Back-to-School Nostalgia

Even though I’m no longer a student, nor are my children, I can’t stay out of the school supplies aisles at Wal-Mart this time of year. There’s just something about fresh notebooks and pencils and crayons that evoke a lot of fond memories for me. This month’s “this or that” questions have to do with back-to-school memories. Here are the questions and my answers:

Did you love school or hate it?

I loved school. Honestly, I would be a life-long student if that was even practical.

Start school before or after Labor Day?

I don’t remember ever starting school after Labor Day when I was in school. However, schools in this area do start after Labor Day so that’s what we did as homeschoolers.

Wake up: eager beaver or slow poke?

Ugh. Slow poke. I was never a morning person, especially when I was younger. I’ve gotten to where I can handle early mornings better now.

Favorite breakfast?

Egg nog.

Seriously.

My mother was a firm believer that we needed breakfast, but some of us tended to sleep until the last possible moment thinking we could just skip the time it took to eat breakfast. Mother came up with the idea of whizzing up egg nog for us to drink on the way out the door. It consisted of milk, egg (yes, raw), sugar, vanilla, and nutmeg. I, for one, thought it was pretty tasty.

Favorite cereal?

Raisin bran. I’d go for the more sugary cereals any chance I got, but we didn’t have the “kid” cereals very often.

School uniform or no uniform?

My siblings and I attended Christian school the years I was in 7th and 8th grade– different schools each year. At one school our uniforms were navy skirts and vests with red shirts on Tuesdays and Thursdays, and light blue shirts on Mondays, Wednesdays, and Fridays.

The uniform was similar at the other school. The same navy skirt and vest with red shirts 3 days a week, and the navy skirt with a white shirt and red vest 2 days a week.

Thankfully, we girls didn’t have to wear ties. The boys did.

All other years I went to public school. No uniform.

New outfit for first day or no?

I’m pretty sure we did. My mother sewed most of our clothes and I expect we did have new outfits for the first day.

Walk to school or ride the bus?

We never walked to school. I attended 6 different schools in 11 years. We usually rode the bus if that was an option.

The school district we lived in the years I was in 3rd and 4th grade expected the children within a certain distance of the school to walk, so they didn’t run buses. My mother thought we were too young to walk that far. I think we lived a mile or two away. So she took us and picked us up.

She talks about how challenging the first year was for her. We only had one car, and Dad worked in the opposite direction from school. She had to take him to and from work, plus make 3 trips to school every day because my brother was in half-day kindergarten. She said she felt like she didn’t get anything done except shuttle the family around.

My last two years of high school I usually drove to school. I had an after school job, so would go from school to work.

Backpack, tote or messenger bag?

I don’t remember ever having a backpack. I do remember Mother making us messenger-style bags one year when I was in elementary school. I think I used a tote bag some in high school, but mostly I think I just carried my books loose.

Eat school lunch or pack lunch?

Except for the two years of Christian school where there was no cafeteria we ate school lunches.

In high school we had the option of the tray lunch or a small chef salad. I almost always opted for the chef salad just because I liked it better.

Remember the little milk cartons? White or chocolate?

Chocolate, of course. I couldn’t stand that “nasty store-bought” white milk. We drank raw milk at home, so the homogenized milk at school tasted funny to me.

Paper bag or lunch box?

My MawMaw bought us lunch boxes when we started going to the Christian school and needed to take lunches. Mine was the classic red plaid. I still have it!

Favorite thing to do at recess?

I don’t know. Talk to friends, I guess. Maybe swing. I did not like to play ball.

Favorite back to school supply item?

Crayons. There’s just something about a brand-new box of crayons.

Chalkboard or dry erase board?

Chalkboard. I’m too old to have had dry erase boards, I guess.

Regular pencil or mechanical?

Regular. I think I must be too old to have had mechanical pencils in school, too, because I don’t remember that being an option.

Homework as soon as you got home or after dinner?

Any time it could get me out of doing chores!

Favorite after school snack?

Beulah’s Sugar Cookies and milk.

Favorite after school show?

No such thing. We didn’t have a TV.

Favorite subject in school?

English. Specifically literature.

Least favorite subject?

P.E. A completely unnecessary class, in my opinion.

I was so glad when I had fulfilled my P.E. requirements for high school and no longer had to take it.

Best friend in high school?

Julie.

High school mascot?

Commodores. (I went to Perry High School… so Commodore Perry… get it? Yeah, me, neither.)

SAT or ACT?

ACT, which I took the summer after 10th grade. I scored pretty well for not having had the junior courses yet.

Favorite year in school?

Probably my junior/senior year. (I took all the junior and senior classes in one year and graduated a year early.)

Class ring or no class ring?

No class ring, though I have a scrapbook page showing the options I would have chosen had I got a class ring. It would have been very pretty.

Attend or not attend class reunion?

I have not attended a class reunion, primarily due to distance. I graduated from high school in Ohio and currently live in Idaho.