Back to School with the Hodgepodge

School bells are ringing at Joyce's blog for this week's edition of the Wednesday Hodgepodge!


1. Way back when (the Hodgepodge bicentennial to be precise) several of you submitted questions as part of a giveaway I was hosting. I went back to that list for inspiration today and found a question submitted by Marla, who blogs over at Marla's Musings. Thanks Marla!

She asks-At what age did you feel like a 'grown-up'? What keeps you young now?

When I graduated from college and bought my own furniture and a washer and dryer.

2. When did you last buy a vehicle? Was this by design or because you had no other option? Was the car/truck purchased for your own personal use or was it bought for someone else to drive? On a scale of 1-10 (with 10 being delightful and 1 being 'pass the Excedrin') how would you rate the experience?

We bought a car a couple of years ago for our girl to take to college. It was about an 8.

3. Corn bread, corn chips, corn pudding, corn on the cob, cornflakes, corn chowder-your favorite of the corn-y foods listed? What needs to be served alongside your selection?

In winter, it's corn bread (with chili or stew) but in summer, it's roasted corn on the cob with plenty of butter and salt! I love to roast it on the grill with burgers.

4. What's something in your life that regularly requires you to 'put your thinking cap on'?

Work--putting the orders in the computer and paying attention to all of the medications.

5. Share a favorite movie set in a school or classroom, or whose theme relates to school days in some way.

Grease!

6. Reading, writing, and 'rithmetic' are commonly referred to as the three R's. What are the three R's in your life right now?

Rehab (my job), recovery (from work!), and reading!

7. What's something you've learned or tried recently you can say was as 'easy as ABC'?

Hypodermoclysis, which is subcutaneous IV's.

8. Insert your own random thought here.

My girl left for college on Monday, 36 hours after my boy got home from his summer intern job. We had one wonderful day together as a family on Sunday. Ah, the kids-in-college years, when your house is a hotel! LOL

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Back to School with the Hodgepodge

It's always fun to connect with Joyce for the Wednesday Hodgepodge!

1. What's something you wanted to do this summer that you never got around to actually doing?

We didn't get to take a family trip, even for a weekend. With my girl gone working at a camp most of the summer as well as my work schedule, there just wasn't enough time.

2. Share a favorite memory of your own back -to-school days as a child.

Brand-new school supplies. And my dad printing my name on everything. He was a mechanical engineer and had great block printing, so he was always the one who labeled everything. Sweet memories

3. What's one chore or daily task you prefer doing 'old-school' ?

Cooking. I still do it from scratch for the most-part.

4. Share something you've learned in life through the 'school of hard knocks'.

God's way is always best. Even when I don't "get my way," I know I'll be glad when I look back.

5. As a child, did you mostly bring or buy your lunch for school? What was your favorite thing to find in your lunchbox?

Brought my lunch every single day, except we got to buy our lunch for our birthday. Once I was older and no longer had to take a thermos of milk, my favorite lunch was a tuna sandwich, Cheetos (the regular kind, NOT the puffs), chocolate chip cookies, and a Dr. Pepper. Best lunch ever!

6. Football season is upon us which has me wondering... how big of a sports fan are you (not just football) ? On a scale of 1-10, with 10 being 'I scream at the players through my television screen' and 1 being 'is knitting a sport?' where do you fall in fandom?

About a 1.5. I can get mildly interested in it at times, but my husband doesn't watch it, so it's pretty much a non-event in our house.

7. Share a favorite quote you think might inspire students of all ages at the start of a new school year.

This classic from my first day of my high school junior English class, which our teacher assigned us to write a paper on: Students are lamps to be lighted, not vessels to be filled.

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May Day! Hodgepodge

1. This week's Hodgepodge is Volume 123. What's something you've done recently that was as easy as 1-2-3?

Took my girl to early college registration and then we met her roommate! It was a great trip without any hassles and so much fun!

2. The Wednesday Hodgepodge also happens to fall on the first day of May ...what is something you may do this month?

I may get a little bit teary, either on Senior Sunday at church or when my girl graduates!

3. The Englishman Horace Walpole is credited as saying, "The world is a tragedy to those who feel, but a comedy to those who think" How do you see it?

