How do you make a classroom of Sophomores look like Ernest Hemingway? long

[luvflorida]

or maybe the question should be, why? AHHHHHHHHHH! I just have to get this out because it's driving me crazy, and maybe after ranting, I can let it go.

DD15 is in Sophomore Honors English, and they have just completed a short unit on Ernest Hemingway. They read, A Farewell to Arms, and turned in the last of their essays on the book today. On Monday, (two days ago), the teacher decides to have a Hemingway Look-A-Like Contest on Wednesday, (today). Daughter comes home from school on Monday:

DD: "I have to look like Ernest Hemingway for English class on Wednesday."

ME: "Um, okay. Why?"

DD: "Mrs. ---- thought it would be fun."

ME: "Okay, how are you going to look like Ernest Hemingway? Are you supposed to make a beard or what? (I was thinking a bottle of rum or something might add to the likeness, but didn't say so) Is this for a grade? Does someone win a prize or something?"

DD: "She didn't say, but I don't think I HAVE to dress up."

ME: "So, it's optional?"

DD: "Yeah, I think so."

Okay, I don't worry about it, (see the worry thread on here, I DO worry about everything), and put it out of my mind. Switch to yesterday. I pick up daughter from school.

DD: "Can we go to Walmart after dance tonight?"

ME: "Why, what do you need?"

DD: "I need to find something to wear for the Hemingway contest tomorrow."

ME: "WHAT? You said it was optional!"

DD: "Well, I guess we HAVE to dress up."

ME: "I don't get it. What is the point in having everyone dress up like Ernest Hemingway!?! Nobody in that classroom looks even remotely like Ernest Hemingway! What exactly does she expect from you kids!?! (I'm on a roll now) How does this add to your educational learning? This is her idea of FUN!?!"

DD: "It's kind of your fault, mom."

ME: "WHAT? How is it MY fault!?!"

DD: "Well, remember when I told Mrs. ---- that we went to Key West a few years ago and we toured Ernest Hemingway's house, and she thought that was the neatest thing in the world, and she asked me if I had photos, and if I did, could I bring them to class?"

ME: "Yes..."

DD: "Well, you gave me some photos of Hemingway's house and a few that were taken at that Sloppy Joe's place where they have that Hemingway Look-A-Like Contest every year, and she could see the wall that was covered with pictures of all the winners. I guess she thought wow, there's a fun idea."

ME: "Yeah, but those were all MEN and they really did look like Hemingway."

DD: "Well, she thinks it's a brilliant idea and now we all have to dress up tomorrow."

After further discussion, daughter says that the teacher changed it and said the girls could dress up as a different character from the book, A Farewell to Arms. So, now it's no longer an Ernest Hemingway Look-A-Like Contest!?! The only other female character in the book is a WWI British nurse. Between homework and dance classes, we have about an hour to stop at Walmart and find something to make daughter into a WWI British nurse. AHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHH!

Later last night after dance classes and on our way to Walmart-
ME: "What did WWI British nurses wear and, more importantly, what is Walmart going to have that we can use?"

DD: "I think some kind of a cape, but I'm just going to get a white bouse and put a red cross symbol on it."

ME: "I don't think that's what they wore."

DD: "It doesn't really matter. It's not for a grade or anything."

ME: (yes, I forgot, it's supposed to be FUN) "Let's just get in, get something that'll work and get out. It's late and you still have other homework to do tonight."

In Walmart, we find a white blouse, but daughter doesn't want it because it's too big.

ME: "Why does it matter? It's not for a grade and you only have to wear it for one class."

DD: "But people are going to see me wearing it! It has to fit!"

We buy the blouse and a roll of red duct tape and head home.

This morning, daughter fashions a nifty little red cross out of the duct tape and sets it beside her cereal bowl. She goes upstairs, gets dressed for school, packs her backpack, and we're out the door. I come home after dropping her off at school. I take off my coat and toss my keys on the counter, right next to the nifty little duct taped red cross. Yep, she went to school and forgot to put the cross on her blouse.

After all that worrying and stressing out over this entire Hemingway Contest thing, I wasn't about to just leave the cross on the counter. I took it, along with the roll of red duct tape, to the school. Hopefully, the secretary got it to my daughter before English class. I'm anxious to hear how the whole Hemingway thing goes today.

And let me just say- The teacher and I have a whole different concept of what "fun" is.

 

[mchames]

This cracked me up, but I'm right there with you. DD6 in kindergarten is having "Patriotic Symbols Day" next week. They are having a "Fourth of July" picnic and a parade. They are supposed to wear red, white and blue or dress up as a patriotic symbol. On the way into school this morning DD6 asked me VERY seriously, like the world was depending on it, if I've gotten her STATUE of LIBERTY DRESS yet. Does Target sell "Statue of Liberty" dresses? Any suggestions? I've got a week.

