You know who the Pinterest moms are. The ones who pack camera-ready lunches for their children with lovely handwritten notes. The parents who are ready and available for every volunteer activity and whose homes are the neighborhood clubhouse.
And then there is me. I鈥檓 the mom who counts it as a victory if we leave the house each morning fed and wearing clean clothes.
So when my child was asked to dress like a 100-year-old man this week to celebrate the 100th day of school, I headed my Facebook page to gripe. Where did THIS made-up 鈥渉oliday鈥� come from?
Turns out, marking this 鈥渟pecial鈥� day of the school year has been around for a while. As the parent of a kindergarten student, I hadn鈥檛 experienced this. But my friends with older children, as well as teachers and principals who responded to me on Twitter, shared their 鈥�100 Days鈥� experiences from around the country. Here鈥檚 just a small sample:
Pinterest is filled with pictures of cute costumed kids. A national party supply store in my neighborhood even had a display area of 鈥�100 Days鈥� themed gear鈥�"grandma鈥� and 鈥済randpa鈥� outfits, gray wigs, fake pipes, inflatable walkers, pencils and certificates. Clearly, I have been out of the loop.
100 Counts for a Lot in Math Education
So when did this start? David Barnes, an associate executive director for the National Council of Teachers of Mathematics, isn鈥檛 exactly sure, but he suggests that it comes naturally when early-grade teachers start teaching about the calendar. 鈥淭hat leads into counting days, which leads to the 100th day,鈥� he said. (For older students, many schools have also adopted activities around 鈥淧i Day鈥�, or March 14; the first three numbers of the geometric ratio are 3.14.)
There鈥檚 plenty of counting objects on the day and trying to make the number 100 concrete to young children, Barnes said. It鈥檚 all meant to show that math is fun and enjoyable. But another element teachers can wrap in is not just counting to 100, but using 100 to talk about the importance of the math concept of place value. The number 1 with no zeroes represents a single object, but because of place value, when 1 is written with additional zeroes it describes a much larger number.
Talking and thinking about the importance of place value offers an additional experience beyond just counting objects, Barnes said. Kids could talk about what grade they鈥檇 be in on their 1,000th day of school. They could think about whether they would be in school for 10,000 days.
鈥淲e want kids to enjoy math and to enjoy and think with numbers and realize that there鈥檚 lots of questions you can ask about this,鈥� Barnes said. 鈥淭here鈥檚 a level of rigor and sensemaking that we would like kids to engage in with mathematics, so that it鈥檚 not just rote.鈥�
For more ideas, the organization鈥檚 magazine, Teaching Children Mathematics, published an article,
So What About the Costumes?
For all the frivolity, the 100th day celebrations do have a problematic side. As a reporter who also writes about children with disabilities, I wasn鈥檛 sure what to think about canes and walkers used as props.
It turns out I wasn鈥檛 alone. Catherine Sears, a Virginia mother, was taken aback when she saw a young child in her son鈥檚 school bent over and using a mock walker. Her infant son was born with a brain injury, and many children with similar injuries need a gait trainer for mobility when they get older.
鈥淚 don鈥檛 want to sound super uptight or anything,鈥� Sears said. She knows the activities are all meant in fun; her own son created a treasure box of 100 polished stones as part of the school鈥檚 100th day events.
But the dress-up aspect is based in the idea that young children wouldn鈥檛 need the same mobility aids used by older people, and that鈥檚 not the case. 鈥淚t鈥檚 supposed to be cute to have a 6-year-old using a walker. Humor is when something is the opposite of what you expect it to be,鈥� she said.
But for the mom of a kid with a disability, assistive technology is not incongruous with childhood. 鈥淚t鈥檚 what you expect.鈥�
Last year, three organizations that advocate for older adults drafted a letter for educators pointing out alternatives that can celebrate aging, not mock it. Among their ideas: invite an older person (even a 100-year-old, if they are in the community!) to the school to interact with students, or gather stories about elders or 100-year-olds from students鈥� families or from books.
鈥淭his is something we talk about a lot鈥攁re we being too sensitive?鈥� said Penny Cook, the executive director of Pioneer Network, an advocacy organization for providers of long-term care and other services for elders. 鈥淏ut what about the other 鈥榠sms鈥� out there? To me, ageism is just one of the other 鈥榠sms.鈥�
In contrast, getting rid of the canes, hair curlers and fake wrinkles and choosing a more positive alternative can 鈥渋ntroduc[e] children to what aging is all about. They have the opportunity to see the wisdom that aging can bring,鈥� Cook said.
100 Days of School and Beyond
I confessed to Cook that for my son, I just went with the 鈥渄ress like you鈥檙e 100 years old鈥� option. My son鈥檚 school offered an alternative鈥攄ress in your favorite clothing style in the past 100 years鈥攂ut that seemed even more complicated. I sent my son off to school with plaid suspenders and a bow tie, drew in some wrinkles with a brow pencil, and added a generous dusting of baby powder to turn his hair 鈥渨hite.鈥�
At the end of the day, he reported that he was one of the few people in his class who dressed for the occasion. And on the 100th day of school, I graduated to Pinterest Mom.