I'm not a "woe is me" type, but I was saying just last night that I feel like we're living in Jeremiah's days all over again:

"Are they ashamed of their detestable conduct?
No, they have no shame at all;
they do not even know how to blush."
Jeremiah 6:14

4. May is National Hamburger Month...how often do you eat a burger? What are your must-haves when it comes to burgers? I assume you vegetarians won't be celebrating so tell us what you'd like instead?

I love hamburgers - real ones, not fast food burgers. I don't eat them as often as I'd like because they aren't that healthy and my girl's not crazy about them. I love a good Angus beef burger at a restaurant or to grill one at home; I usually get the 96% lean meat. My fave way to have it is with some type of white cheese such as provolone, jack, pepper jack, or swiss (NOT bleu cheese!), crispy bacon, tomatoes, lettuce and a tad of purple onion. Oh and mayo. And a toasted bun. Nothing ruins a hamburger more than a cold bun straight from the package. Except maybe mustard.

5. Pansies, petunias, geraniums, impatiens...of the four mentioned, which is your favorite in a patio pot? Will there be pots on your patio this spring? (Or whenever spring comes to your part of the globe?) Who does the gardening at your house?

I have a black thumb and am woefully challenged in the gardening department. We don't really have a garden at our house.

6. When did you last (literally or figuratively) shout "Mayday, Mayday!"

When I typed the title of this post.

7. Say farewell to your April in ten words or less.

See you next year.

8. Insert your own random thought here.

I know a lot of people dread May because it's such a busy month with all the end-of-school activities, but I am going to savor each one! We're starting off with a bang with Senior Awards tonight, NHS senior stoling ceremony tomorrow morning, and the Top Ten luncheon Friday. This month is going to fly by!

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The Beginning of the End

One week.

That's all that's left of school but I feel like we're home free because we have only two more days of getting up early. Monday is the last day of regular classes for my girl, and her exemptions work out pretty nicely. Of course, the fact that she has four music classes doesn't hurt! Tuesday is a full day but finals start that day and she doesn't have any. Wednesday through Friday are shortened days for finals, and Wednesday she doesn't have to go in at all. Thursday she just has to show up for orchestra for two hours, and next Friday she has to take her English final, from 11:00 - 1:00.

And then my baby girl will be a high school senior.

Time keeps on slipping, slipping, slipping into the future!!

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Finally! It's REALLY Summer!

Today at noon, my girl finally gets a break from school.

Oh, our school year ended on Friday, May 27. But she decided to take a dual-credit course offered by the local community college at her high school. She could take her entire year of American History in five weeks of summer and get college credit as well as her high school credit.

Not taking history this next year will free up her schedule and lighten her homework load so that she can take yet another music class and be in an ensemble, which will involve performances outside of school.

Let's see, that makes four music classes in her schedule: Orchestra, Choir, Ensemble, and AP Music Theory.

(It really cramps her style to have to squeeze in English, Spanish, Physics, and Pre-Calculus!)

Her regular classes ended on a Friday, she had Memorial Day weekend off, and immediately started this class on the following Tuesday. So it's been a bit of a long haul for her. She's thrilled to be done with getting up at 7:00 am every morning and having to read, read, read a history textbook every night. As for me, I'm perfectly happy not to be dressed and out the door every morning a little after 8:00 to take her!

It's July 1 - NOW it's summer!

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Flashback Friday - A Birthday & The School Gym

Happy Birthday to Flashback Friday! March 12, 2010 was our very first edition, and we shared about learning to drive and our first cars! I hoped I would be able to keep this meme going for three or four months; I never dreamed we'd still have topics a year later! Thanks to each of you who participate by linking and by encouraging me with your comments; you are the ones who make this so much fun!

Was physical fitness a focus in school when you were growing up? Did you have P.E. in elementary school or just recess? Was recess organized games or just free playtime? What are your memories of P.E. in junior high/middle school and high school? What did your "gym suits" or "dress out" clothes look like? Was P.E. a favorite or dreaded subject? Did your school do the Presidential Physical Fitness Program? How did you do with that? Did you take the minimum amount of P.E. required or did you take more?

Because our older brother dragged convinced them to play all forms of ball out in the yard with him, my two older sisters were pretty athletic. Me? Notsomuch. Add to that a general sense of awkwardness, a body that was too tall for my age and a mouth full of teeth that had to be grown into, and you can just imagine the delightful time I had in the various athletic requirements of my youth.

