Student McSwain in his San Luis Obispo high school years looked fresh in his collared shirt and tie. Photo courtesy of geometry teacher Ethan McSwain. 

  Most San Luis Obispo High School students have seen this well dressed math teacher walking around campus with his suits and ties, so what’s the story behind the outfits? Expressions set out to interview this well-dressed geometry teacher to find out the secret to his style. 

Expressions: Why did you decide to teach math?

Geometry teacher Ethan McSwain: I guess I’ve always been good at it, and I liked helping other people in high school. So going into college, I knew it was an option. And so I think around my sophomore year in college, they had a chance for us to go check out a classroom, and I really liked it. 

Expressions: What makes a good day at school?

McSwain: Ooh that’s a hard question. I feel like there’s good in different ways. From a sanity standpoint, it’s a good day if I get caught up on grading and I don’t have piles of work hanging over my head. Another kind of good day is if the lessons I teach go smoothly, there’s no hiccups, and the students both seem to get it and get their work done. Even another kind of good day is when a lot of students stop by and say hello, or I feel like I make connections. 

Expressions: What would students be surprised to find out about you?

McSwain: The biggest things would be that I am Christian, and that I played football in high school. I feel like being a math teacher, people don’t really see me as the athletic type. 

Expressions: When did you start wearing collared shirts and ties every day?

McSwain: Well, actually in middle school I wore lots of collared shirts and sweaters. I had a friend group in eighth grade who called me Mr. Sweaters as a nickname, and I guess the whole thing started there. And that just sort of escalated as I went to high school and started trying out what I wanted to wear for myself and experimenting with what is acceptable. Like I didn’t really start wearing ties until I actually started teaching but collared shirts I’ve been wearing forever. There is an element of professionalism that I like to put on but I think the main reason that I dress this way isn’t to distinguish myself as being a formal person or as a professional, but just because I think I look the best in these clothes. And I feel like I’ve gotten appreciation for the history of menswear. And to understand why these things, you know, are cut the way they’re cut and measured the way they are. And a lot of it is because, well they’re made to look good, right? They’re not cheap or fast. And so I think that the most flattering thing for a man to wear is a well fitting suit or you know, some combination of that. So that’s mainly why I dress the way that I do.

Expressions: Finally, is there any quote, saying, or verse that you live by?

McSwain: I’ll give you my Instagram bio. It’s a quote from Kierkegaard that says, “The opposite of sin is not virtue, but faith.” I think it’s an important distinction to make, especially in modern Christianity. And then after that, the last couple of years a song lyric has really resonated with me, which is from the song Optimistic by Radiohead. The chorus is, “You can try the best you can. The best you can is good enough.” I felt that a lot. You know, this is my second teaching job because the first one didn’t really work out. And that was kind of hard to deal with. And even now, things don’t always go perfectly right and especially up till last week. I was constantly moving between classrooms and dealing with certain things. I’m learning a different curriculum and trying to balance all of this work with the latest stuff while also having a family. So this just in some ways is an impossible task but also one that is doable. That lyric is in my mind a lot.

So next time a suit and tie is spotted in the hallways, know that it has to be the best dressed geometry teacher on campus, Mr. McSwain.