80's on the 8th....Back to School

Now that everyone is back in school I figured what a perfect time to hit on that 1st day of school in the 80's. Considering I hit em all from grade school, middle school and high school in the 80's I think I kinda know what I'm talking about. Wait don't answer that...never mind it wasn't a question.

 In seeing my kids get ready for school this year I remember back to my days in the Carroll Public School system and I'm thankful I grew up in a town the size I did where I knew everyone in my class not to mention nearly all the ones in the several grades above and below mine. In seeing my 2 middle schoolers prepare differently for school; 1 who loves school and a challenge  that puts a lot of pressure on himself who has been there for a few years and 1 who it's his 1st year in middle school who has read every book of Diary of a Wimpy Kid & seen the movies so has some preconceived notions about life in middle school and I can see life through their eyes because I've been there and done that. And then there's my 2nd grader that is the class clown and I'll leave it at that.

I think back to grade school and all the glue I ate or mixed with my chapstick to create some weird gooey mess and  I remember all the bus rides, licking the metal fence pole ala A Christmas Story, summers of typing classes which helped a lot until I broke some fingers but most of all my sister defending me (sorry Mike hope the family jewels work someday when you need them). Shopping for school supplies was fun because we were still allowed to have any folder we wanted unlike my kids theses days who are required to only have specific colored ones and are not allowed to express themselves via paper products.

Fast forward to middle school and kiss the bus goodbye...we lived across the street from the school. Too bad for me I still hadn't grown in years while my friend Mike had started shaving in like 4th grade. At the time our middle school was a part of the high school which is never good news for someone of my stature. At the time it wasn't about your trapper keeper it was about your Swatch and Buckle clothes.

Then came life in high school in the late 80's with all the bangs and pinch rolled jeans. But yet again I still didn't grow until the 90's so life as a freshman was not good for someone as mouthy and sarcastic as me. But I survived; barely. I always had the fear I'd forget my locker combo; like every day. Oh yeah back to the bus.

So the more things change the more they stay the same as there will always be some kids freaked out about going back to school and others will have been doing science experiments and reading War and Peace all summer long in anticipation of the new school year.