It’s Tax Free Weekend in Tennessee and you know what that means?
The scores and scores of shoppers at area malls this weekend signals that the start of the school year is just around the corner.
I feel bad for my teacher friends who start back to work this week as their summer break has come to and end. And while ‘Opening Day’ seems to start earlier and earlier – I’ll spare you my opinions against the notion of a year-round school year calendar – the reality is that a week from tomorrow, the kiddies will be back at work on the 3Rs and more.
No doubt, they’re already crafting ideas for the venerable “How I spent my summer vacation” essay. Or maybe not.
For us, it’ll be the first time in 16 years a Gary kid was not enrolled in Knox County Schools. Whereas there is a bittersweet element to that, I won’t miss the stack of paperwork we’ll have to complete and the numbers of checks we will have to write and the myriad forms Lisa and I will fill out.
We’ve fully passed the baton, now, to my sister and her two girls!
I’ll admit a few things, though. First, it was always kind of fun to go with the ones to purchase all of their school supplies – all those #2 pencils, Trapper Keepers® and such that showed up on teacher lists. The only frustrating part, really, was when you stocked up on inventory that was never used. Sometimes, it seemed the ‘grade supply list’ and the individual ‘teacher supply list’ didn’t match.
That’s a little thing, though.
Eventually, every folder, notebook and 3 ring binder seemed to go for some use. If they items weren’t needed for Third Grade Teacher Mrs. McGillicutty’s class, then maybe each would be put to use in fourth, fifth or sixth grade or come in handy for some project the ones were developing around the house.
Secondly, the day when the class lists were posted was really a lot of fun. There was a certain buzz around town.
In Farragut, there was never an official notification as to when the class roster went up. Instead, there was a sort of secret network – a parent and kid grapevine – that let people know when it was time.
Sure enough, with a carload of excitement, you’d drive over to the school and find a line 6-deep. Eventually you’d work your way to the front of the line and begin perusing all the class rosters for your specific grade. Soon enough, you’d find the class that had your daughter or son listed.
Holly and Paul would often take along pencil and paper so they could write down their list of classmates. We’d scan to see who those classmates were (and moreover, take note of which parents we’d see at class meetings and open houses).
My sister tells me they don’t follow that pattern at Cedar Bluff where her girls go. Instead, they have grade-specific open houses – odd grades one night and even grades the next night. Students and parents learn who their teacher is at that time. It sounds like a good plan; I liked the class postings better.
For us, Open House followed a few weeks into the school year.
Anyway, we won’t be participating in any of that. I smiled as I walked past the ‘Back to School’ display at my local supermarket last week. I didn’t have any need for dry erase markers or glue sticks.
I wish everyone well as public and private schools in and around the area kick off the new year over the course of the next week or so. Our former Knox County students are off to new adventures but for the current students, teachers and administration, it’s “Back to School.”
JG
*** COUNTDOWN to 500 ***
Coach Jeff’s 500th Blog will go live on Thursday August 8. Be sure to tune in that evening for a Top 10 Countdown of some of my favorite posts from the first 500 and a celebration of the 2nd anniversary of Coach Jeff. See you then!
Originally posted 8/4/2013
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