This was my first time experiencing high school Homecoming out of high school. It was a strange and nostalgic week.
Mason City High School has different, fun events throughout Homecoming week. First is dress-up days, ranging from ‘America’ and ‘Mohawk Day’ (red and black) to ‘Dress Like a Tourist’ and ‘Hippie Day’. I was able to wear my flower shirt and long skirt, my best red and black cardigan, and my American flag headband–it was fun!
On the Friday of Homecoming, there was a Pep Rally–one of my opportunities to participate in extra/co-curricular events at the high school! The rally featured an interactive video of the Homecoming King and Queen candidates, goofy competition/games with the candidates, and interactive, crowd-engaging cheers with the cheerleaders!
This was my view from up in the bleachers:
It was so fun to be a part of the school environment outside of the classroom. I sat up in the bleachers with sophomore students and cheered just as loud. For me, it was a step towards building stronger relationships with students. It was also getting to know students outside of academia, laughing and having fun with them. There’s an entire other side to teaching that I have the tendency to forget about–teaching isn’t just about learning, it’s about forming and strengthening bonds between adults and young adults. It’s about being a consistent support system in students’ lives, and being at events such as the Pep Rally are little steps in that direction. Plus, being there in such a rah-rah environment was downright fun!