2018-2019 has been a great year with plenty of ups and downs. I look forward to Friday like most but probably for a different reason – Geeky Shirt Friday! Geeky Shirt Friday has become a favorite for me. It allows me to show my students another side of Mrs. Prester. They get to know me a little bit better and see more of my personality, just in case it doesn’t hit them on the side of the head in class through project examples or the way my classroom is decorated with Star Wars standees, the text of the Twilight Zone introduction, or my Wonder Woman posters!
Geeky Shirt Friday also builds community with my students. They try to guess the shirt. Some participate and also wear a geeky t-shirt with me. My favorite moment came last year when a student and I BOTH wore a Bob Ross t-shirt on the SAME DAY! It was magical. Sometimes, I need to take a few minutes to educate my students on important pop culture icons when they don’t know what my t-shirts refer to. It’s worth it to have a class showing of important videos like the SNL sketch of More Cowbell so they understand the context. One student actually told me “Oh, now I understand some of the things my father always says!” Awesome! It makes me feel old, but awesome nonetheless!
I digress . . . students see the geeky side of me and that’s a good thing. I want them to know that it’s ok to show it. I tell them to be proud of who they are and don’t be afraid to let those geek flags fly!
I’d like to give a shoutout to a great friend and former MHS colleague, Ariel Serkin! Ariel and I were friends for years before teaching together at MHS. We both love all things geeky/nerdy, especially t-shirts! She started calling her t-shirts #nerdytshirtfriday with a focus on Chemistry and Physics. I urged her to start Tweeting them out. That’s when I decided to take the plunge and do mine every Friday with a focus on . . . well, no focus! I post about ALL things geeky using #GeekyShirtFriday. We inspired each other to go “all in.” Thanks for the push I needed, Ariel! ❤️️
Here for your viewing pleasure is a gallery of ALL the year’s Geeky Shirt Friday t-shirts. There are a few extras as I still use the #GeekyShirtFriday hashtag for special days that pop up throughout the year and require a special t-shirt. Examples: October 3rd being Mean Girls Day with the “that’s so fetch” t-shirt, January 8th being Elvis’ birthday with the King t-shirt and bracelet, and all of the special spirit days at school. If it’s a special day, I’ve got a t-shirt for it!
