I Am Very Fancy Today

For Friday, I have to finish planning out the math lesson and plan what the student teacher will help out with at literacy centers. There's the plan for what activity to do at morning meeting as well as one other important plan: what to wear for picture day. I always put serious thought and consideration into my outfit, and will likely try on up to four different sweaters the night before--all so that twenty years from now, someone doesn't find her second grade class picture and think, "My teacher was a terrible, terrible dresser."

I suspect that there will be many second graders also giving extra careful consideration to their appearance on Friday. Clothes make a statement, even in elementary school. Sometimes that statement is simply, “I LOVE YELLOW!” Other times it’s “BATMAN IS MY IDOL” or “I ATE CHOCOLATE PUDDING FOR LUNCH.” When I was in the third grade, I picked out my most special outfit for picture day to project just the right image. This special outfit consisted of not just one, but two shades of pink, a combination achieved via a dark pink turtleneck under a short-sleeved, ruffled, light pink dress. White sneakers and white socks pulled up to my knees made the outfit extra special. And of course, no outfit is complete without rainbow shoelaces. Clearly the statement I wanted to make on picture day was, “I AM FANTASTIC.” And yes, if you're wondering, that is a banana clip in my hair.

I'm expecting many statements to walk through the classroom door on picture day. There will be suit coats, pouffy dresses, new hairdos, and even clip-on ties that all will scream, "I AM VERY FANCY TODAY." Fancy clothes are particularly appealing in a scaled-down size. It's also entertaining to see the children doing very kid things in very businessperson clothes. You might almost mistake the classroom for a board meeting...until you notice that one of the board members is sitting on his knees, with his tush in the air as he finalizes the details of the meeting agenda.

The poses on picture day also contribute to the statement. Some of the picture packages such Option 4-Barnyard Background even come with props on which to pose. The statement that Da'Mon made in his pint-sized three-piece suit one year was, “I AM ON MY WAY TO A RATHER IMPORTANT ENGAGEMENT JUST AS SOON AS I REST MY ARM AWKWARDLY ON THIS WOODEN FENCE FOR A MINUTE.”

With or without the wooden fence, I'm sure that picture day will bring lots of sharp little outfits!