Dance Duty

Last night was the big night. Prom night. I lucked out for years and never had to go to the prom, even though I teach seniors. I was always glad because it was held downtown and I never wanted to drive in to Houston at night by myself. But I drew one of the short straws this year and it was my turn in the barrel.
In recent years the talk has been about how poorly the kids have behaved...come drunk, slip into the bathroom for a cigarette or a sip...dance like hoochies, leave early to go to orgiastic parties at rented beach houses in Surfside.
We even had to go to "training" for chaperones on Thursday morning. So the AP could tell us where to stand and what to expect from our charges. And believe me when I tell you I was expecting the worst.
But last night I had a pleasant surprise. Oh sure, there were a handful of the "popular crowd" who had to uphold the reputation for being hardcore hellraisers.
However, the majority of the kids were clean and sober and having a great evening.
I enjoyed meeting my students in the foyer and seeing them in their evening wear before they sweated off their jackets and makeup on the dance floor. They were a sight to behold. When you only see them in shorts and tee shirts with their hair sticking out in every direction and a pair of flip flops for footwear, these sleek, elegant creatures were hardly recognizable.
The food was excellent, you cannot beat an ice sculpture seashell full of boiled shrimp, prime rib and caesar salad for free. Who says teachers don't get paid enough?
There was no drama...Mrs. APEuro said that there were tears on the cheeks of one girl who spied a dress twin, but other than that, no problem.
Kize got to break up some suggestive smooching on the dancefloor...that's her strong suit. The kids got to see their principal, who many don't know because she's seldom out of her office. The cheerleader from second period got to come to something at school drunk, which I think is probably the height of her ambition. All in all I'd say everyone had a great time.
I know I did...I found a $99 dress that has three-quarter length sleeves, and hides back fat. You cannot do better than that.
There are only two weeks of school left. We have to hand out final exam reviews, autograph yearbooks, and turn in textbooks...that's all that's left to do. I absolutely love this time of year. The slide downhill to summer vacation. Who cares if the state legislature doesn't deal with the minimum grade situation or give retired teachers a cost of living increase. All those problems and causes can be taken up again in August. For now dance duty is done and I'm thinking about all those weeks of being able to stay up past my bedtime.