It's okay if you can't, 'cause I'm gonna tell you!

Fortunately for me, there was no such thing as P.E. on the elementary level when I was there. Recess was a time for organized activities - kickball was played 95% of the time, followed by dodgeball (ouch!), four-square, hopscotch etc. We did not have a playground at our school, just a grassy field for the ball games, and what back then was called "the slab" (what schools today call a "blacktop." Of course, one of the most dreaded moments came every Monday morning when team leaders would be chosen and they would choose their teams. Back and forth, taking turns calling the name of each kid in the class until everyone was on a team. Guess who was pretty much always last. Surely schools don't do it that way any more, right?

Junior High was when "real" P.E. started. Those were the early 1970's and the oh-so-attractive white "bloomer" gym suits were the requirement, pretty similar to these. I believe they had elastic in the legs, so they were essentially like baby rompers. And each person had her name embroidered on the left chest/pocket area. So flattering.

The main thing I remember about Junior High P.E. other than the hideous uniform was the equally (to me) abhorred Presidential Physical Fitness program. I hated every minute and every station of it. Let's see, there was the Standing Broad Jump, Softball Throw, Sit-Ups, 40-yard Dash, Jumping Jacks, and maybe some a few other things. Because I was tall and stick thin slender, every "event" had really high expectations or goals for me. Which I never even got close to meeting. Standing Broad Jump? I should have been able to jump 6 1/2 to 7 feet. Rarely made much more than 4-5 feet. I'm not sure I've ever made it past 20 sit-ups in my life. Softball Throw - we won't even go there!

A couple of other things I remember about those years of P.E. is the fairly old (now I realize she was probably only around 50!) teacher showing us some basic dance steps to Rock Around the Clock (she was also really into tap and square dancing), and that same teacher giving The Talk about hygiene (specifically about deodorant and shaving).

In high school, I think I only had to have 2 years of P.E., and that thrilled me. I think I've blocked most of it out of my memory. Oh, one year was 9th grade and that was still junior high where I was, so I only had one year when I actually went to high school. And that was split between two schools, because that's the year we moved. I do remember that the uniform was just a pair of blue knit shorts (almost knee length) and a v-necked knit shirt.

I just know that another thing I was rarely able to do was get my volleyball serve to make it over the net.

To me, P.E. just stood for Pure Exasperation!


Now the ball is in your court! Share your memories and link up so we can all enjoy them!

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Flashback Friday - School Discipline

How strict were teachers when you were in school? What were common methods of discipline? No recess? Writing sentences? Being sent to the principal's office? Were "pops" or "swats" allowed? Did you ever get in "big" trouble at school? If so, what was it for and what happened to you? Were you ever suspended from school? If you got in trouble at school, what happened at home? Was school lunch a pretty relaxed environment or was discipline maintained in the cafeteria as well? If you are a teacher, what have you vowed never to do as a result of your experiences growing up?

Except for my fifth grade teacher, I don't remember the teachers of my school days being horribly strict, but that wasn't really necessary because kids respected authority and responded when corrected. It wasn't like some schools today where the kid defies a teacher and then the parents take little Johnny's side and criticize the teacher for accusing their little darling of misbehaving!

For the most part, I was well-behaved at school. I was too scared not to be! I was always dismayed whenever we had a substitute, especially in elementary school, because I knew the kids would misbehave and the whole class would have to write sentences the next day. I hated that punishment then, and I'm so glad that none of my kids' teachers ever inflicted it on them. I think it is utterly pointless. I also hate when the whole class is punished for the misdeeds of a few. Some teachers think that peer pressure will keep kids from misbehaving. I've found that the kids who are going to misbehave don't care how it impacts others, and the well-behaved kids are already suffering from the effects of the others' behavior and certainly don't need to be lumped into the discipline.

Can you tell I feel a bit strongly about this?! LOL

There were a few instances in elementary school when I got in trouble, and I usually died a thousand deaths in the process! In first grade, I remember having to stand in the corner while my best friend, who sat in front of me, stood in another corner. I was as perplexed then as I am now about what prompted it - I remember my friend started crying and turned around and accused me of telling her I wouldn't be her friend. After we stood in the corner, the teacher talked to us individually outside and I remember crying and not understanding why I was in trouble. I also remember telling my mom about it when I got home. I didn't get in trouble at home, fortunately. But the funniest thing I remember about it was telling my mom that my friend had to stand in the corner in the back of the room while I got to stand in the corner by the open door where it was cooler; that was in the days before the school had air conditioning. Somehow I seemed to think that vindicated me to get the "better" corner!

