Does this make me look 12?

Oh dear.  My one and only goal for the night was to go to bed by 10.  It's 10:24.  EPIC FAIL.  I started off on the right track, I swear...I tore myself away from House Hunters on HGTV by 9:45 and headed upstairs to start getting ready for bed.  Brushed my teeth, washed my face, etc. etc. etc...then, I went into my closet to change into jammies.  That's when everything went downhill...

It started off innocently enough..."I should pick out something to wear tomorrow...Hmmm...*browses clothes that are plentiful yet never seem to match/fit the occassion/fit the weather/are what I want to wear...* What to wear..."  I proceeded to pull items off hangers and hold them up against each other for a good 15 minutes.  See, normally picking out clothes isn't that big of a deal.  Sure, when I have extra time that I should be using for sleep (like tonight...), I tend to over analyze and enjoy rooting around in my closet in an attempt to put together a marginally nice outfit.  But most days I can pick something out pretty quickly.  Who am I trying to impress anyways, the kids?

Well, this week is a different story.  It is PARENT CONFERENCE WEEK (ahhh!!!).  That means I will be on display for 24 sets of parents/family members.  It also means that I better not look 12.  See, all teachers end up under the scrutinity of well-meaning parents on conference days.  But 23 year old teachers have an added challenge: attempt to look old enough to BE a qualified teacher so that when you're talking about their children, the parents don't wonder if YOUR parents know where you are at this time of night.  This is a problem for any 23 year old teacher, but if you're a 23 year old teacher who happens to look about 19 on a GOOD day, and about 16 when wearing a ponytail, things can get a little tricky....this leads to much time spent trying to put together the "right outfit."

It all comes down to, "What kind of teacher do I want to look like?"

• Do I want to be "professional teacher" in dress pants, a formal-looking button down, and heels?  
• Or maybe "trendy workplace teacher" in a pencil skirt, dress top, and chunky trendy necklace?
• What about "cutesy teacher" in a polka dot top and plain skirt?
• Then there's "functional teacher" in pants, flats, and a sweater, because the reality of conferences is that I will be nonstop talking with parents until 8pm and better be comfortable?
• Or I could be "stereotype teacher" in a cardigan, denim skirt, and some sort of cutesy accessory? (no, I have no apple pins, but the cardigans are a basic staple in my wardrobe...am i already THAT TEACHER??)

The list goes on... Well, as conferences aren't until Thursday, I have some more time to give this dilemma some thought.  I only started thinking about it tonight because I do have one conference tomorrow morning for a parent who couldn't attend Thursday's marathon conferencearama.  In any case, I have 5 outfits pulled from my closet to mix and match as needed this week.  I will keep you posted on which teacher I "show up as" Thursday.

And in the spirit of not looking 12 for my first conference tomorrow morning, I better head to bed so I have time to shower and straighten my hair tomorrow...Nothing says professional like a dirty ponytail with scraggly bangs bobby-pinned all over... :)

A few of the options...