I have chosen a profession in which I get to go to Prom each and every year. As a writer with a fondness for, and now a book about, all things young adult, it's just amazing!
This singular moment that has launched a thousand books, short stories, movies, tv shows, etc., is something I get to participate in every year!
There is a significant amount of old man dancing that I can bring to the table and while my lateral movement might not be what it once was, I can still cut a rug (kids say that right?) with the average to lower end of them.
I say all this for a few reasons. I feel like a combination of Jane Goodall and (as the Dean), the tough as nails film noir detective with a heart of gold. Seriously, that's exactly how I feel as I do the two step in the middle of the circle.
The other reason is slightly more meaningful. I look around at my students and I see my characters, I see those five geeky teenagers that I dreamed into existence, and imagine how they would react and exist in the world. What kind of nonsense would Ira be getting up to? (All the nonsense) How much would Dan chafe in his obviously too small suit? (He'd rip it if he moved too quickly but he wouldn't because he'd be too worried about hurting someone. This would all be very quiet as well) Would Maeve be having any fun? (Yes, because she would have broken into the library, she has her own keys, and would be using the combined computing power of the computer lab to crack terror organizations and search for her holy grail...what exactly happened during the Noodle Incident) What would Lily be doing? (She would want to be with Maeve but the large circle of teenage suitors would be preventing her from getting to the Library. She also would surreptitiously be looking at Colman once every 39 seconds) How would Colman respond to this obvious flirting from the girl he was desperately in love with? (Oblivious, Colman is terribly, desperately, horribly oblivious...like TRYING to mess it up oblivious, ESPECIALLY with Lily)
But more than that, my characters, and my students, represent all of us. There are kids from all over the world, from most ethnicities, different sexual orientations, differing levels of ableness and socio-economic status, from different cultures and religions. As an educator and writer who happens to be multi-racial and connects very strongly with the #Ownvoices movement, it's important for me to get their story out.
The authenticity of my characters come from what I have seen, where I have worked and what I have lived. We are all different but more often than not, those differences can, and should, unite us, connect us and make us all better.
So please, where ever you are on Saturday night around 10:00 pm, please raise a glass (non-alcoholic, don't want the Dean to get you!) and toast to all of us, all of our stories and how our differences make us stronger.