In second grade, a boy named Tommy Davis walked in and pointed and laughed behind his hand at another boy straddling his chair kinda funny while threading the filmstrip (remember those?!) projector. I turned and looked and laughed out loud - and the teacher sent me to stand outside in the hall. Of course, Tommy didn't get caught!

The incident that took a couple of years off of my life and absolutely scared me to death was in fourth grade. My friend (different friend from first grade) and I got caught passing notes. It makes me laugh now remembering how we thought we were being so sly to yawn and stretch at the same time, reaching across the aisle to swap the notes! I'm not sure why I was the only one punished, but I was sent outside to sit on the "slab" - a big rectangle of concrete where we played four-square and other games. She put me there becuase it was visible from the principal's office. I was sweating bullets sitting there - no telling how many prayers I prayed of repentance and begging God not to let the principal send for me or call my parents!

Then in sixth grade (which was still elementary school), the teacher sat at our table one day at lunch and then got up to go to the office for a minute leaving her stuff on the table. The cafeteria had been placed on total silence after being too noisy. One thing the teacher had been doing was counting the votes for our class president, and I was sitting next to her. The person across from me motioned for me to peek to see who won while the teacher was gone, and I shook my head "no." The cafeteria monitor saw me (and only me, of course!) and made me go stand by the wall. I was completely embarrassed and people were looking at me in surprise that I, the "good girl" was in trouble, and I was a bit aggravated that I had gotten in trouble for doing the right thing--and I hadn't even actually talked. The monitor eventually came over and talked to me and let me explain and accepted my explanation, but I was still pretty bummed.

I don't remember ever getting in trouble in junior high or high school; I guess I got all my "wild oats" sowed in elementary school!

I did have a sociology professor in college that scared me to death. He was actually a bit sadistic and mean. There were about 70 people in the class, and if anyone walked in late, he would stop lecturing and stare them down as they went to their seat and then ask their name and ridicule them. It was a 12:00 MWF class, I had another one right at 1:00, so I had to eat lunch early. The dorm cafeteria didn't even open until 11:15, and the class was on the other side of campus, about a 15 minute walk. I thought I was going to be sick that semester, standing in line, scarfing down my food, and practically running to class, but I managed to get there on time the whole semester!

Tell us all about your school discipline experiences and link up here!

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There's One in Every School!

In honor of Back to School, here's a great clip of Mark Lowry spoofing Amy Grant's song Every Heartbeat. Did you know someone like this when you were in school? (Or were you the one?!)

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First Day of School and the Random Dozen

Yesterday was the first day of school for my kids. For my boy, it's his last "first day" since he's a senior. Sigh. Monday I took them for our traditional IHOP back-to-school breakfast, and I realized that next year it will just be me and my girl. This year is going to be full of too many "lasts." I pulled out the picture of him standing in his kindergarten classroom and juxtaposed it with the picture of him and my girl that I took this morning. How can twelve years pass so quickly? My girl is a sophomore, and I can already see her last days barreling toward me. Hasn't somebody invented a Pause button for life yet?



1. What is your favorite Mexican dish?

Seriously?! Asking a Texan to pick a favorite Mexican dish is like saying which child is your favorite. Let's see, I love chicken flautas, cheese enchilada suizas (cheese enchiladas with a creamy sour cream sauce on top), tacos, queso and chips, fajitas, nachos, flaquitos. . .

I don't especially like tamales or burritos.

2. When you were a kid, did you get started on your homework right away after school, or did you procrastinate?

I generally did it pretty quickly. I procrastinated on projects until 7th grade when I was up past midnight finishing one. (That was extremely late for our house.) That cured me.

3. What is your favorite store for home furnishings?

Don't really have one; I'm not much of a decorator. I'll take whichever one has the best quality for the lowest price.

4. When you were young, did you like school lunches?

Well, I only got to buy lunch at school once a year for my birthday. I liked the idea of buying lunch, but I was underwhelmed by the reality.

5. Is religion a crutch?

Religion? Yes, especially when folks rely on "religion" to avoid an encounter with God.

Christianity? Yes - because we're all crippled without Christ.

