Kilted Fridays Adventures

[Grouse Claw]

Hector, I understand the pressure. I am a Scot, and live in New Zealand where many Scots came to live over the past 150 years, and still there is pressure. This is one reason I made myself a flier, which I give to anyone I see who is having a less then happy reaction. You can see it here: http://www.fairservicenz.com/pdfs/Kilt%20flier.pdf

The flier is written specifically for my situation, but why not take the idea and make it your own? I have five or six of these A5 fliers, folded once and kept inside a folded piece of cardboard in my sporran. When I see someone raise their eyebrows I go up to them with a smile and present my piece of propaganda, saying, "This explains why I am wearing a kilt."

I am fairly new to wearing the kilt, since my boyhood in Scotland, and I have to be sure why I am doing it, so that I am confident, and not apologetic, which surely shows in one's bearing. But I take someone else's point that if it is no longer fun, save the kilt for the occasion when it will be fun.

I make an occasion of it when I go to church, on Sunday. Kilted Sunday.

All that said, I do hope you can have a breakthrough. My best wishes to you, Hector.

[keltic]

ah, kilted friday. I will be taking a sick day from work. I'm the music teacher in an elementary school, but I have laryngitis. No point in my even being there in spite of having tried to do it all week. I'm taking a 3 day weekend and resting the voice. But while I'm home, I intend to wear my kilt. I will also be working on the xkilt. I'm very close to being done, and already plotting the next one. I also bought a kilt tonight, online, a 5 yard Wallace tartan. Now I can look forward to that package coming in the next few weeks.

[Mael Coluim]

ah, kilted friday. I will be taking a sick day from work. I'm the music teacher in an elementary school, but I have laryngitis. No point in my even being there in spite of having tried to do it all week. I'm taking a 3 day weekend and resting the voice. But while I'm home, I intend to wear my kilt. I will also be working on the xkilt. I'm very close to being done, and already plotting the next one. I also bought a kilt tonight, online, a 5 yard Wallace tartan. Now I can look forward to that package coming in the next few weeks.

Good plan! A wee dram will help the healing process.

[kiltedjoss]

KA Joss Tank, USAK Wallace jacket, Tyger buckle.

[keltic]

KA Joss Tank, USAK Wallace jacket, Tyger buckle.

Looks great!

Feeling better, I ventured out for a few things I needed: kilted in WalMart for my first time ever. a few stares, no comments, and one worker asked where I got the kilt because her husband wants one.

[MizzouScotsman]

Another great kilted Friday for me. This makes, three months of kilted Fridays for me if I recall correctly. I do not receive many stares anymore, thank goodness, as people are work are now used to seeing me this way on Fridays. Someone told me today that they knew what day it was when they saw the kilt. I've never been a kilted calendar before but I'll take it.

Went without the tie today though, kind of casual kilted Friday. But I did bring my cromach, which always gets questions.

[Mael Coluim]

Well done, gents!

Today, I wore my tank, Malcolm ancient. One of my new residents that I was processing her paperwork, commented, "that color suites you." It was a pretty ancient blue sweater.

[pbutts]

ah, kilted friday. I will be taking a sick day from work. I'm the music teacher in an elementary school, but I have laryngitis. No point in my even being there in spite of having tried to do it all week. I'm taking a 3 day weekend and resting the voice. But while I'm home, I intend to wear my kilt. I will also be working on the xkilt. I'm very close to being done, and already plotting the next one. I also bought a kilt tonight, online, a 5 yard Wallace tartan. Now I can look forward to that package coming in the next few weeks.

Keltic-

Have you worn a kilt to school yet? I'm an elementary school library media teacher and since most of the staff does the casual Friday thing, I'm considering making it "Kilted Friday" when my long-awaited Matt Newsome kilt arrives in the Spring. Understand, most of my kiddos are pretty respectful--my last name is "Butts" and they learn pretty quickly to deal with that-- so a kilt should be no big deal.

[keltic]

Keltic-

Have you worn a kilt to school yet? I'm an elementary school library media teacher and since most of the staff does the casual Friday thing, I'm considering making it "Kilted Friday" when my long-awaited Matt Newsome kilt arrives in the Spring. Understand, most of my kiddos are pretty respectful--my last name is "Butts" and they learn pretty quickly to deal with that-- so a kilt should be no big deal.

Pbutts,

yes, I have worn a kilt to school, but only for teaching about St. Patrick's Day. I've also dressed as a pirate, worn "elf" ears, and put temporary tattoos on my bald head, all in the interest of engaging the students (yes, that's it, engaging the students in meaningful learning, I'm certain that's why I do it.....)

What a coincidence that your last name is Butts, we have a 2nd grade teacher with that same name.

Here's my plan. I'm going to my principal soon and will tell him that I plan on wearing my kilts on quite a few days as we approach St. Patrick's Day, and that I will use that as part of the music lessons, which will of course, include not only the music, but the traditions, customs, etc of the celtic culture both in the US and in the motherland. After that, I figure kilted fridays can just kick in without too much notice. AND, we have no dress code for the staff, so it will be tough for an admin to tell me not to wear the kilt.

That said, I spend a lot of time teaching my students about the proper way to respond to something that is new to them. Unfortunately, the district I work in, just 50 miles south of Pittsburgh, might as well be in the deep mountains of Appalachia (yes, we are part of that mountain range). Most of my students are poor and have no experience outside of their little towns. When I play them a song in a foreign language, their first reaction is to laugh. A few of them are catching on that were they to leave their town, THEY would be the ones who are different and would be the target of ridicule (assuming others have the same initial reactions that they do.) My wearing a kilt would be just one more way I can teach them about the diversity that exists in the world, and how they should respond when they encounter it.

[pbutts]

Keltic -- That's a good plan. I do Irish/Celtic stories throughout the week, and that Saturday will be my first time marching with the pipe band, too.

So I would guess a lot of your kiddos probably have Scots and Irish families.