Are You a Good Witch or a Bad Witch?

I'm a huge fan of The Wizard of Oz and truth be told, I can actually recite the majority of the lines in the movie as well as sing (off key) all the tunes.  I still am absolutely mesmerized by the Wicked Witch of the West and admit she still gives me a bit of the creeps.  Occasionally as I am channel surfing I'll come across Judy Garland belting out "Somewhere Over the Rainbow" and I can't help myself, I have to stop and join in.  I have fond memories as a child watching my mom sign, seal, and stamp countless Christmas cards as me and my brothers and sister were huddled around the TV watching the annual telecast of The Wizard of Oz eating popcorn.  Who can not feel in the most positive of moods after watching poor little Dorothy escape the evil witch and finally click her heels and return home?

Somewhere along the line today, amidst the general crazy fun of a third grade classroom and its daily chaos, a few students inquired as to my Halloween costume.  This glorious holiday is, after all, only two short days away.  The anticipation of the upcoming sugar collecting is palpable.

"What are you going to be this year?" an excited little girl asked me.  In the middle of a math lesson.  A bit off topic, but I played along.

"A teacher!" I answered over zealously.

"Hmmmm.... well..... ummm.....isn't that what you are every day?" she challenged.

(Serious face)  "Well maybe I'll come dressed like Miss Nelson's substitute!"    And then I followed it up with my most scary cackle laugh.

"Do you have a cold or something?" a concerned little one asked.

And then, just like that we returned to learning about mode and median and our Halloween costume ideas were shelved for a while.

With Halloween just around the corner, we teachers are readying ourselves for the "day after".  By that I mean themorningafterHalloweenwhenthekidshavecandyforbreakfastandbringmoreforlunch.   I always give students a homework assignment on Halloween night.

1.  Bring Almond Joy bars for teacher.

I remind them that they probably don't like them anyway and they are my favorite candy bar.  The up side of this is the day after Halloween, I have a desk piled high with little Almond joy bars that last me the rest of the year.  The down side is I eat way too many of them and am continually trying to convince myself they are 'healthy' because they contain an almond.  Not so convincing when I get on the scale.

Side note:  Students from last year will remember this "homework" and that only adds to my stash.

So today, as I was contemplating Halloween and costumes I was also thinking of my pledge to positivity and Glenda, the Good Witch vs the evil Wicked Witch of the West.  I was making a connection that this year I was more on track for Glenda and less on track for the WWW.  That this year I was trying to be more "good witch" than "bad witch".  I was hanging up my broom for a sparkling bubble of glitter.  And I was realizing that it was really a good feeling.   Now I can't promise I can magically send someone across the country by clicking their shoes together and chanting, "There's no place like home... there's no place like home" but I do vow to continue to help cheer up any wayward teacher that comes to my door asking for some positivity.   Or an Almond Joy.

Hopefully, there won't be any flying monkeys to take me away.