Remember being a kid on the first day of school? If you were anything like me, it was a bittersweet day, the end of summer nearly eclipsed by the excitement of a new year.
You probably woke up before your alarm clock sounded. If you were lucky, your mom woke you with a kiss on your forehead. You’d hurry into the bathroom to brush your teeth, but only the front ones because today was not a day to waste time on petty things like molars.
After your teeth were clean enough and your hair combed to perfection, you’d pull on your First Day of School Outfit, laid out carefully the night before. You’d check your reflection in the mirror and nod. Looking good, looking REAL good.
You’d top off your outfit with your brand new pair of shoes, pristine shoes scant of scuff marks.
You’d pack your lunch, a PB&J with the perfect jelly to peanut butter ratio, into your brand new lunchbox.
You’d navigate your Trapper Keeper and your pencil box full of freshly sharpened pencils and place your lunch gingerly inside your backpack, the one you’d picked out specially, agonizing over the selection in the backpack aisle until you found the one that was just right.
With any luck, you’d get to school early.
Maybe even early enough to meet your friends on the playground for a little before school recess.
And then you’d summon your courage and walk to class to meet your teacher, who upon first glance seemed a little nutty.
You soon discovered that your teacher was the kind who not only loved music, but art, too.
When it came time for math, your teacher explained it in such a way that you, the kid who hated math, felt like Einstein.
Before you knew it lunchtime came around and nothing, nothing was such a relief as when a friend rescued you from sitting alone at the lunch table.
After lunch and a sweaty recess of dominating the tetherball court, your teacher would lead you back into class, where you’d cool off, rest your head on your desk and maybe even nod off a second or two under the calming rhythm of your teacher’s voice reading a good book.
Then you’d pull out your notebook, all the pages crisp and white, just waiting for your words, your magnum opus, What I Did On Summer Vacation.
If you were really lucky, you visited the library. The librarian, who smelled like chocolate chip cookies and old books, helped you check out a stack of books to take home.
And just like that, the first day was over. You’d race home and tell your mom all the details of the day. And then before the summer sun settled down for the night, you’d ditch your school stuff and race out the front door to play with your neighborhood friends.
After all, even Einstein didn’t study all the time.
Vigilante Kindness 
Good morning, friend. I love this post! I love the pics, the story, everything!
We have a new group at the iAnthology Showcasing NWP bloggers. Can you click over there and share this post and your feelings about blogging? Tomorrow when I send out a message to everyone I can mention you. Kevin’s up already.
Bonnie
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Thanks, Bonnie. It’s lovely to hear from you. Gosh, I’ll have to figure out how to put my feelings about blogging into words. Too bad I don’t have a bike picture that expresses it for me! I’ll head over to the iAnthology later today.
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Love the way you tell with words and images.
Whoohoo
Kevin
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Thanks, Kevin. I went to Chicago once and instead of snapping photos of the great architecture and famous sights, I ended up taking scads of photos of bikes around the city. There’s just something about the look of the bicycle that captivates me.
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I love this! You capture the first day perfectly, especially for a cyclist.
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Thanks, Heidi. What are your plans for the school year?
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I am desperately searching for a job…until I find something, I am substitute teaching in at least one local district – hopefully more than one, but I’m waiting to hear. Hopefully something will come up soon!
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I subbed for a couple of months before I was hired and I’m so glad I did because I got to experience the culture of different schools and see which ones would be a good fit for me. I also took lots of good ideas from the classrooms I subbed in. I took my camera with me and after the kids went home, I snapped photos of bulletin boards and other ideas I wanted to file away in my brain for when I had My Very Own Classroom. Enjoy this time, Heidi. It will be a time for you to glean from some of the very best, people you might otherwise have never encountered.
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Love the post. Such creative storytelling! 🙂
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Thanks, Camisha!
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Love it!
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Thank you. What can I say, I’ve always got bikes on the brain. I suspect you do, too.
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No wonder you are a teacher, you have some fond memories of school. The first day back to school was always a day I dreaded, I wanted summer to last forever. I still get a little sad when I see the leaves falling like they are starting to do now. Wonderful photos you put in your story, and a good story for someone who likes school.
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I’ve never missed school more! Thanks for bringing back so many wonderful, forgotten memories.
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My pleasure, Beth. It’s a great time of year to remember being a kid!
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Alicia! I love this post! It reminds me of my elementary school years and I loved the cleverness of weaving together words and pictures 🙂
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ps. did you redesign your blog?? I love the new look!
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Thanks, Katie. As my little ones will attest to, it’s always fun to write with pictures. And, yes, I did tinker around with the blog a bit to spruce her up. Ah, the luxurious time of summer…I’m so glad you stopped by. It’s always great to hear from you.
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