While January signals a new year to most of the population, August and the beginning of the school year will always signify the beginning of a new year to me. Between being a student, myself, for years…to going straight from college to a career in elementary teaching…to having my own kids…I can’t think of a time in my life where June hasn’t meant the end and August hasn’t meant the beginning and new possibilities. The thing is, though, “Back to School” has absolutely looked different through these different seasons of my life.

Being a solid Gen Xer, the weeks before school started used to involve things like: 

• picking the perfect metal lunch box (“Little House on the Prairie” thank you very much) 
• making sure I had all the necessary school supplies (Trapper Keeper, Pee-Chee folders, scratch & sniff stickers, pens you could click to get 4 different colors (if you know, you know), horrible plastic pencils with small individual leads that would be rendered useless if even one was misplaced (see photo), Crayola crayons with 64 AND a sharpener (!), just the right backpack, later on-brown paper bags because metal lunch boxes – ew.
• Making sure my friends and I had matching outfits and then later on – making sure we absolutely didn’t. This usually involved shopping trips to the Esprit outlet in San Francisco, Mervyns, or most any place at the Mall.
• Making sure we checked off all the summer bucket list things we were absolutely going to do that summer (more beach trips, more bike riding and creek exploring until the street lights came on, more meeting friends at the movie theater/mall/park/each other’s houses, more mix-tape making and rerun watching, more laying out with baby oil and Sun In, more General Hospital and Days of our Lives (at least in the teenage years.)

As a teacher, I was always glad to have the coveted summer vacation still…but it seemed to get much shorter as I always managed to find myself in my classroom starting around mid to late July. 

• There were bulletin boards to be hung, a classroom library to organize, units and lessons to plan, trainings to attend, new curriculum to learn, students’ names to add to supplies/desks/cubbies, furniture to rearrange, all the things I was going to organize last year and never managed to have the time for…always something to do until…

…that first day of school when I got to meet the anywhere from 18-32 (depending on the year) little people I would grow to love and care for as if they were my own.

Once my own daughters reached school age, the weeks leading up to the start of school seemed to reflect my own youth…but with some “new millennium” changes.

• Lunch boxes were now insulated with zippers and we made sure we had reusable containers for each item.
• School supplies (other than just the right backpack) were pretty much dictated by a long shopping list issued by their teachers. I’m not complaining and I totally get it. The ratio of supplies needed vs those provided has never been in sync.
• The Esprit outlet , Mervyns, and “the mall” were replaced by McCaulous, Justice, Old Navy, Target, Gap, and, later on Tilly’s, Pac Sun, Hollister, and Abercrombie.
• The “Summer Bucket List” was/is still in the back of my mind. I’m much more acutely aware of how fleeting the time together is. While there are plenty of uneventful days (or lately those where we’re all working), I find myself feeling like I want to temper those with field trips, adventures, and memories. Looking back on my girls’ childhood now, however, the unremarkable days spent going to the Farmer’s Market, library, Alston Park, neighborhood pool, or just hanging out together at home are the most cherished memories. 

The one back-to-school tradition that has stood the test of time and will most likely never go out of style is the first day photo. My own mother always took one of my sisters and me in the front yard and I’ll be damned if I haven’t carried on the tradition. When my oldest started college a couple years ago, she texted me how strange her first day felt without one, so she had her roommate take one in front of her dorm. I got first day pics of both girls…even if they were in different states. It made my day!

This past school year was like none we’ve known whether you were a student, parent, or teacher. It was a journey – for sure. I am looking at this upcoming school year – the last of high school for my youngest – with hope and optimism. Things still don’t feel altogether normal yet and we’re having to re-familiarize ourselves with what used to be familiar. But we’re back together and there is talk of all the things we’ve missed. Ira will be broadcasting our high school football games once again, but with spectators in the stadium. Bring it on, 2021-2022 and CHEERS to a new school year!