My Body, My Self

There are some basic teaching tips that every teacher-to-be learns early on. Don't leave a group of five-year-olds alone for longer than thirty seconds. Don't give a 16-year-old a choice if you're not okay with both possible outcomes. And don't ever single out a student for a physical distinction.

By that last one, I mean that you just never know what your students might be self-conscious about, so it's best to err on the side of caution. Don't say something like, "Wow, your hair is very curly!" For all you know, that kid has been teased for years about her hair, and your bringing it up is just going to haunt her. It's just not something you should ever do.

You'd think experienced teachers would know that, right? But apparently not. Today in my class (my own class at college, not the class I teach at high school), I volunteered to take notes on the board. So I stood up to walk to the board, and as I'm standing there, with the whole class watching, she says, "God, you're really tall!" Um, yes, I am, and thank you for pointing that out to everyone so they can all stare at me. Good times, really.

-----------------------------------

And with that, let's move on with the TMI Meme we started yesterday. Time for PART TWO: APPEARANCES

1. Insert a picture of yourself here:

Um, okay. Because you commanded so forcefully, and I do like forceful.

2. How important is the way you look to you?

Very. It comes part and parcel with being insecure and self-centered. It also makes being self-critical much easier, ‘cause boy is there a lot to criticize.

3. How self-conscious are you when it comes to your appearance?

Again, very. VERY. All the time.

4. How tall/short are you?

Tall enough that people comment on it in the middle of class. I’m about five-nine short. But I like to wear heels, and that often gets me closer to about six feet.

5. What color hair do you have?

Check the picture. It’s brown. Plain, ordinary brown. Except for the random auburn and blonde highlights.

6. How long is it?

Very short. Round about my ears. But then, you can see that in the picture, too.

7. What would you call your body shape?

What would *I* call it? Ugly. What would most people call it? Um… I actually don’t know. I don’t often ask. My roommate claims hourglass, and J. concurs. What would you call it?

8. Are you happy with it?

No. I’m fighting a constant battle these days between being thrilled about dropping pounds and being concerned about the numbers on the scale. Currently, the thrilled part is still winning. I think round about 120 the concerned part will take a much larger role.

9. How do you dress, and why?

For school, I generally dress fairly nicely – slacks or skirt with a blouse, sweater, etc. For my own classes or hanging out, I’m a fan of jeans and any comfortable top. Why? Because I like to, and it’s none of your damn business beyond that.

10. How long ago did you start dressing this way?

When I got a teaching job for the nice clothes. For the casual, it’s pretty much always been that way.

11. Do your friends dress similarly to you?

For the casual, yes. Many of my friends don’t have jobs with strict dress codes, though, so they often have the same wardrobe for work and leisure activities, whereas mine differs.

12. How is the way you dress reflective of your personality?

I like lots of variety, and I like to be put together and coordinated. Probably so that I won’t criticize myself too harshly.

13. What parts of your appearance do people compliment?

Someone once told me my eyes were pretty (though admittedly lately they’ve been red and blotchy from crying so much). Many people comment on the length of my legs, but usually in less of a “Wow, hot legs!” sense and more of a “Those are freakishly long!” way. And my new haircut has gotten tons of attention.

14. What parts of your appearance do people insult?

Depends what people we're talking about here. My brother? Pretty much all parts. My friends? None (to my face). Myself? Everything, pretty much all the time.

[More to come tomorrow.]

-----------------------------------

Day 22 of SaBloBoMo: The Mallory novels by Johanna Lindsey


As with the Cynster novels of Day 15, this is a series of historical romance novels centered on a family in England. The third novel of the series, Gentle Rogue (yes, the name is so stereotypical trashy romance novel, I know), was the first historical romance I ever read, and I loved it so much that I was hooked. Completely.

I love the characters in these novels, because they're all very witty and sarcastic, but underneath they are completely loyal and supportive of each other. Highlights of the various storylines include: the brother who kidnaps his neice and takes her pirating, the sister who saves herself from her brothers' fury by threatening to drop their priceless Ming vase, and the nephew who accidentally hits on his uncle's new wife before knowing who she is. Totally awesome books - probably my favorite romance novels of all time.