Mary

 

[agnes!]

Hahahahahaha. Don't you just LOVE school projects?
yeah, right.

Anyway, Statue of liberty...hmmmm. Go to craft/school supplies store, buy flexi-foam in green for the headress.

There are a couple of ways you could make it, here are two I just thought of...
1) Cut it out to look like Statue's headress. Use clippie barrettes to attach to child's hair.

2) Follow first part of #1. Attach to hairband.

Now to make DD "look" like SoL.
Find green stage/clown/even Dracula makeup, make your DD up, but make sure you powder her down *really* well or use washable makeup, otherwise the green will come off everywhere. Go to any thrift/consignment shops, look for a nightgown in a somewhat correct color(that *wonderful* minty-green). Make up a tablet - you could use a clipboard, somehow coloring it green or buying a green one at Target/Wal-Mart/etc.

Go to a party store. They might have a headress or costume that you could use. I've seen headresses made out of green spongy-type foam that are great for this.

Look up costume ideas on the Internet. I know that there are craft wesbsites that would have other ideas.

Good luck,
agnes!
PS - To the mother who had the Ernest Hemingway lookalike for class...I would have found a picture of Hemingway's face on the Web, printed it out, made a mask of it and had DD wear a big sweater and jeans.
Oh, and walk in with a BIG shotgun and a bottle of booze. [<---joke]

 

[liamsaunt]

Well, a couple of weeks ago, my nephew's first grade class was studying penguins, and one day they had to all come in dressed like penguins. I have to admit, I thought that was a pretty dumb idea. (apologies in advance to any teachers who have asked their classrooms to come to school dressed like penguins)

 

[Miss Park Avenue]

In Walmart, we find a white blouse, but daughter doesn't want it because it's too big.
We buy the blouse and a roll of red duct tape and head home

I read this and thought "I may not be very crafty and I know I'm not a seamstress but I can do better than that!" I was glad to read on and see the duct tape was for something else.

Don't you just love some assignments the kids get these days??? I like the dressing like some of the character's in the book idea though.

 

[luvflorida]

PS - To the mother who had the Ernest Hemingway lookalike for class...I would have found a picture of Hemingway's face on the Web, printed it out, made a mask of it and had DD wear a big sweater and jeans.
Oh, and walk in with a BIG shotgun and a bottle of booze. [<---joke]

When I heard it was Hemingway, a bottle of booze was the first thing that popped into my mind, but I didn't think it would go over too well with the teacher. I also told daughter she should tape some extra toes to our cat, Henry, and take him in with her.

I like your costume idea, though!

 

[luvflorida]

I read this and thought "I may not be very crafty and I know I'm not a seamstress but I can do better than that!" I was glad to read on and see the duct tape was for something else.

 

[luvflorida]

This cracked me up, but I'm right there with you. DD6 in kindergarten is having "Patriotic Symbols Day" next week. They are having a "Fourth of July" picnic and a parade. They are supposed to wear red, white and blue or dress up as a patriotic symbol. On the way into school this morning DD6 asked me VERY seriously, like the world was depending on it, if I've gotten her STATUE of LIBERTY DRESS yet. Does Target sell "Statue of Liberty" dresses? Any suggestions? I've got a week.

Mary

Sorry, I can't help you. My mind is still numb from this whole Hemingway thing.

It does remind me, though, of another time when daughter was in fifth grade and the teacher had a "special day" where the students were asked to dress up as a different country. My daughter was sooooooooo excited because she immediately thought of a dress that her older sister had that would be perfect. Daughter coveted this dress and now she had the perfect opportunity to get big sister to let her wear it. The dress was actually part of a Halloween costume from back when the Spice Girls were all the rage. It was a one piece dress with a huge print of the United Kingdom flag, Union Jack, on the front, (I don't remember which Spice Girl was known for wearing it).

Anyway, my daughter was so proud of the dress and couldn't wait to wear it on country day. Unfortunately, there were some girls in the class who hated the Spice Girls and knew the dress was supposed to be one of the Spice Girls dresses and they taunted daughter most of the day. When I picked my daughter up after school, she was in tears and her teacher was trying everything to help her end the day on a good note. Thankfully, the teacher had dealt with the little brats and daughter felt better by the time i got her home. She never wanted anything to do with that dress again.

Then there was the time that my oldest daughter had to dress as a poor, immigrant girl sailing to America. I found her rummaging around in MY closet. I guess she figured what better place to find something pathetic to wear!!

 

[SunFloridaDisney]