Above All, Dignity

I have lived through another Spirit Week. I have participated in each of the five prescribed "days": Pajama Day, Hawaiian Day, Team Day, Hip-Hop/Disco Day, and School Color/Crazy Hair Day. I confess that my primary motivation is that I don't want to hear from others that I am "no fun" or have no school spirit. It's the last full week of school, and I'm hard-pressed to understand the motivation.
That being said, I still have a beef: What is the concern about School Spirit at an Elementary School? I have always been a proponent of community, and I am the guy with the megaphone out in front of everybody leading our weekly affirmation. I make it a point to get to know as many of the kids' names as I can. School Spirit? I wonder if that's not just a trickle-down from high school, where School Spirit is used to motivate spectators at athletic events. I do remember that my junior high had spirit days, and they tended to mirror the way high school kids did it.
And maybe that's the problem. I still remember the reactions I got in junior high, when human beings have the faintest level of self-esteem, showing up with my "Tacky Day" clothes, or wearing a silly hat. By showing up with an outward appearance of spirit, my own was crushed. "What is that?" they would sneer from their polyester shirts and carefully feathered hair. Back when appearance was everything, I dared to show up to school in my pajamas.
In high school I took it one step further, playing in Pep Band, where we donned costumes for every away football game and all home basketball games. We looked crazy, and our sound was awesome. I like to think that we helped bring our crowd to a fever pitch to root the team home for a win. With our spirit.
Now I'm sitting here, with my hair painted red, waiting for the end to come. Elementary school kids today are as concerned about their appearance as my contemporaries in junior high. I'm not sure what we're promoting, spirit-wise, but I will happily defend any and all crazy hair. I've got spirit, yes I do. I've got spirit, how 'bout you?