I saw a sure sign of spring this weekend; the middle school girls have traded their Uggs for flip-flops. 

Uggs, for those who are neither in the tween years nor witnessing them at close range, are shearling boots from Australia. My middle school students assure me that the name isn’t a form of the word ugly, though I have my doubts. These boots are made in shades of beige with thick orange soles and heavy seams along the sides. They’re not pretty, but they are warm and—more to the point when it comes to middle school—highly fashionable. I teach girls who put on their Uggs for the first day of school and wear them daily for months. I see Uggs worn with skimpy skirts, sweats and t-shirts, and even for gym classes, when the sneakers were “forgotten” or “lost in the locker room.”

Then, suddenly, just as the cherry blossoms pop, out come the flip-flops and painted toenails. Near the duck pond, I watched flip-flops and was dazzled by the rainbow of colors, sometimes all on one set of feet. I loitered near a few local nail salons, and saw that Leo’s and Kim’s in Maplewood and Goldfinger Salon in South Orange had a good amount of foot traffic. Tens of toenails were painted this weekend, and I’ll wager that a good number of those toes have sparkly polish. This isn’t the season for somber French pedicures. Not for this crowd. 

Middle school students are endearing for many reasons, and one is their insistence on dressing not for the weather we have, but for the weather they want. It’s early for flip-flops. April is chilly, rainy, and muddy. And every school I’ve ever known frowns on such footwear. Flip-flops are for summer, no question about it.

Still, I sympathize. I left the house on many winter mornings wondering if the car would start in eight-degree weather. On that final snow day of the season, I stared at the shovel and went back inside. Logging onto the Internet, I ordered a pair of flip-flops that I thought I’d save until June. But I wore them yesterday and took my toes out for a treat. I had them painted at Leo’s, and I’ve been admiring them ever since.

This week’s weather forecast calls for rain. This may not daunt the middle school kids, but it’s jacket and rain boots for me, sensible attire for fickle spring weather. Underneath those boots, though, my toes sparkle. With shimmering  “Apple Green” polish, I’m dressed like school’s out for summer.