On looking er... youthful. Ok Ok... on looking like a KID

I only had a few issues at the elementary level. For example, on Fridays we wore school spirit wear- a T-Shirt and jeans. I fit right in along my older elementary kids. I'm 27 years old and barely 5' tall. I look more like a 6th grader than a older twenty-something, even when dressed in my "teacher clothes." It was usually a random parent or the custodian- "OH MISS L SORRY, I THOUGHT YOU WERE A KID AGAIN!"

Now that I'm teaching in a middle school... wowsa. It has gone from being now and then to nearly everyday. The first day of school I was leading my class back to the art room. The principal stopped the group (I was walked alongside). "WHERE ARE YOU GUYS GO- Oh, Miss L, I see you, I am SO sorry." I said "Its not the first and it wont be last, no worries" and we kept it moving. Then, the next day, we had a PBIS dance during school for kids that had successfully completed the first week of school on point. The DJ's are from a local hip hop station and therefore mini-celebs around here. After the first half, one leaned over to me "I'm so sorry every time you walk by I have to do a double take cuz you look like one of the kids!'

Aint no thang. 

This week, as I gave a misbehaving student the teacher side-eye, his friend made some not very polite motions with his lower half towards me "IS THIS WHAT YOU WANT?" a second later I could see in his face that it registered that I was a teacher, not his peer. "OH S*&$!" and he quietly walked away, extremely embarrassed. I didn't even bother to check him because I could tell he had checked himself.

I'm not writing about all this to complain- I realize that one day my youthful appearance will be oh-so-awesome. I've avoided tanning beds and cigarettes so I hope to keep this "problem" up for as long as possible.

Unfortunately for the kids, it means me catching them trying to be slick more often than my coworkers because they act out before they realize who they're standing next to... Hopefully the lesson they learn here is to keep their act together 24/7, not just when they are near an adult.