This week is something called "The Great American Teach-In" here in Tampa and what that is, is when people from the community go to different schools and talk to young people about what they do for a living.  Mostly you are supposed to visit your home school, but the schools up here don't really need anyone to talk to the young people.  New Tampa is pretty much the suburbs and these kids more than likely are college bound kids anyway.

However, I volunteered to participate in "The Great American Teach-In" this year, but I'm not doing it at my step kids schools.  I'm taking my act on the road to Mort Elementary, which is in "the hood" as it were.  And since I don't exactly "do" anything for a living (yet), I volunteered to talk about hobbies.  But which hobby?

This had me a bit stymied.  I was going to talk about writing fanfiction, but I knew if I talked about that someone would ask to read the stuff that I wrote.  Uhhh...  The stuff I write isn't exactly for kids!  There's a lot of sex and violence in the stuff that I write, so that pretty much nixed the whole fanfiction thing.  Then I figured I could talk video games, but I would loose the girls, then I thought about discussing Lolita, but that really wouldn't appeal to boys.  So what would appeal to everyone and possibly make an impact on the life of a young person?  Then it hit me...  Cosplay!

Both girls and boys cosplay.  It has cultural significance and could potentially open someone's eyes up to a whole different culture they wouldn't have otherwise learned about.  And it also teaches sewing as a skill which is a lost art these days, also how to be resourceful, because many time you have to improvise something on a costume, and it shows that you don't have to be "character specific"  (I.e. look like a character) to wear a cosplay costume because cosplay is for everyone.  Plus it's fun and something I'm sure NO ONE will be talking about.

So I may have to break out my Suiseiseki dress again (Oh God!  Not driving in a hoop again!), but I think it's something will entertain as well as educate.