Ah, Spirit Week.  For Red Ribbon Week or Read Across America, the idea is for all the students to bind together as a school family, usually by wearing something similar.  Sounds harmless enough.  Unless of course you’re actually trying to do SCHOOL!!  Oh sure, you have “the talk” with students about not letting what they’re wearing distract them from their work, but the very act of wearing something different from normal is a permanent distraction.

So how distracting could Hat Day be?  Monday began our day with hat day and if everyone was wearing a baseball cap, that might work out just fine. Nope, it’s not only baseball caps, but it’s fedoras, big sun hats, hats that look like a squid, cowboy hats – you get the idea.  And despite “the talk”, a lot of those hats end up on my table by the door, waiting for students to pick them up on their way out of my class.  You would be amazed at how creative kids can be with hats, especially a pirate hat that can be molded into different shapes.  I can’t make this stuff up.

Day 2 was the dreaded pajama day.  Again, if it was just pajamas, it probably wouldn’t be a problem.  But it’s p.j.’s with hoods that go over their faces with other faces printed on them, fuzzy slippers that must be played with and robes that invariably turn into capes or blankets.  One student was swinging hers around like a bull fighter.  I gave her a choice.  She chose wisely.  P.j.’s automatically make you feel comfy and sleepy, both bad ideas when you’re trying to learn something.  I’m not anti-fun, really I’m not. I’m just pro education.

Today was one of the least obtrusive days, Crazy sock day.  These were funny and creative, short and long, colorful and reflective of the students’ personalities.  It’s hard to take off the socks during the day so there’s not much they can do to distract anyone with them.  Even I participated with crazy socks which was fun, until I forgot and wore them out in public.  I’m sure I looked like that poor old lady who has forgotten how to dress herself.  At least I didn’t run to the store in my pajama pants after school like a couple of friends have.  I’m not laughing at you – really I’m not : )

Tomorrow is team color day with all of the grade level teams being assigned a color except for the team I’m on.  So we’ve decided to be the black team, perhaps equating the absence of color with the absence of an assignment of color.  Not that we’re bitter or anything, after all, we already know we’re special. The great thing is this probably won’t be a distraction at all in class.  As long as I don’t focus on my own disappointment….

And finally, Friday is supposed to be dress as your favorite book character day.  You should know that teachers are the ones who make these decisions as to what constitutes spirit week, so we no one to blame but ourselves when parents send kids in with a complete superhero costume or Pinkalicious costume.  No, these won’t be a distraction at all.

Before you begin to believe that I’m anti fun for children, I want to reassure you that I’m not.  I’m all for more recess time and fewer academics for Kindergarten so they can learn how to socialize and work with others.  However, knowing that we are driven to academic rigor, it just seems like cutting our legs out from underneath ourselves to allow these activities and assume we can just keep up the status quo.  It is frustrating to me as a teacher who only sees their student once a week. What it means for me is 500 students who throw away one of the 8 or so classes I see them during a quarter.  I can’t afford that.

I suppose if you want to think I have no spirit you can.  But I say we can have spirt week as long we honor the spirit of the young people we teach, loosen up and let them have fun.  Maybe do some things that are still educational, just not as rigid perhaps.  As teachers, then we can stop being frustrated, fighting against the very thing we created and just have fun.