Once upon a time, the first day of a new school year was the day after Labor Day.
Today school begins shortly after the start of football practice and certainly before the first game of the season — unless you count pre-season games.
I don’t know about kids today, but I could hardly wait for school to start. After a summer of swimming, riding my bike and sweating over my “project” for 4-H, I wanted to enjoy being promoted a grade in the 12-year sequence. This culminated in a senior year when everyone else was “just a kid” and we were the elite — about to move on to real life.
New clothes were not my thing. Mom made most of my clothes and her taste was better than mine. I did care about new shoes, but woe — my choice was black or brown Girl Scout oxfords. I wanted cool shoes, but alas.
What was really cool was the new stuff as you moved to a higher grade. I remember the first box of 16 crayons! And, always a new pencil box with good things to paw through. Not only were there pencils, but there was always a ruler, a compass (with which you could make floral designs to color with your new crayons!) and a mysterious something the teacher called a “protractor.” I think it had something to do with math or arithmetic. I don’t think anyone ever said, “take your protractor from your pencil box” so I’m not sure.
We also had to buy a tray of watercolor paints. How I hated those! My efforts were more water than color and it wasn’t until I moved to Indiana and saw Salty Seamon’s work that I appreciated the medium.
Pencil boxes don’t seem to be on school supply lists now. I do remember parents showing up at school board meetings to protest the early start of school because it was so hot the crayons were melting into a rainbow blob and they had to buy new ones.
But I remember then and this is now. Kids start earlier, but they also get out earlier in the spring. At one end of the year or the other, it’s going to be warm!
Liz Ciancone is a retired Tribune-Star reporter. Send e-mail to opinion@tribstar.com.
