Wednesday, September 01, 2010

That first day

For many kids in southeastern Wisconsin, this week has brought them the first day of school. A day when the young ones are excited for a new year and the teenagers get to grouse about having their freedom taken away. I look at it as the time them damn school buses clog the streets making my drive through the ghetto a bigger pain in the ass that it is during the summer.

I know it to be the first day of school due to the lateness of my coworkers. On Monday, my boss was 3 hours late. Today, two other teammates were late as well. All because they had to take their kids to school and participate in some kind of orientation of the new year. Please, don't get me wrong. I applaud them for being involved with their children's education. I just view these kids getting pampered compared to my first days of school.

So far I have heard about an child/parent art project, a parent introducing their child to the other parents and children session, and one parent who set up their child's locker. Really? A 4th grader gets a locker nowadays?

I recall my first days of elementary school. I lived just down the street from the school, just over a block away. I'd walk up the block in my new pair of jeans that were stiff as hell because we didn't wash them first. Or the pair of corduroy pants that made the swishy sound when you walked. When you got to the school you would look for your class on the wall. Find your grade and then your name. It told you which room you were in and who your teacher was. That was it. No parents, no orientation, and no locker. Hell, we were excited when we got out of second grade and had our own desk.

I recall there always being two classes for each grade I was in those elementary years. It would be many years later that I realized it was a smart class and a dumb class. Funny how these classes rarely changed year after year.

I recall being excited about school. I guess I was funny that way. That or I ran out of things to do in the summer. Now, I doubt I could go back to school unless I really had to.

2 comments:

SirFWALGMan said...

Old School! Corduroy rules!

Unknown said...

Orientation last night, pre-conference Tuesday, THEN the first day of school for my daughter.

The boy get to start up on Tuesday. I don't remember school being so high maintainance either.