positive comments. Even the course evaluations were positive.

Rick

[Mike n NC]

I spent 2 weeks in training in Atlanta back in May and I wore kilts exclusively during that time. As it turned out, I ended up teaching part of the class when the instructor figured out I had much more experience with a microscope than he did, I ended up teaching those 3 days of the class.

How did it work out?

Let me say this about the staff I came in contact with daily. The associate director is a McCain and the office manager is from England. During the first week Rachel, the associate director, came to work in a beautiful kilted skirt in the Maple Leaf tartan. First weeks instructor didn't say much but the second weeks instructor loved it. It took him about 30 minutes to nickname me the highlander and it stuck. Even now when I communicate with him that is how he addresses me.
Week one:
Day one, you could hear the eyeballs click when I walked into the class. My fellow students ranged from engineers to construction workers, male and female. The ladies looked me over and made no more fuss over the kilt but the guys were rather cautious for the rest of the day.
Day two, things eased up the banter started and everyone got the idea that even though I dressed differently I was there for the same reason they were.

Week two:
Day one, only about 4 students from the week before stayed over so the first day reaction was about the same as week one. It did speed up the acceptance process to have others there that were used to seeing me kilted.
That afternoon I started teaching the care, feeding and use of the microscope which, if any of you has ever taught or been taught, you know it brings you in very close contact. No problems at all...well one if you want to call it a problem. A young lady in the class ran her hand up the outside of my leg to find out what I was wearing underneath. I just told her that there was no "extra credit" to be had up there, had a good chuckle and went on about my business.
Day three, the class had made such quick progress that we knocked off early and headed out as a group, instructor included, to a local establishment for refreshment. I wouldn't doubt that some of the guys in the class bought kilts after seeing the reception I got from the ladies in the club. I was a DD and drinking soda but I only bought one the entire time we were there. I must tip my hat to the ladies of Atlanta, they sure know how to make a guy feel welcome.

Other than the first day of exposure to someone in a kilt, it was basicly a non-event. In fact the entire trip kilted was pretty much a non-event.

Outside of class I only had one uncomfortable situation in a parking lot outside of a Wal Mart, quickly dealt with, and I found that the girls at the local Hooters thought the kilt was the greatest thing ever. :smile:

Mike

[David Thornton]

I teach CE for the insurance industry and for the construction industry. I will not teach while kilted. These are not college students, nor are they sent by their employer. They are business owners seeking higher professionalism and paying for it (sometimes a lot). There is an expected norm in these traditionally conservative groups, I respect that and adhere to their standard.
When I am not teaching, I will wear the kilt around either group. I wanted to hear Ken Fields speak on hiring & training, I attended his program and was wearing a kilt. It was a distraction for some, and that is why I will not teach in a kilt. The topic requires full attention, no distractions needed.
David

[davedove]

and I found that the girls at the local Hooters thought the kilt was the greatest thing ever. :smile:

I've still got to do the Hooters thing kilted.

[macwilkin]

I've taught in my kilt on several occasions; The reaction overall is pretty positive from most students, although you are always greated with wide eyes and stares when you first walk into class! :mrgreen:

I have used my kilt as a "visual aid" before to discuss how Immigrants maintained links to their traditional culture after immigrating to the US through traditional dress, immigrant aid societies (St. Andrew's & Caledonian Societies), etc.

Cheers,

Todd

[KiltedCodeWarrior]

Great responses everyone! My own experience this week was that people were more reticent the first day (although the insturctor's question "So are ye Scottish laddie?" helped to lighten the tone), after that it was a non-issue. I appreciate the comments regarding the kilt being a distraction if the instructor was kilted. For me, it would not be, but then I already wear and accept the kilt.

And Hooters kilted would be a blast! I have to try that! And since we will be back in our old stomping grounds (Tampa/Clearwater) over the holidays, maybe I should celebrate and go kilted to the original Hooters!!