Tuesday, September 2, 2014

The First Day of School

All my grands started their new school year today. 

 Grand #1 is a Junior in high school, #2 is in sixth grade, #3 is in third, #4 in second and #5 is in first.  

I thought about them last night, going to bed with anticipation of the new school year;  wondering where they will sit, who will be sitting next to them, if their teacher would be nice and all those other unknowns that make one anxious.


I remember those first days of school when I was young.  I went to the local parochial school, there were only 13 kids in our class.  We didn't have kindergarten; so when we were six, we hit the ground running.  

When we were in first grade, we shared a teacher and class room with the second graders.  They taught us the ropes!!!  So every other year we were with a different grade, either the grade ahead of us or the grade below us.  

I remember those smells of a fresh class room in an old building, the hardwood floors were all waxed and shiny.  The chalkboards had been re-lined and oiled.  Every thing had been cleaned and polished in anticipating of the upcoming year.  

My brother and I walked up the hill to school, and ran home for lunch every day. We ate quickly and hurried back as not to miss one precious second of play time.  

  Some of the kids who lived farther out brought their lunch and ate at their desk.  

Don't we look excited to head back to school?
We did survive those memory filled eight years, only to board the bus to be transported to the area high school, where we were merged with a class of 350+ students. 


Here's to the class of '66!!!  
(Who by the way are all turning 66 this year!!)


And that's the way it is...............................

16 comments:

  1. The first day of school is always special. As a bus driver I have seen children with smiles and parents with tears and also the other way round.

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  2. cute memories. i went to a small parochial elementary school for 6 years. i think we had 16 students at one time. :)

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  3. Those first days of school were all 44 years ago for me. It is hard to even remember. I love school, though, and looked forward to getting back to a routine. Great photos!! It's fun to peek back.

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  4. Best wishes to your grands in the new school year. I loved your photo - school was not my favorite thing! I was very bashful and cried each a.m. until about the 3rd grade!

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  5. I did a post of my school days to when I was little lol Lovely post and memories I to loved school but it was in the country as I was on a farm back then . Every time school starts and I see the bus that passes by us every day the memories come flooding back ! Thanks for sharing , Have a good week !

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  6. This post really made me smile.

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  7. Great memories! Your school was small -- we had two or three classes of each grade, and there were 100 in my 8th grade graduation class! Such a difference for me to go to a small, all-girls high school, where there were only twenty-five in my graduating class! Funny how those old school structures all looked basically the same. Good luck and a great school year to all your grands!

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  8. i was the class of 62... turning 70 this week. yowsa how did that happen.. my early years were small schools, but in mid 9th grade i was torn from a class of 12 and plunked in a class of 30 and a school of thousands. misery was my name

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  9. I have similar memories, including "triangle scarves"! I remember my mom making me several that matched different skirts --which she also made. My twin grandsons start kindergarten tomorrow. Lots of excitement about new backpacks and lunches and school supplies!

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  10. I never did like school and sure glad I don't have to go back. : )
    I don't have many pleasant memories of school.

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  12. Oh, I so remember those head scarfs we called babushkas. Many times today I wonder why they went out of style. They did the job.
    You two were so cute. For a while I also attended a small school with two classes per room.then ended up in a high school that had 400 in my class. That was a culture shock wasn't it? Good memories.

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  13. What a cutie...you graduated a year ahead of me...I am glad you have good memories ...I do to although school was difficult for me...I still have many of my school friends in my life.

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  14. Lots of memories here. Hope all of your grandchildren have a good year.

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  15. oohhhh I do hope they had a wonderful first day!!

    And your old!!! hehehehe, sorry, I could not resist ;)

    Please forgive me!!

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  16. You have some little Grands yet! I too had the same thoughts as ours went back to school this week. I was the class of 69 and we are all 63 this year! I enjoyed your thoughts on going to school:)

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