PROMPTuesday #20 - Back To School
While she’s absolutely right that school’s in session, she’s off on the timing. Most of our schools started back a week or two ago. Yeah, Deb’s old school (no pun intended), but I totally agree with her that apres Labor Day is when school should start.
What are your back-to-school memories? Tell us about one. Your memory can be your own, or one from watching your child go to school, or a story inspired by a memory, or anything back-to-school-y. Either way, make us smell the must of the chalk or the acridity of teen spirit.
The Rules:
- Try to write your entry in 10 minutes. This encourages top-of-mind, primal thinking before the ego and judgmental brain kick in. Just set a timer, make your kid count to 600 slowly, whatever. It’s an honor system. And I trust you.
- Aim for 250 words or less.
- Please have fun. Don’t put pressure on yourself. Together, let’s rediscover the simple joy in the writing process.
- Post your submission in the comments OR post in your blog and leave a link to your blog in the comments.
The week before school began, during my middle and high school years, were riddled with dreams of forgotten locker combinations, lost books, staring blankly at test papers, and the requisite “how did I forget to put clothes on today?” sorts of worries. But with elementary school, I was giddy at the prospect of joining up with friends who’d been away all summer, eager to get down to the business of learning. Hell, during the summers I’d play school half the time anyway. Why not actually be there?
In Kindergarten and first grade, I lived in Ohio. Back then, in the olden days, we had to bring oil cloth to school to cover our desks and protect them from the evil paste and paint. Better to have the oil cloth than to spend hours scrubbing desks clean! I loved the smell of oil cloth. It was so…school-ish. And the paste. And tempera paints we used. And crayons. Big, thick, chunky crayons. Do you remember those? Kids nowadays have markers or those crayon pencils, glue sticks, and watercolor paints (which have their own smell, it’s just not as good as the tempera). But back in the day, we had all this stuff that made school smell like something other than slowly aging bologna sandwiches and the occasional wet pants. School was nothing without all the aromatic supplies we had in our desks.
Unrelated to supplies, I vividly remember my favorite outfit in Kindergarten. I had purple flared pants and a white top with pink and purple elephants. I loved it with all my heart. I wish I still had it just as a keepsake from my youth. A reminder of innocent days gone by, of time spent sprinkling crayon shavings over waxed paper and then having it ironed to create a “glass window” work of art for my mom and dad.
I also miss being the only kid in school to have been the captain of a ship bearing her last name as we studied Christopher Columbus. Yeah. Good times.
Nostalgia. Growing up in Indiana, I don’t recall bringing oil cloth, but your favorite outfit sounds like it could have easily been one of mine. I too played school many summer days, so “…why not actually be there?” was my motto too.
I remember the chunky crayons, and I wanted a large chalkboard, my own chalk, and a pointer - Oh, and glasses - just like my teacher.
Just like you - for me they were “good times” too.
Comment by csquaredplus3 — September 2, 2008 @ 5:20 pm
You would have been my perfect summer friend. We could have played school together. So hard to get those dolls and teddy bears to do their homework! Don’t even get me started on those horrible students, the guinea pigs. Sheesh! Made me rethink my teaching career altogether.
I had a little chalkboard, but I wanted a big one, too. I already had a pointer, though. The yardstick. (And that’s another thing in short supply these days — yardsticks.)
Being from Indiana, you probably also remember gas station premiums. Boxes of candy, placemats, juice glasses.
Now I’m going to spend the rest of my day cursing Deb for making me nostalgic.
Comment by DaGoddess — September 2, 2008 @ 5:29 pm
This is so vivid for me. We didn’t have oilcloth, but I definitely remember the SMELL of school supplies. Paste smelled particularly yummy. Unlike many of my classmates, though, I never actually ATE it. EWWWW!
Comment by Cocktail Maven — September 2, 2008 @ 6:43 pm
I never ate the paste either, but I did like the smell and the feel.
I was at least that smart.
Comment by DaGoddess — September 2, 2008 @ 7:19 pm
Most of my school memories are pretty bleak. I do remember immersing myself in all my glorious school supplies. I ‘ve never lost my love for those, only now they’re (mostly) more adult. Shoot, why do you think I love scrapbooking so much? Those are the ultimate paints, markers, scissors, glues, papers and everything else!
Comment by gw — September 3, 2008 @ 12:31 am
Love it! Yeah, I like all the things and I have plenty of not so great memories of school. But the good ones? Sigh. They were really good.
How are you feeling, my friend? Doing better? Dressing on your own all the time now? (For those not in the know, GW had some major surgery on her shoulder. Go give her some love!
)
Comment by DaGoddess — September 3, 2008 @ 12:38 am