How To Give Yourself Wrinkles

Last night, I decided to go to my school's Winter Formal. I wasn't planning on it, but the kids always know how to guilt me into going. When I got there, it was immediately apparent that there were not enough chaperones. So, it looked like I was going to stay.

Everyone knows I love to dance at these things, which gives me some cred with the student, but it also works to my advantage as a chaperone. I can spend the whole night dancing, but doing it through all the kids, to keep an eye on everything. The worst stuff is going on in the middle of the crowd and you won't see it unless you get in there. It's odd how kids change their dancing as soon as they see you looking at them. To the kids: if your dancing makes you feel uncomfortable around your teacher, maybe it's not a good idea.

I think I have deepened the wrinkle in between my eyebrows as a result of being at the dance. I thought I smelled alcohol on kids and many of my girls just looked trashy when they dance with boys. So, while I danced around, I was giving a lot of frowning looks at my kids. Without sounding ancient, I want to say that I get that this is how kids are going to dance now (facing the same direction), but as soon as I see a girl with her hands on the floor with a boy right behind her, I flip out. My line to them is usually: "Have some respect for yourself and get it together." Many times, I also have to motion for dresses to be pulled down. So gross! On Monday, I expect that I'll be having further conversations with girls about this. I'm sure they could care less what I think, but their actions make me really sad. It's only a few girls, but part of what we try to teach is character and theirs was questionable last night.

I was out until past midnight because the entire social committee (except one girl) left without cleaning up. I went from just showing up for the fun of it, to helping close everything up.

Best lines of the night:

I walked past a couple slow dancing (a couple that I didn't know was involved) and I heard the guy say, "I'm so sorry for the last month." I just smiled. It's such a high school guy thing to say during a slow dance.

My Finnish exchange student brought his sister who is visiting the States. She was awesome and stunning and I told her that her brother was just a great guy. She said, "I know. We are related after all." Who knew the Finns had such a great sense of humor.