Kids––young and not-so-young––are back in school by now. When I was a kid, school always started the day after Labor Day. Always. No exceptions. What happened? When my own kids were going back to school in late August that just seemed wrong. Now school begins in early or mid-August, depending on the area.
One of my favorite memories of going back to school was buying the supplies. I loved that part! The smell of new crayons, a whole package of new notebook paper (do I get the wide or narrow lined?), and the new pencil box; will it be the Annette Funicello one, or the entire Mickey Mouse club?
And who can forget the smell of last year's lunchbox. No matter how often the metal box was washed out, it still held the lingering odor of a bologna sandwich.
What are your favorite school memories? Did you go to a one-room school house (they still existed as late as 15-20 years ago... maybe they still do in some areas.) Did you walk 3 miles each way... uphill in both directions? Were you part of the in-crowd, or struggling to find your place in the crowd?
Write down some of your childhood school experiences. Compare the way things were then, with how they are today (tell a younger relative or friend your experience and let them tell you theirs for comparison.)