6. In your region, what is the "big" (most popular in the community or state) high school sport?

Lid, you need to come visit Texas. Football is the national sport of Texas.

7. Do you consider yourself rich?

Not particularly. Except for blessings and family. And the fact I live in Texas! Of course, all of us are rich compared to poverty-engulfed third world countries. But comparing to others of my age and education around here, no.

8. Which of these would you have the best chance for success in administering:
A) CPR
B) Heimlich Maneuver
C) Changing a flat tire

This one's a no-brainer. CPR and the Heimlich - I can do both.

9. Which dance would you prefer to learn & why:
A) Salsa
B) Hip Hop
C) Waltz
D) Swing

I think waltzing is beautiful, graceful, and romantic!

10. What's the worst news you've ever delivered to someone?

Calling my missionary sister and telling her our dad had died. (It was very sudden.)

11. Name something you learned in college that had nothing to do with classes or academics.

I learned that I HATE anything called Shepherd's Pie.

12. New variation on an old question: If there's a song in your head that just won't get out, what is your favorite (or most repeated) line in that song?

Today, since it was the first day of school, while I was fixing dinner, the old School Days, School Days was driving me much. It was like I was in a never-ending loop with the lines, "You were my queen in calico, I was your bashful barefoot beau, You wrote on my slate, 'I love you so' when we were a couple of kids." Usually, though, a song will get in my head if I just hear part of it or only know part of it. So it keeps looping through incessantly trying to get resolved.


Serve yourself a helping of random over at 2nd Cup of Coffee

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Flashback Friday - More School Memories

Before today's flashback, I'm sure you haven't been able to sleep, anticipating my scanning and posting the picture of me as a Candystriper, so here it is:

Continuing with the back-to-school theme. . . .

What type of extra-curricular school activities did you participate in during your school days? Clubs? Spelling bees or other contests? Cheerleader or drill team? Sports? Journalism? Choir or theater? Were there any memorable events related to those? Did you receive any awards? Were football games a big deal at your school? Did you usually attend - and was it with a group or as a date? What was Homecoming like?

The main "extra" that I remember from elementary school was the huge deal in sixth grade of being a safety patrol. The boys usually did the flags to stop the cars and the girls escorted the kindergarten kids to the car line and then stood at various places around the school to be sure no one ran. We got to wear the orange safety patrol thing that went around your waist and up over one shoulder. It was the coolest thing, and quite a status symbol, because not everyone got to do it!

When I was in school in Houston ISD, ninth grade was part of junior high. So instead of being a "lowly" freshman, a ninth grader was top of the heap! I remember doing UIL math contests. We'd get to the school about 7:00 am on a Saturday, ride a bus to a school way across town, and spend the morning taking a math test! I remember my Algebra teacher, Mrs. Downs, was great. I stayed several times after school to get her help until Algebra "clicked." One "snapshot" memory I have of that is standing at the chalkboard finding the square root of a big number. (I couldn't do that now if my life depended on it! Thank goodness for calculators!) Anyway, at one of the math contests I got the highest score in our school - and it was something like #26 out of several hundred who took it. At our "graduation" that spring, Mrs. Downs announced my name for the Math Award. I remember being absolutely stunned and so excited. There were others who did better week to week in Algebra than I did, and her encouragement was so. . .encouraging!

And I needed a teacher to encourage me, for I had a couple of disheartening experiences earlier in the year, and one incident was eye-opening and heartbreaking for my 14-year-old self. I was in Journalism on the school paper. In the fall we had a contest selling ads for the paper. Whoever sold the most ads (dollar amount) would receive $15 at our party just before Thanksgiving at the teacher's house. (Can you imagine today sending your child to a teacher's house for a party?!) Selling ads was really outside of my introverted comfort zone, but I gave it everything I had.

Let me insert here that the junior high I attended was full of polar opposites. A large percentage of the kids were non-achievers. (We had a security guard at the school, and that was the early-mid 1970s!) Then there were about 30 of us who were in the accelerated (back then, it was called Major Works!) classes together. About half of us were regular middle-class kids, and the other half were the "popular rich kids," who I considered the Beautiful and Charmed people.

