It is that time of year when the excitement of back to school is in the air. I remember the feeling so well. I would babysit all summer to make money for new school clothes. One day trip to Duluth would usually eat up every dime.
I loved bringing the clothes home and laying out possible outfits for the first day of school. This was serious business, as you had to make the right impression. By second quarter the pressure was off and you could wear jeans and T-shirts the rest of the year! Bandanas were also popular when I was in high school. We would wear these over our hair if we were trying to postpone hair washing for just one more day. (Extreme measures called for a sprinkle of baby powder in the hair part too.)
One huge downside to going back to school was the very early mornings. I had a 36-mile bus ride to school so I was usually picked up before 7 a.m. Because there was a lot of make-up and hair curling to do I had to be up by 5:45 a.m. I think this set me up to be an early riser. I really like the quiet morning and winding up for the day.
Summer’s end was the perfect weather too…not too hot or cold. We could eat school lunch quickly and then enjoy sitting outside. This was my favorite time of year and yet is seemed to be the shortest. By mid-October it wasn’t unusual to have it be wet and cold.
This was a time to see my friends again. Who had changed? Did anyone have braces or glasses now? Or even more important who had gotten their braces removed and contacts over the summer? I even had one classmate who seemed to grow five inches in three months!
You might have noticed that none of my fond back to school memories include the actual schoolwork. I did like the classes too. I had some of the most amazing teachers in school. No kidding I can name at least one teacher from every grade, kindergarten through my senior year. (Wegstein, Runion, Benson, Tofte, Anderson, Bailey, Lingwall, Mianowski, Ouellette, Finn, Helmerson, Tavernier and Gulden.) The first seven are easy because we only had one teacher.
I can also name a large number of the 82 kids that were in my graduating class. I spent 13 years with 12 of them as we all went to kindergarten together. Knowing everyone was a good feeling. Reunions bring back lots of stories and memories. There is a sense of security spending time with people who have known you most of your life.
My wish is that each and every student heading back to school has an amazing year! Believe it or not in a blink you will be wearing that graduation hat!
The whole purpose of education is
to turn mirrors into windows.
Sydney J. Harris
Leave a Reply