Re: Your memories of going back to school days.

ALRATIBA · ‎07-15-2016

The following are memories from back in the "dark ages" well before the age of ball point pens.

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One thing I do remember - when we learned to write with ink. We had these stick pens with replaceable points, and there were inkwells in our desks. Later we used fountain pens ... utilizing the same inkwells.

What we called "the candy store" .... sold the pens and points and the other school supplies.

No 2 pencils ..... and there was a pencil sharpener at the back of the classroom.

Getting a ring binder was a big deal.

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I remember going to get measured for a new school uniform ... and then waiting for its arrival.

Getting new school shoes (uniform shoes) and a new school bag (aka book bag).

Grammar school ... we went home for lunch. I think most of the kids did. We all lived nearby.

Lunch at school in high school. We didn't grow so fast we needed new uniforms each year. By senior year - our wool uniforms were quite shiny from all the dry cleaning and the ironing. Shiny was almost a status symbol!

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Not too long ago, while rearranging some bookcases, I came across the autograph book from grammar school and copies of our high school newspaper, and some HS photos ... such fun going through them.. I posted pics on our alumni Facebook pages.

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Wendy Lou Hoo · ‎01-31-2017

Spoiler

Getting a new box of Crayola crayons. Rarely got the 64 crayon box with sharpener on the bottom. Usually got the 24 crayon box. I still stop and open a box and smell the crayons in stores this time of year.

Also, getting my best friend in high school, and we are still close today.

CrazyKittyLvr2 · ‎05-11-2013

@Pqfan Yep, that newly painted/cleaned school smell. too.

@shoesnbags I agree about how am I alive. Playground was macadam, not 1 blade of grass. High metal slide that sat in direct sun all day. Boy, that darn thing got hot. Same with that merry go round thing and seesaws. Swings you could really get going at a good clip. Fall or jump off on hot macadam. It was great. We had a ball. Now, can't even play dodge ball. I wonder how many games of Red Rover I played over 6 years there.

I don't remember anyone getting more than a scraped knee.

Oh, if you sat on a piece of waxed paper going down the slide, look out.

Pqfan · ‎03-09-2010

@CrazyKittyLvr2 wrote:
@Pqfan Yep, that newly painted/cleaned school smell. too.

@shoesnbags I agree about how am I alive. Playground was macadam, not 1 blade of grass. High metal slide that sat in direct sun all day. Boy, that darn thing got hot. Same with that merry go round thing and seesaws. Swings you could really get going at a good clip. Fall or jump off on hot macadam. It was great. We had a ball. Now, can't even play dodge ball. I wonder how many games of Red Rover I played over 6 years there.

I don't remember anyone getting more than a scraped knee.

Oh, if you sat on a piece of waxed paper going down the slide, look out.

I remember those wild games of dodge ball!🤣

‘I was scared sometimes but I participated.

They hit hard at my school!

Like they were trying to kill you!

‘Now they say it creates aggression.

CANDLEQUEEN · ‎03-09-2010

Well I think back to going back to school for myself, how much fun my sister and I had school shopping, and then getting everything ready for the 1st day!

Move ahead and I remember both of my daughters and how excited they would be, and how much fun we had shoppng and color coordinating folders, and notebooks and pens,etc... They loved to shop for clothes as well, it was all so fun and exciting for them...

Now I have a 6 year old granddaughter that loves to do the same, get everything color coordinated, and get everything all organized in her backpack weeks before school starts. It is so cute! I love seeing all of the kids standing waiting for the school bus on the 1st day-all dressed so nice, and looking so excited!

Ms tyrion2 · ‎05-08-2017

New school supplies.

Fresh new notebooks, new pens and pencils.

...and the delicious smell of new books the first time you cracked them open.

Carmie · ‎10-25-2010

No kindergarten back then, so we stated in first grade. I went to a Catholic school that that four class rooms and four sisters ( nuns) who taught 1st to 8th grades...there were two grades in each classroom and the teacher went back and forth for everything except for art and music that was taught to both classes at the same time.

