The first day of Class

It's the first day of school. Take a moment and think about what that means to you. Think back to the days when you were younger. What were your back to school traditions? What rituals did you stick to as a family? I often think the first day of school to me was so magical and special because we moved so often as a family that being the "new kid" was the norm rather than the exception. Each new school was a chance to be someone else, to try on a different persona and see if that one was a better fit. A new school was a mystery that I couldn't wait to investigate. Would the teachers be nice or mean? Would the kids be accepting or stand offish? If they were stand offish how would I get them to warm up to me? A thousand and one questions would play through my head in the weeks following up to the new school year. Hundreds of different scenarios would run between my siblings and I as we tried to guess what could possibly go wrong or right and how we would successfully navigate our way through the first few weeks of school.
In a family that was constantly on the move school was a wonderful constant. It didn't matter what state we were in at the time the first day of school heralded a break from the constant travel. My mother was adamant that we "stay put" long enough to finish out a school year. For one glorious academic year we didn't have to live out of suitcases or the trunk of our car. We had regular schedules with regular meals. There was an old familiar rhythm that would settle over the Willis household with the First Day of School. Everyone would wake up at the same time, stumble to the single bathroom and take turns brushing our teeth, washing our faces, and then stumble back out again to dress for school. That first day of school you always wore your very best clothes "church clothes" my mother would say. You would get up extra early to have your hair brushed and braided by momma and with six girls she did a lot of brushing and braiding on that first day of school. I would wait with Christmas Eve anticipation for that first morning on the first day of school knowing that I would get to wear my new shoes and carrying my new back pack with it's new pencils and pens and notebooks. We were never wealthy or even a section of middle class so for us anything new was cause to celebrate and Back to School Shopping instilled in me a Christmas like fervor but better than Christmas because there was never any let down at the end. I came to be enamored of the first day of school. It was bright and full of promise with shiny new things just for me.
I loved school. Not just because it was a brief end to the constant moving, or the new shoes and school supplies but because at school your background didn't matter. Teachers were happy if you tried and participated. You got rewarded for the work you put in and being kind and helpful was expected and encouraged. Being the middle child of a large and transient family you can imagine how special it was for me to be recognized as an individual and not passed over or ignored. I believe this is where my passion to succeed academically came from. I craved the acknowledgment that came from earning high marks on assignments and being the "good kid" in class.
The first day of class holds shiny new promise. This has always been true for me even now as I've chosen education as my career path in life I look forward to the first day of school. At 35 years old this day still evokes in me a sense of promise, hopefulness, and a renewing of the spirit of inquisitiveness of the mind and the seeking of the soul. I have children of my own now and I see in their eyes the same sparkle and excitement for the first day of school. This makes my heart smile and my soul sing.
Hurrah for the first day of school. Hurrah for the busyness of the day and the lines and the questions and the lost ones who seek. Hurrah for the mystery and the magic of new classes and teachers. Hip Hip Hooray for back to school jams and meet the teacher nights, for parent conferences and science fairs. I say three cheers for new backpacks, shoes and shiny new pens and pencils. Huzzah for homework and goals that are met and challenges exceeded. Bring on recess and lunch rooms with kind (or not so kind) lunch ladies. Applause for the PTO and the PTA for departmental meetings and service days, class room parties and school rivalries.