Why I Sometimes Wish I had a Pet

A Stage Mom's Halloween

One of the best parts about being a high school teacher is the fact that I get to do most everything I never did in my OWN high school days. I never dressed up for Halloween, never went to a prom or a homecoming, I never dated or kissed in the hallways (wait, I don't do that now). I never did a lot of things. Most of my high school days, sadly, were spent suffering from immense insecurity and a huge battle with anorexia.

So, now I am like those stage moms who never had a chance to shine and thus try to live through their slightly talented offspring. Almost. Except, I'm living through me. Yes. This post makes sense. You just think that it doesn't. Last year, for prom, I sweetly asked my 31 year old boyfriend to go with me. And while I secretly wished he would have bought me a wrist corsage, he did dress up in a nice suit to attend. I, yes, finally got to wear a prom dress and eat a fancy dinner in it. We danced and took pictures, and quietly stole into the parking lot with the Biology teacher and his date to take a few swigs out of some carefully concealed bottle or other (actually, I didn't, I take my job too seriously, but the biology teacher did, and boy did he tear it UP on the dance floor.) And, while I'll never be crowned Prom Queen (or will I), I certainly enjoy being one of the cool teachers you can count on to embarrass themselves on any given occasion.

So, today, of course, I dressed up for Halloween in a costume that won 5th place (did you hear that people!). I entered the pumpkin carving contest and while my rendition of a baby alien head didn't win (the math teacher carved the symbol for Pi on her pumpkin= Pumpkin Pi--you just can't beat that folks) I was happy to have tried to appeal to the wide range of sci-fi students I have.

There are a million things I could say about teenagers and the power of dressing up. I'll just say one.

Walking down the hall I saw a number of students dressed like polygamists. Since I actually teach in a school where a large population of polygamists (a la Sister Wives) actually attend, I was wondering when it became a popular costume (and I was worried it would be offensive to some). Everyone seemed to take it well. And, to my surprise, when I saw the polygamist children arrive today dressed as an array of pimps and hos, I just stopped worrying altogether. These kids are the future. And there isn't a whole lot I can do about it :)