Fit to be “Tied”

I wear a different “kid friendly” tie each school day of the year.  My collection hovers around 300 with about 30 being Christmas ties.  I have several racks that I use to hold the ties.  When I take it off the rack, I wear it, then place it in a box for the next year.  After it comes out of the box, I wear it, then place it on the rack.  It took me a few years to work out this system.

The first “kid friendly” tie I bought was a red Mickey Mouse tie…that was back in the late 1980’s.  The second came with some help from two students at the time (Carla and Cathleen Meyerhoeffer) who picked out a blue and pink flamingo tie with me on a trip to Williamsburg.  I still have both ties and wear them in my rotation.

Several of my ties have been gifts from students, parents, and teachers.  I wish I could remember each tie and where each came from, but there are so many!  The students often ask for me to wear my double cheeseburger, Sponge Bob, and Scooby Do ties.  Last year I was presented with my first hotdog tie…certain to be a classic.  Two of my favorite ties include a Where the Wild Things Are tie given by a former assistant principal and a Curious George tie given to me by my daughter, Madelyn.  I once got a tie for each day of the twelve days of Christmas!

Perhaps my oddest tie moment came when I was at a principal’s conference in Washington, D.C.  There was a street vendor selling of all things – neckties.  I bought an alligator tie for $5.00.  That Christmas, my mother-in-law from Mississippi bought the very same tie for me for a present!

I try to be judicious and wear different college ties after a big win.  My collection in this category includes Virginia, Tennessee, Memphis, and Ole Miss (no Vandy yet!).  My largest collection of non-Christmas ties include, baseball, Sponge Bob and Scooby Do ties.

As the summer comes to a close, my excitement is peaking.  I look forward to sharing the many ties with our Sumner Academy community.