So back to the ad contest. Our party was on the Tuesday night before Thanksgiving, and the teacher told us we had to turn in our ads before school was out that day. She stressed it and repeated it over and over; no one was to come to the party with an additional ad. So I turned mine in, and at the end of the day she told me that I had the most. I was thrilled. Fifteen dollars was a HUGE amount of money to me. My folks didn't give us allowances, so having money of my own was a rare treat.

Tuesday night came and we had the party. At the appropriate time, the teacher announced the winner. . . .and it wasn't me. (Proper grammar would be "It wasn't I" but I didn't care about grammar at that point!) One of the popular rich girls won. Because she brought an ad to the party that put her over the top. And the teacher accepted it. I was devastated. I thought that if the teacher was going to go back on her word that she could have at least split it between us. Not only was it a heartbreaking moment, it demonstrated to my impressionable mind that money trumps integrity for some people. Even today, almost 35 years later, nothing makes me more frustrated than catering to the beautiful people.

After we moved to the other side of Houston, I was on the newspaper staff at my high school my junior and senior years. That was a blast. Our youth minister's wife was our teacher and one of my best friends was the head photographer. I loved going into the darkroom with him and watching him develop the pictures. (And that was ALL we did; he was like a brother!) I was the Copy Editor, which meant I got to proof everyone's stories. I was ruthless! At the end of the year, when we did the fun "Flak Awards", I got the Lizzie Borden award for chopping the stories. I also got to do a few interviews, and one of the neatest experiences was getting to interview the ABC anchor Howard K Smith when he came to speak in Houston.



I did go to most of the football games when I was in high school. This is Texas, after all! My favorite Homecoming was my senior year, when my BFF and I were dating brothers - I've mentioned before that with all the teenage angst of breaking up and getting back together, we were usually on opposite "on/off" status! But my senior year the four of us had a double date for Homecoming. The guys bought us mums - back then you ordered a real mum from a florist; you didn't make them yourself like folks do now. We didn't go to the dance - just dinner and the football game, and we had a great time!

Those are more than enough of my extracurricular memories! Link up here so we can enjoy yours!

(Update Friday morning - Mr. Linky is working. It may say "you're first" but if you click on it you'll see the links of folks who have participated. Don't know why the button itself isn't updating.)

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Flashback Friday - School Days,

Updated - I forgot to mention the best part of today! On this day in 1988, I was a bride. Happy 22nd Anniversary to my sweetie! And who says 13 is an unlucky number?!

Once the Fourth of July passes, it seems as though summer picks up momentum and absolutely races by. My kids don't start until August 24, giving us just under two weeks left of summer leisure. But I've been seeing evidence on blogs around the country that some districts have already gone back to school.

Did your family have any back-to-school traditions when you were growing up? Were you generally eager or reluctant to start school? Was buying school supplies a big deal or did you order them through the school? Were there any school supplies you particularly loved? Did you take your lunch or buy it at school? Brown bag or lunch box/thermos? Does the first day of school from any grade stand out? Did you ride the bus, walk, or go by car to school? Do you remember how early or late school began/dismissed each day? Did you go to kindergarten? Half-day or whole day?

I loved school, so I was always happy when it started. And I L-O-V-E brand-new school supplies. It makes me a bit sad that my kids are both in high school and beyond the days of school supply lists for items such as manilla paper, construction paper - and oh, the time or two I got to get the "book" of construction paper! What was the name of it? It was pretty thick and had a million colors of paper. And how many of you remember these?!


In elementary school we had to get a school box that with the "hinged" lid like a cigar box. My dad always printed my name on my school box and all of my other supplies; I loved his printing - straight and all caps (evidence of his career drafting as a mechanical engineer!).

My mom drove me to school and picked me up until third grade. That's when they built the big catwalk over Holmes Road which became Loop 610 South in Houston. It had a huge concrete staircase on each end. I remember standing in the middle and looking down and watching them build the freeway. (Okay, THAT just made me feel really old to know that I watched them build one of Houston's oldest freeways!) She still took me and picked me up when the weather was bad, and she drove me to and from junior high school and high school. I have never ridden a bus to school in my life!

