School makes teachers take their shoes off in the building, forcing 23-year-old KIndergarten teacher to teach barefoot

Author image for Emmy Pratt
Emmy Pratt • Senior Editor
Sep 2, 2026 12:30 PM EDT

What kind of school is this?

Do you wish you could take your shoes off at work? Sometimes I wish I could take my shoes off to relax on the communal couch at the office, but alas, I do not want to expose my stinky socks to the rest of my coworkers. In life in general, I am a shoes-on kind of person. I do not like to take my shoes off at a house party, and would rather wear shoes in most scenarios than not. The very idea of sliding off my shoes on an airplane disgusts me. 

Not everybody thinks the way that I do. They think that it's natural and normal to take off your shoes in public, even at work! The teacher in this story goes to a school where everyone is required to take their shoes off when they enter the building. She usually wears open-toed shoes and therefore teaches barefoot. Her teaching barefoot has made some older teachers uncomfortable, and she turned to the internet to ask others what she should do about it. Would you be comfortable if your teacher taught your class barefoot, or would you not care? It's also important to note that she teaches Kindergarten, not middle or high school. 

Advertisement
  • 01
    Bare feet on Chevron rug
    via Getty Images (Unsplash+)

    A teacher standing on a carpet while teaching her Kindergarten class.

    Not actual story subjects.

  • Am I wrong for going barefoot as a kindergarten teacher?

    I (23F) just started my first job as a kindergarten teacher two weeks ago. The kindergarten where I work is actually fully carpeted on the floor. Therefore, it is required to take shoes off inside the building. Before I started working, no one told me about an explicit dress code. I’ve only been told to avoid graphic tshirts, provocative clothing and extreme fashion items.

  • 02
    A group of people standing around a woman in a pink dress
    via Alyssa Jane (Unsplash+)

    Professionals dressed in fashionable clothing, which might not be the most appropriate for an elementary school classroom.

    Models for explanatory purposes only.  

  • Since I started working, I’ve been mostly wearing a sweater, skinny jeans and leather sandals. Since I wear sandals and taking shoes off is mandatory, as a result I am going totally barefoot inside the kindergarten. However, I recently realized I am strictly the only teacher going barefoot. All the other teachers wear closed toe shoes and walk with socks on on the carpet. It just made me feel weird to realize that I am the only barefoot teacher.

  • 03
    A girl writes on a blackboard while her teacher watches her
    via Ruslan Horovyi

    A teacher watches her student write on the blackboard in her classroom.

    Picture does not depict real parties.

  • Actually my coworkers made a comment about something involving my feet almost everyday. On my first day one of them told me it’s cute how my toes matched my sweater (my toes were painted red and my sweater was red). I once got asked if I get my pedicure myself or at a nail salon. Yesterday I changed my toenails to pink and they noticed it. One teacher in her 50s told me she wished she was young so she could wear pretty sandals with rhinestones and an anklet like me. I initially didn’t think much of these comments but now I realize they could be actually passive aggressive and their only purpose could be reminding me that I am barefoot. Am I wrong for wearing sandals and going barefoot inside the kindergarten?

  • 04
    Feet with red nail polish wearing green flip flops against green background
    via Fellipe Ditadi (Unsplash+)

    A fresh manicure.

    Model representation.

Want More? Follow Us and Add Us as a Preferred Source on Google.

Tags

school elementary school shoes professional students socks barefoot feet teachers teacher unprofessional
Scroll Down For The Next Article