Halloween Costumes

Halloween costumes are a big business in the United States. In fact, Halloween is second only to Christmas in consumer spending, which puts it ahead of Easter, Independence Day, and Cleveland Browns attire.  Did you dress up for “Trick or Treat” as a kid? Still dressing up?  What was your favorite costume? At our Halloween Bash last Friday night, we had kids dress up as Dorothy from the Wizard of Oz, football players, Moses, Ninja Turtles, Elvis, a M & M, scarecrows,  a headless horseman, a ketchup bottle, Pocahontas, a mustard bottle, a mailbox, and many more creative costumes.  Our youngest daughter dressed as a box of popcorn complete with popped kernels in elementary school – great memory. I took our kids trick or treating until grade 6 (the standard maximum allowable age per the Larry Vassar rules).  The wearing of costumes goes all the way back to Celtic festivals where people recited verses in exchange for food; hence “Trick or Treat?”  The trick part came along when those making their rounds created mischief if they were not welcomed at a house. Costumes are worn to avoid being recognized as your identity is hidden.  Here’s the paradox:  costumes are designed to hide who you really are while at the same time, you are wanting everyone to know who you really are. 

Kids are especially good at determining just who is behind the masks and the makeup. They are more perceptive than we sometimes give them credit for.  They can identify real identity pretty fast.  That is important to realize as a teacher.  Not to be sappy or be a “poster quoter”, but kids really don’t care how much you know unless they know how much you care.  Recently, I went to an all-day seminar featuring Dr. Robert Marzano(that Dr. Marzano) as the sole presenter. He talked for hours about the elements contained in the iObservation tool and the research behind each.  Then, he paused and said this:  “None of these strategies, methods, or measures mean anything unless the teacher works to develop a goodrelationship with his or her students.” Affirmation feels good. That’s straight from the guru, folks. Genuine, honest concern must be demonstrated,not just spoken.  Just like your desire to see the “real” student, kids want to see you as “real” as well.  Get to know your students. Find their interests and bring those in as classroom examples. Let them talk about their interests.  Listen to them.  Respond accordingly. This is money in the bank. Smile at them. Compliment them on their attire or their performance or the way they asked questions in class or the neatness of their work or whatever else you can cite.  Protect their self-esteem.  Kids just want to fit in and blasting them in front of their peers just widens the gap and sometimes you simply cannot recover.  Your classroom will become a happier place for everyone; including you.

P.S.  The great thinker who instructed teachers “Do not smile until Christmas” was probably chronically constipated.

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The Browns play on Sunday vs. the Tampa Bay Buccaneers.  I hope they leave Cleveland saying, “Arrrr, that hurt!”