The photo today is of me and my two younger brothers (#3 had not been born yet) on the first day of school in front of our apartment building entrance. I was one of those kids who loved school and was always eager to begin a new year. I'm not sure what grades we three were entering that year, but there were no jeans and there were no pants worn by girls in those days.
The one thing I remember so clearly is that we all had new shoes as did the vast majority of our classmates. The plan was that we would wear them all year, but if you were a kid whose feet grew fast, it didn't work so well.
One of the things I loved on the first day of school, when I was a student, was receiving all our textbooks. The teacher passed them out, one by one, and we got to leaf through to see what the year might bring. To this day, I enjoy leafing through a new book.
My first day of school as a teacher in 1961 is clear to me, as well. I remember standing in front of the 21 emotionally disturbed children who made up my class. Every one of them had new shoes, and so did I. Mine were pointed-toe, 3 inch heels, and theirs were shiny leather. Very few kids wore gym shoes or athletic shoes to school in that era. They were leather, not yet scuffed or dusty. Every child had his/her hair neatly combed, and shirts tucked in.
What are your memories of going back to school after a summer vacation? It's definitely a topic to write about for your family stories book. The list below might help trigger your memories:
A. Did you have new shoes to start school each year?
B. Were you excited about going back to school or dreading it?
C. Did you always have a new notebook, ruled paper, and pencils to take with you?
D. Were you eager to see your classmates?
E. Were you apprehensive?
F. Did you know who your teacher would be ahead of time?
G. Did you bring your lunch to school?
H. Did you get a new outfit to wear that first day?
I. Did you walk to school with other kids?
J. What was your grade school like? High school?
It's a great topic to write about for an exercise today. Do a bit of pondering after you read the list above.
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