In Which I Become My Own Substitute

I remember this one time in 9th grade when I went from having long,highlighted, blonde-ish hair with about 3" worth of brown roots to a rich, chocolate-y bob, which seemed to put the entire junior high into a coma of change-induced shock. I mean, people in my homeroom class somehow knew about the drastic change minutes before I even arrived there thanks to the buzz of the hallways, and I felt like a movie star, or at the very least a relatively well-known politician.

I have since had the lifelong goal of making 100+ people do a double take  (again) over a new haircut.

Well, look no further, life dream--you have been fulfilled, yet again.

If you ever want to get more attention than you ever have in your life over a hairstyle change, go to a middle school.

Of course, be prepared for the truth, the whole truth, and nothing but the brutal, honest, straight-from-the-13-year-old's-mouth truth.

Last Saturday I made the decision to go from a plain-Jane, shoulder-length, basic brown hairstyle to, as one woman at church put it, a "more dramatic look." Really, all I did was have my hairstylist cut off half an inch of split ends, chop in some bangs, and dye the whole thing about 3 shades darker than it was before.

You would think I'd grown an eleventh toenail, or sprouted a baby, the way the kids reacted.

Twenty minutes into first period, I heard one of my students say to another: "Go ask the sub."

You mean ME?

(Of course, once they heard my voice clanking after them and telling them to sit down and be quiet already, they knew immediately that they were sorely mistaken).

A quick summary of the day:

1. I now have several students who are convinced I look just like Katy Perry
2. Several boys came in, pointed at my hair (or theirs), and said, "You look different today. What is it?"
3. Many students stopped in their tracks on their way into the classroom and just stared at me with their mouths open, as if I were a dark-haired alien from the non-planet of Pluto.
4. And then, my absolute favorite, from a boy in my first hour: "Oh NO! You went black! Why would you do that? You looked better before."

What a great day :)