A student said this to me today, only after she had stared at me long and hard for a few minutes. I think she was trying to decide if she really liked it or if she was just being courteous.

When I first became a teacher, I decided I wanted to be the Ms. Frizzle of education. I even bought my very own Ms. Frizzle dress. It’s flowery print and has a big skirt. I bought it because it has deep teacher-friendly pockets.

Don’t get me wrong. I didn’t go out and frizzle-rize my wardrobe; I simply added more school-appropriate piece. I still wear most of my college wardrobe. The only difference between then and now is that I paired up my college clothes with some for crisp and professional pieces. I went and bought some button-down shirts, some slacks, some cardigans, and comfortable heels, but for the most part, my wardrobe remained the same.

I may be a teacher, but that doesn’t mean I have to look like one. Yes, I want to be professional but I don’t want to compromise my style. I still wear red lipstick like I love to do. At first I was afraid I would scare the kids. I was right, at first they were shocked at my bright lip color, but then they got used to it. They got used to my colorful dresses, my skinny belts on top of cardigans, and my ever-changing hairstyle changes.

Some days I have big hits and other days the kids whisper in the hallway that my hair makes me look like King Tut, the young Egyptian pharaoh. That’s ok. They’re just jealous that they have to stay in the same old dusty uniform all year and I get to change my look every day :D. But on the cool, there was a time last year that I considered adopting a signature uniform like Janelle Monae had done.

But then I’d have to give up some versatility…I don’t think I’m ready for that yet.