The Fashion Project

So, the verdict is in:

The BOE (Board of Education) has officially decided to allow me to wear head scarves in the schools! Not only will I be able to wear them when I teach, but also at all of the schools in the district when I'm observing lessons by other instructors, attending meetings, and participating in school or company-wide events. The dispatch company I work for arranged all of this with the BOE, plus gave me permission to wear scarves for all company events and when working in the head office.

To be honest, I'm totally surprised and completely bowled over! It was so easy! I asked my boss about it privately, and 2 weeks later, it's all clear! I can't believe it. I really expected it to be a fight. But you have to hand it to the Sumida Ward Board of Education- they were incredibly understanding, and the school principals where I work have been really nice. (I work at three different elementary schools in the area.)

It's going to be a great opportunity to share culture and religion with the children in the schools in a very open and friendly way. In a given week, I teach about 500 children, and that doesn't include the kids in the schools that I'm not teaching that week.

As far as I know, no one has asked for this before. I wouldn't go so far as to say I'm the first, but I live in a country where I have seen, in my 4 years here, a sum total of 4 other women wearing hijab, and 3 of them were outside the Embassy of Pakistan. Perhaps if I look harder, I can find more. Anyway, I'm very excited. I have posted for you a couple pictures of my first outfit for my first official Head Scarf Day at school! They aren't particularly flattering pictures, since it also happened to be murderously hot that day, and the school didn't use air conditioning. So, there you have it!