...homecoming week

Just before my junior year of high school we moved from San Diego to my dad's hometown of Podunk, Oregon. I went from attending the largest high school in San Diego to a school of 80 students total. This was the school that my dad had attended, and his mom before him. Homecoming week was a tradition. I loved it. On wild west day when everyone else dressed up in their jeans and cowboy hats (gee, what a departure from everyday) I borrowed my aunt's prom dress from the 60s and went as a dance hall girl. And how many hours did I spent creating that outfit out of newspaper?? (I wish I had those old pictures scanned so I could post them.) Homecoming week was a blast.

But now...I'm sitting on the other side of the desk, and homecoming week is a pain in the you-know-what. The barely established routine is out the door, classes are shorter and the kids are wired. There's no sense in starting a serious project, so we're kind of in a holding pattern, waiting for the week to be over.

And while I loved dressing up as a kid....as a teacher it's just one more thing to think about before I go to bed. Today was duct tape/crazy day. Last night I spent way too much time trying to put together a mismatched outfit and only succeeded in looking like Grandma V with my florals and stripes. So, I fashioned jewelry out of duct tape instead. Stylin'!

Tomorrow is pajama/toga day....and since nothing I wear to bed is appropriate for school, I dug around in the linen closet and found an old white sheet. A friend even sent me a link that shows how to fold it.

I have to admit that I dread Wednesday--gender bender/super hero day--a day filled with boys dressed like girls. And for some reason when teenage boys dress like girls they act like...idiots.

Thursday is sports day, thankfully tame after Wednesday's theme, and Friday we get to wear good ol' orange and blue. (I think I'll pass on dressing up as a Viking.) There is value in tradition, and hopefully the kids will have good memories of this week. But I also wonder about doing things year after year because "that's what we do." Much of my time today was trying to explain to second language learners why we're doing the crazy things we do this week. And then there are the conversations with the soccer and volleyball players who resent homecoming week being all about football. Hmmmm...points to ponder another day...time for bed...zzz