I carried a lunch box kit (that's what they were called then) all through elementary school, and then switched to sack lunches in junior high & high school. I think I've mentioned before that we got to buy our lunch once a year for our birthday. The lunch kit purchase (I got a new one every other year or so) was a bone of contention between between me and my mom. She loved the "sweet" lunch kits like this one Actually, I think this picture is identical to a lunch kit I had! I, however, wanted a "cool" lunch kit, with the Brady Bunch or a cartoon such as Dagwood and Blondie. I never won that battle. (I vowed way back then never to buy a lunch kit that my kids hated, and I kept my promise!) I usually dropped the lunch kit and broke the thermos fairly early in the year and so I had to buy milk in the school cafeteria. I still remember the way those thermoses (thermosi?!) clinked when they were broken and the glass pieces were in the milk! In junior high, I took a Shasta in my sack lunch; we'd put it in the freezer the night before and then wrap it in a paper towel and foil. And it was usually all misshapen and wobbly! I liked the orange and grape flavors okay, and sometimes the lemon-lime, but cream soda and root beer were disgusting!

Kindergarten was a half-day when I was five. Half of the year, I was in the morning kindergarten, and then they swapped the classes and I went in the afternoon. I always preferred afternoon kindergarten because I didn't have to take a nap! My mom always made me take a nap when I got home from morning kindergarten.

The elementary school tardy bell rang at 8:55. First and second graders got out at 2:15, and it was a big deal to be in 3rd grade and get to stay all the way until 3:00 or 3:15 with the big kids! It amazes me what a long day the little ones have now. My kids went from 7:45 - 2:45 when they were in elementary (including kindergarten). Around here the high schoolers start last, at 9:05. I've heard that keeps the teens from getting into as much mischief in the afternoons and it decreases the number of before-school child care issues for the little ones.

I don't remember specifics about the first days of school. In elementary school I do remember that we went to our old class on the first day and the teachers from the next grade came in and read their class roster. If they called your name, you went with them.

Oh, and this isn't a regular school supply, but my favorite item at school was the purple-inked mimeograph pages! No copy machines were around then! I loved it when I got to help run off the copies from the original, and when the pages were still warm you could smell the ink. I loved how it smelled. It was probably 17 different kinds of toxic but we all survived!

We had a record of children's songs that had this classic song about school:

School days, school days
Dear old Golden Rule days
Reading and Writing and 'Rithmetic
Taught to the tune of a hick'ry stick
You were my queen in calico
I was your bashful, barefoot beau
You wrote on my slate "I love you so"
When we were a couple of kids
Then when I was in the choir in sixth grade, we sang this one. After I got this post ready to go, I went and took a shower and started singing it and realized I left out the most fun part, where we split into two groups and one group echoed with the lines in the parentheses. We loved singing this song!

School days, so they tell us,
Are the most sublime of our lives
We'll have the time of our lives
It's the absolute prime of our lives
They tell us school days are golden
In the olden days, it might've been true
But in the olden days, they liked torture and slavery, too
(What're you gonna do?)
School days, so they tell us,
Are the sweetest days that we'll know
And if that really is so
Well, it comes as a bit of a blow
I mean, if school days
Are the best of our lives
Imagine the rest of our lives!
School days, school days,
Never let me go!

School days (We're in the thick of them)
Are sublime (And we are sick of them;
You can take your pick of them)
School days (Working for A's and B's)
What a time (Don't want no F's or D's;
We might settle for some C's)
School days (Studying spelling words and our math)
How divine (Language is just a bore)
School days (Class at 9, rain or shine)
They're so fine (You can have all of mine!)

School days (Oh what a pain they are)
They're the best (Think of the strain they are;
Cruel and inhumane they are)
School days (Slightly insane they are)
That's the test (Isn't it plain they are?)
Have you guessed that
I'll miss (? something) my school days (?something)
My Tom Brown (jolly) tomfool days (holidays)
School days, school days
Never let me go!


What about you? Post your flashback on your blog and link up here!

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Let Summer Be Summer!

Dear High School Teachers,

School is almost over and I'm sure you are as glad as the students are for a break. I would remind you however, that it is supposed to be a break, a time to set aside the pressures of school.

The amount of homework given during the school year is already over the top. More nights than not, my kids have done nothing but homework from the time they get home from school until they go to bed, often having to miss activities such as Youth Bible Study or piano lessons. But the idea of homework in the summer is completely outrageous. It's one thing to require that students read a certain book or books, but to also require that they also annotate it and write ten essays on various portions of the book is really a bit sadistic. Especially since a teacher told one of my kids that the project is designed to be complex enough for the students to work on it throughout the entire summer. And the only students who are required to do these summer assignments which are due the first day of school, those in the advanced classes, are the the very ones who don't need to be doing it.

