When Kids Wear Costumes and It's Not Halloween

Every school has them.  They’re meant to boost spirit or raise something for a cause.  Kids love them, sometimes teachers love them.  Yes, that’s right, Spirit Weeks.  They always start with a “Crazy Sock Day” or a “Crazy Hair Day.”  It usually ends with a “Pajama Day” (nobody is complaining about that!).  Somewhere in there, you have to have a “Superhero Day” or “Favorite Book Character Day.”  At some point during the week, you will have kids coming to school in costumes.

Now you know, when it comes to education, we can’t afford to waste time.  But these times are precious (if only for the stories), so we also MUST take notice and make the best of it!  I’ve chosen 3 of my favorite “costume” experiences from The Hood and how I made the best of it.

#3.  Superhero Day, 2011:

This is a tough one to get participation, unless you open it up to “whatever costume you used for Halloween.”  So I had 5 superheroes this particular day.  Which automatically makes them feel awkward and insecure because they are dressed up and most people are not.  I had to play it up and make them feel super awesome so they wouldn’t emotionally shut down for the rest of the day.  Solution: photo shoot.  I took 5 minutes at the beginning of the day and had individual photo sessions, then one group session.  This also got all the excitement out of the way early, so they were pretty focused for the rest of the day.

#2.  Superhero Day, 2013:

This one was more about me.  I was the one really dressed like a fool.  I have no solution for teachers who dress up and feel stupid.  Check back closer to Earth Day for the whole humiliating story.

And #1.  Random Day, 2012:

Keep in mind, this one had no connection to any school-sponsored spirit day.  However, it will forever be known as “The Day the Peep Came to School.”  That’s right...Peep.  As in Marshmallow Peep.  I saw him from across the gym when I went to pick them up in the morning.  Dressed as a Marshmallow Peep (He also wore this to Superhero Day).  Not wanting to make a scene in front of the whole school, we got back to class and I calmly told him that I appreciated his sense of humor, but he needed to change into his regular clothes for the rest of the day.  He flat refused.  Shocked (because this was not usually a combative child), I changed my tactics.  Bargaining.  You can wear it during Morning Meeting, lunch, and recess.  His counter proposal: he would only wear the costume during the appointed times, but I had to call him “Peeps.”  Solution: He got to wear his costume during the times I was less concerned with his cognitive focusing.  I got my way during the times in which he needed to focus on the learning objectives.

The point of the story is this:  Enjoy the dress-up days, but set limits.  That way nobody loses their mind!

Jodie