Picture Day as an Adult is Sort of Like Picture Day as a Kid

So I forgot that tinsey-winsey detail that when you are a teacher, you basically have picture day every year, even in adulthood. And yeah, it's just as terrible as you remember it. The photographers who do school pictures are over it. I'm over it 2 minutes in when they tell me to line up the students according to height and suddenly everyone is standing on their tip toes because they don't want to stand in the front row. And I was waaaay over it when my kids saw me and were like, "You look like a different person!"

... So I haven't been doing my hair or makeup regularly... bite me...

I've never been good about picture day. I've included some of my school pictures that depict not only my little 8-year-old thoughts on picture day, but genuine adult-thoughts too. Like, do you really need to squeeze that parrot toy to get 11-year-olds to take a picture? Do we really have to say "Superman," "cheese," and "smile" to take the flipping picture? For our patriotic background, I think we are missing about 6 bald eagles. Those would really bring the background up a notch. Also, do we have to lean against a pedestal? Like, can't we just sit and smile at the camera? 

Unfortunately, I've never been a good liar - or good at not being sassy. I've also never been good at doing my hair... or remembering it was picture day. Really, I've just never been good with professional pictures, school photographers, or outer beauty kind of crap.

So I present to you some of the school pictures I still have copies of. Please relish in the fact that I was, in fact, that kid the photographers warned you about when they said, "Don't be the only one not smiling!"

Let's just be grateful I managed to stop myself from tongue-biting and impromptu dance moves, which many of my "homemade" pictures as a child were riddled with. 

I would like to call 5th grade the year of the faux-lesbian. It was a difficult time in my life. I am grateful that I only dressed like a boy for probably 6 more years after that, but at least I had the decency to start stealing my older sister's clothing in 6th grade so that I was somewhat presentable as a female. Ah, the old bring-new-clothes-and-change-in-the-girls-bathroom-so-your-older-sister-didn't-see-that-you-were-wearing-her-shirt trick. 60% of the time, works every time. 

Also, sorry to anyone who is pictured in these. You definitely look better than I do, let's just put that out there. 

I'm sad to say that my teacher pictures might be eerily similar to these. Let's hope not, especially since I'll probably be the only teacher that didn't get the memo to accept their fate and just deal with picture day.