We wore uniforms and the same old ones for several years...jumper with a white blouse underneath. Every year we got three new blouses and wore the same old jumper...yes it got shiny from the ironing.

i did get new shoes every year...no sneakers allowed.

Parents supplied all school supplies. if you lost or forgot your pencil or needed paper, you could buy it at school...nothing was given out for free.

If a test paper was passed out it was printed on one side only by the purple ink copy machine. The other side usually had something else printed on it from a local employer...often the state of PA. The school did not use very much new paper for copy...they recycled everything.

We were not allowed to write in any books. Even the work books would be reused for years. We made covers out of paper grocery bags.

No lunch was served at school. You had to bring lunch from home. Milk was for sale and was mandatory at 25 cents a week.

At the end of each school year, the kids were responsible for cleaning out their desks and washing them down. We used sand paper to make the edges of hardcovered books white and clean again.

When we went back after Labor Day, the floors were shiny and clean and it was fun to see what the teachers did to the classrooms.

When I look back, I realize that we went to school on the cheap. I can't imagine a teacher having 30 kids in a class room and having to teach two different grades in there at the same time by herself.

Our school also had closed circuit TV in all classrooms as well as a regular TV...back in the 60's.

Those were the good old days for sure.

ciao_bella · ‎03-13-2010

@CrazyKittyLvr2 wrote:
With all the back to school ads it made me think back to the good old days of a new school year. Grade school we got a new tablet and pencil as well as book covers that we put on. Marking periods were 6 weeks long. Report cards came out at the end of 6 weeks, home for parents to sign. We got new tablets and pencils at star of new marking period. Metal lunch boxes if you ate at school. I lived close enough to go home if I wanted. No backpacks then, new bookbag.

In high school only had to buy a 3 ring binder, extra paper for it and subject dividers. I think maybe Mom bought a pack of pens too.

I can remember the smell of the air walking to school on chilly early fall mornings but it would be warm in the afteroon walking home.

I can't believe they now get lists of supplies that need to be bought. If you lost your pencil, asked teacher for another. Same with book covers. If it got ripped or really worn you could get another.

Oh, of course new school clothes and shoes.

Your post brought back many similar school memories for me. One exception was we didn't have store or school bookcovers. We made our own bookcovers from brown paperbags. They actually lasted a long time too!

Cinderella is proof that a new pair of shoes can change your life!

1Snickers · ‎03-19-2016

Autumn meant going with my mother and grandmother to the larger city a few hours away. There were large department stores next to each other. 🏬

We ate at the tea room where there were fashion shows. I always got several pairs of new shoes, and a plaid dress, sweaters and boots with a raincoat and umbrella. (I walked to school). I’m certain grandmama paid for it all. 👟🥿🌂

We could take lunch, go home or to the drug stores. They had soda fountains and homemade chicken salad sandwiches. We walked back to school with 10 cent double dipped cones. 🍦

Suzeecat · ‎05-05-2010

I remember:

Covering my books with paper bags.

Getting our homeroom assignments in the mail a week before and comparing with all my friends to see who was in the same homeroom.

Planning and planning and planning what to wear that important first day.

Always having the best of intentions to keep up with all my assignments

My early days of elementary school were spent at a parochial school with no cafeteria so we would eat our lunches at our desks. We always had to have a new "oilcloth" to cover our desks for lunch. Patterns and colors were limited and I've never seen anything like that material since. I guess it's similar to plastic tablecloths.

Are chalk and chalkboards illegal now? I see teachers using whiteboards and markers. It always used to be an "honor" to help clap out the erasers after class.

Reading some of the other responses reminded me of the little milk cartons. Our milk would get delivered every morning and the crates would be stacked in the hallway. By lunchtime the milk would be warm and disgusting, but you know, we had to drink it down because of those starving Chinese children! I can't stand to drink milk to this day!