Going Green

Today is St. Patrick's Day. It seems like everybody is wearing green and Irish for a day. I have nothing against St. Patrick's per se', although any holiday whose main focus is blatant drunkenness isn't exactly my cup of tea (or pint of Irish ale).

Just like most schools, our students were encouraged to wear green today. In most schools this would not be a problem (i.e. distraction or reason for anything to be out of the ordinary). However, at my school, anything that deviates from the norm or takes the students out of their routine, can be (and usually is) a problem. Today is no exception. I have only one student that didn't wear green today. Despite being forbidden from doing so, the other students keep pinching her anyway. It's been kind of tough to teach when every so often I hear, "OW!". I don't even have to ask what happened... I already know. The poor girl who wore red today got pinched... AGAIN!

This is why I am considered a Scrooge (or whatever the St. Paddy's Day equivalent is). If it was up to me, I wouldn't advertise the wearing of green. I wouldn't have a problem with kids who did, but I certainly wouldn't encourage it. There are some out there who may say I'm a big ol' fuddy duddy for this kind of thinking. I know it sounds crazy that simply wearing a green shirt could cause such a stir, but it does. When the wearing of green causes major interruptions to learning and disrupts the school day, perhaps it's time to rethink these types of "celebrations". If these kids could wear green and have everything else go on as normal, it would not be an issue. But folks, it is an issue. What would you do in my position? Suck it up and take one for the team for the day? Or would you put the clamps down on such practices? I know I'm getting old and it wouldn't be the first time I've been called a party pooping stick-in-the-mud, but hey, it's tough enough getting these kids to learn without all this green nonsense. Agree or disagree? You won't hurt my feelings... I promise!