Halloween: Cajun Style

I smell like costume make-up and mothballs and I don't even care!

Today is Halloween. Well, it's Halloween at elementary schools up and down the country anyway.

I've always loved Halloween. But now that I know what Halloween is going to be like every year for the rest of my life, I love it even more. The elementary school is the hip hop happenin' place to be for Halloween. I'm so glad the month I'm spending in an elementary school this semester includes Halloween.

At the school I'm at, the kids weren't allowed to dress up until after lunch. However, if their costume included face paint, they were permitted to wear it to school. So we had one kid show up to school with a white face, black eyes, and blood dripping from the corners of his mouth. Also, his hair was slicked back and sprayed black. It was amazing.

The kids in my class were dying to put their costumes on all day. They each asked the teacher about twenty times when they could go change. During lunch, while all the kids were at recess, my partner and I were standing in the hallway, outside our classroom while our mentor teacher changed into her costume. At the end of the hall, there was a door to the playground where about thirty kids were sitting on the steps, looking longingly inside. I bet recess never lasted longer.

And then, it was finally time for them to get dressed up. I helped out the kids who could just put on their costumes over their close. I also painted another kid's face white with black eyes. He went without the blood, though, because he wanted to save it for tomorrow.

In my class, there were 5 witches, 4 ninjas, 3 storm troopers, 2 vampires (the kids in the face paint), 2 Deaths, 1 Batman, 1 army guy, 1 vet, 1 tool girl, 1 devil, and 1 "sweetheart bat."

After everyone got their costumes on, we went out to join the parade. I went to seven different elementary schools as a child, and yet I have never experienced a Halloween costume parade. It was so great! We marched all over the school and into the gym where all the parents were waiting. I loved it so, so much. All the students looked amazing. My favorite part was the grumpy face on a 1st grade boy dressed as Spider-man next to the smiling face of a 1st grade girl also dressed as Spider-man, but a more muscular one.

Anyway, my point is, today was incredible. The whole day was a lot of fun, and I didn't want to leave when the time came. To be honest, though, that's what it's been like every day this week. When I first started at this school on Tuesday, I was really nervous. And then all the students showed up and I realized how much fun I am going to have as a teacher. Of course, I still haven't really taught anything yet... that's happening next week. We'll see how it goes.

In other news, I'm a winner! I went to an office supply fair last week and I entered a drawing for a kayak! I didn't win the kayak, but I did win a set of six super magnets! Of course, I haven't been able to pull them apart as of yet, but winning is still fun.

PS: I dressed up as Giselle from Enchanted today. I made the kids guess who I was and they were all really excited when they got it right because it was from a movie they've seen. I love how little kids get excited about little things. More people should be like that!