Since working at a High School, one of my favorite times are the times I get to spend with students outside of the classroom. Don't get me wrong, I love being a teacher. I love being in the classroom and I love when lessons just "work." But there are those times outside of the classroom when as a teacher, I really get to connect with students. And one of those times in these last three years has been in chaperoning dances.
A couple weeks ago I chaperoned our Sadie's dance which was themed "Sadie's in the 80's." As a chaperon, we all break into groups of two and rotate around to different locations in order to keep an eye on the students. I got partnered with my principal and we took the outside shift first so we could see the student's in their 80's outfits as they showed up. While sitting outside in the lull between arrivals, my principle said something that totally took me aback. She said, "Come on Michaela, you know you're going to miss this." I laughed it off a little and said something along the lines of "I love doing this kind of stuff. It's just fun. But it really made me think. Not about whether I would miss chaperoning dances and having connections to kids, but more, did I miss out in high school by not going to dances?
In high school I was not the "dance" type. I really only attended one high school dance which was Senior ball. I just wasn't into going out with people and dancing and being in a sweaty, crowed room with loud music. Maybe it was my introvert tendencies but that just something I wanted to do. Going to all of these dances now as a chaperon, I see how much fun the kids are having and I wonder if I missed out. Now as a teacher I give kids a hard time when they don't want to go to the dance. I give them a even harder time when they come to the dance and don't dance. It takes everything in me while I am at the dance to not jump in and dance with the kids because honestly they just seem like they are having so much fun.
Did I miss out? Am I really regretting not going to the dances like everyone said I would?
Watching the kids at Sadie's I think I realized something. It's not that I missed going to dances or that I missed out on dancing. What I think I missed out on was being comfortable enough with a group of people that I would want to go to a dance and be ridiculous and silly with people. I wasn't a confident kid and was even more of an introvert than I am now if that is even possible. The shear idea of opening up and being crazy with anyone was not even close to my radar in High School.
So, is she right? Am I going to miss this? I think I already did.
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