Dressing up for SYP!
A reflection on the power of dress-up themes, by student teacher Frieda Y.
With Halloween as the dress up theme for the last SYP the kids had a blast showcasing their costumes in a fashion show during morning assembly. The staff, as well, had just as much fun with 100% turning out in costumes. Among my favorite staff costumes were the Harry Potter costumes, a samurai outfit, Jaimee’s 80’s rocker ensemble, and, of course, yours truly, who was decked out in a dementor costume!
Halloween is one of my favorite holidays because of the candy and the fun I get from dressing up as someone or something else. Every year, I make my own costumes. Seeing my idea come into physical being is awesome! For a day, we can be someone else; we can pretend that the Wizarding World of Harry Potter DOES exist; we can indulge in our fantasies and for a night, they really do come true. The costumes the kids chose to wear—a nurse, a doctor, a bunny—showed kids stretching their imaginations. By wielding a wand and Hogwarts uniform our students realized that their dreams can come true.
When I think about it, I realize that the reason why I especially enjoy some classes in school is because something about the topic (or the teacher’s teaching) really engages my imagination; it inspires me to explore literature more deeply, or the peasant revolts of Europe in a different way. Halloween similarly inspires me. And, hopefully, the fun of dressing up while learning will continue to show our students that their dreams really can come true.
