Certain times of the year are causes for nostalgic thoughts. Fall is one of those special times, when one thing ends and something else begins. No, not the augment of all things pumpkin. Not the first leaves that drop to the deck, to pile up on the driveway. Not the first hint of color when the days grow shorter and nights grow longer. No, fall brings memories of going back to school.
I loved the beginning of school each year. New dresses, all starched and pretty. Brightly polished Mary Janes. A tiny book bag with new supplies I received at school. Elementary schools in those days didn't send out lists of things parents had to purchase. Oh, there were some, like new boxes of crayons and #2 pencils smelling so sweet when we sharpened them. I didn't know they were made of cedar. I didn't care. They were new, as were their erasers.
When my friends and I said good-bye to summer, to long days spent in the sun as free-range children, and settled indoors in classrooms, we had to relearn not to squirm in our seats or whisper that really great thing we just had to tell our best friend sitting next to us. We had to wait through 50-minute periods until we had a brief recess where we could run and shout and expend some of our pent-up energy. We learned that blackboards were really green, and that chalk was dusty. We learned to read and write cursive. We learned that things we took for granted might not be as welcome in a classroom as they were at home.
My grandmother read aloud to me beginning when I was a year old. By age three, I was reading along with her. I started kindergarten with a third-grade reading level. And that was something my teacher couldn't tolerate. She tried to order my tiny grandmother to stop teaching me to read. That genii had left the lamp long before Miss Whatever-Her-Name-Was tried to intervene. My grandmother taught school for 45 years. She taught phonics. This new style of teaching sight reading was something she wouldn't allow. And so I always read ahead of my classes. Tough.
Today, parents are sent lists of what to buy at the local office stores. Elementary school kids look forward to their first Chromebooks as early as first or second grade, depending on the school district. My grandsons will begin kindergarten and second grade this year. They spend a lot of time with screens already. I hope their teachers also cursive writing, use an erasable board, and help them use pencils. No matter what anyone says about pencils being old-school, out of date, whatever. They may be analog, but they can't be hacked.
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Betsy Ashton is the author of the Mad Max mystery series, Unintended Consequences, Uncharted Territory, and Unsafe Haven. She also wrote a dark psychological suspense novel, Eyes Without A Face, about a female serial killer, who unpacks her life and career in first person.###
9 comments:
You and I are of the same era, Betsy. I remember being so excited for that first day, wearing brand-new clothes that were too warm for the still summery weather, seeing friends after the long summer break. I also learned phonics, and cursive writing, and how to diagram a sentence! (I think diagramming is the best tool to help teach about misplaced modifiers, but that's a different topic!) There's a lot of value in today's technology, but there's still a lot of value in the "legacy systems." Learning cursive isn't just for use in communicating; it helps develop fine motor skills. Luckily, reading (especially reading aloud) isn't dependent on one technology/system or another! I'm sure you're reading with your grandkids just as your wise grandma read to you. :-)
Well go Grandma, and you for 'bucking' that particular system. Teachers who are so proprietary don't do their students any service. Both my grandmothers, my mother, my uncle, my cousin and my niece were/are teachers, and my grandfather was a school superintendent. Somehow I never got the bug. What Leah said about the first day of school. New clothes, new school supplies. I always remember it was such an exciting time. Thanks for reminding us.
I'm feeling a little nostalgic as my girls go back to collage. Seems not so long ago they were starting grade school. My oldest also read at a high 3rd grade level going into kindergarten. But instead of discouraging her, her teacher set her up in a reading circle with older kids. Amazing that your teacher tried to squelch you! I learned cursive but never use it to write. The rare times I get a note or letter in cursive, it takes detective work to figure it out because the handwriting is so crappy. I'm not in the camp who thinks it's a necessary tool in today's society.
What a lovely trip down memory lane. I, too, have very fond memories of going back to school. That season was always so full of possibilities and the pencils did smell so sweet. ;-) Great post, babe.
Love the promise of a new start...at anything! But for this Army brat, with 20+ home changes in my school years accompanied by 10 or so school changes, I don't know nostalgia. In fact, I can only remember a handful of teachers...there were so many! Quickly adjusting to new rules, kids and teachers was my focus. Woe to the introverts (like one of my brothers). But new notebooks, pencils, pens, rulers, and little snapped carriers of my utensils, always pleased me. And yes...the smell of a newly sharpened pencil. Yum!
You're a girl after my own heart, Betsy. Being glued to screens all the time is really destroying conversation and family interaction. And I can't believe that some schools have stopped teaching cursive; is this generation doomed to a digital/electronic signature? Like you I loved autumn and the return to school and friends, the weight of books, and the pen and pencil selection. Poor kids don't know what they're missing.
Fall has always been my favorite season for the same reason. My only child is now 32, so I'm pretty out of touch with the whole school experience these days. I hope it's still as exciting and energizing for some children as it was for me.
I recall how we knew a new marking period (six-weeks in length) had begun. When we walked into our classrooms, a new tablet and #2 pencil were neatly placed on our desktops. We also knew our report cards would be handed out the end of the day. Now parents can go online anytime and check in on how their student is doing. We also never started school until the day after Labor Day. What a nice post.
I have one grandchild. She is being home schooled for kindergarten and will start first grade next year. I can't wait to take her shopping for school clothes. It was always a big deal for me. AZ changed teaching standards last year, backing away from some of the common core guidelines. I was happy to read they are returning to phonics and cursive writing by 5th grade.
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