Trying something new: Faking My Way (Day 1): A Sea of Black and Gray

My role in my career has many new experiences for me. As a teacher, I'm in my classroom. I'm planning my lessons. I'm interacting with my kids. And when I got to a professional development conference, I sit; I listen; I go home and try out a couple of new ideas I learned.

As an administrator, professional conferences involve networking. Lots of networking. It seems to be a requirement of the job that no one told me about until I got hired. So here I am at a superintendents' conference. Completely lost and trying hard to look professional and competent.

First quandary, how do I pack for a superintendents' event? California teachers are notoriously casual. Heck all of California is casual. Go to a fancy restaurant and I bet at least half the people will be in jeans and t-shirts. But superintendents are CEOs of school districts. How dressy is that? So I packed business attire and jeans... and a dress for tonight reception. I asked the registrar how formal tonight's dinner reception is. His response, "Oh you'll see all kinds. Some people will be in business dress, but some are in jeans too. This is California." Helpful.

First observation, I'm the only khaki in a sea of black and gray. I didn't take into account the business color code. So yes, I'm dress appropriately. But I am in the 1% who are wearing a color. The grand ballroom luncheon is black, black, black, black, gray, gray, black, pop-of-orange, gray, black, gray, gray, olive green, black, black, black, gray, cotton candy pink.... and so on.

(Much later that night)
Now I know what I should pack and wear to the conference as well as the dinner reception. The conference is easy: black. I could probably get away with jeans and cardigan as long as they were black.

As for the dinner, note for next year, not formal. I decided to wear the dress I packed for two reasons 1) I was obviously a little underdressed for the conference and 2) it's my favorite dress; I never get to wear it, so why not. At the dinner event, I was certainly in the 1% of the dressiest dressed people there. In any city not in California, I would have been on the shabby end of the scale. Here, very dressy. I didn't factor in the spouses of the other superintendents who had been out shopping, golfing, and sight seeing all day. I think most of them came to dinner in California vacation mode. Ah well. Next year I'll know.

The dinner reception itself will turn out to be the highlight of the conference for me, I'm sure. It was a private event held at the aquarium. I've been going to the aquarium for 30 years, but never like this. Beautiful. After a reasonably tasty dinner, I wandered the exhibits freely enjoying all the creatures I usually have to squeeze, crane, and dodge pint-sized visitors to catch a glimpse.

I'm posting pictures of some of my favorites.