As a mom of two students who take a hefty load of AP classes, I can assure you that they do not turn off their brains during the summer. In fact, summer is the time they look forward to reading just for the love of it. Additionally, they participate in other activities which are meaningful. In the month of June alone, my girl is helping with a local church music camp, participating in a local State Orchestra day camp, and attending a State Choir camp (all at her request/motivation). Then she's going on a mission trip in another country. My boy is planning to work on his Eagle project, complete his driver training, and other life lessons. And they both always read a pile of books in the summer! I expect that the activities that my children have planned will result in more long-term personal growth that what your summer assignment will do.

Neither I nor my man ever had to complete a summer assignment. And we still managed to graduate from high school with a sufficient amount of knowledge. I was #10 in my class of 500, and my man placed out of much of his freshman year. On the other hand, thanks to the overload of assignments, my boy, who wanted (and had) a math-themed birthday when he was 6 now barely tolerates the subject. And my girl, who used to adore English and writing, is now totally burned out.

You can rest assured that you are having an impact on my kids. If that is your goal, then congratulations on attaining it.

The impact? They have both commented that teachers take all the fun out of learning.

Signed,
A Concerned and Fed-Up Parent

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Monday Miscellany

Today is my last full day that the kids are in school. For the rest of the week, they just go for the finals they take. And for some miraculous reason, they are totally in sync with their exemptions. In December it seemed that I was continually taking one and picking the other one up! They really have a dream of a schedule; they don't have to go at all Tuesday (other than to check in with the attendance office sometime before noon), they each have one final from 9:05 to 11:05 on Wednesday; two finals, 9:05 to 1:15 Thursday, and one "final" final Friday morning from 9:05 to 11:05. Then it's hello, summer vacation! And while I know I'll feel a little bit like I've returned to the Mother's Day Out time of my life with such short days, there is one huge benefit to finals.

No sack lunches to fix! Woohoo!

And the other thing that's nice about finals week is that there are no more performances to attend! I enjoy going, but after last week when my girl had a voice recital, piano recital, viola recital, and choir concert, I am ready for a breather!

My girl does have one more school-related activity on Saturday - she qualified for State Solo & Ensemble and will perform for judges at that. She will play a solo piece and also be part of a quartet.

But being finished with all of the other school stuff for a few months? That's music to my ears!

* * * * *
I've been so swamped with performances and book reviews that I haven't had a chance to thank some folks for some very fun awards! Whenever I get one of these, it makes me think, "They like me; they really like me!" It's always fun to be encouraged.


Michelle V at Life in Review honored me with the Sunshine Blog Award, which is given to bloggers that "inspire others and show positivity and creativity." She's a fellow book reviewer, and her blog has lots of fun links on it as well as reviews.



Janet Ruth at Along the Way gave me the Blog Neighbor Award. Thanks so much, Janet Ruth!


Julia Reffner at Dark Glass Ponderings blessed me with the Bodacious Blogging Book Reviewers Award. What a fun award! And I love the name of her blog and the verse posted in her header.


I thought there might have been one more -- not that I'm being greedy! But if there was, I apparently inadvertently deleted the email for the comment that told me about it. So if you gave me an award in the last 6 weeks or so and I haven't acknowledged it, please accept my apologies!

Now I am horrible about passing these things on. I never can choose! So if you are one of my blog readers who leaves me a comment, consider the Sunshine Award passed on to you! Because your kind comments are just like sunshine to me, only without the migraine!

And if you have enjoyed any of my reviews, or if you have picked up a book because of one of those reviews, I consider you Good Blog Neighbor, so that one is for you!

I am going to pass along the Bodacious Blogging Book Reviewer Award to some specific folks that also review books. I have so enjoyed connecting with you through our mutual enjoyment of the written word! If you aren't familiar with these folks, check them out!

1. Kim at Window to My World
2. CeeCee at Book Splurge
3. Quilly at Quintessentially Quilly
4. Cathy at Tales of the TCKK Family
5. Tami at Tree Swing Reading
5. BP at Rainbows and Rainbows

* * * * *
On a more serious note, our pastor has been preaching a series on personal evangelism over the past six weeks. Yesterday he pointed out a verse in Romans which is incredibly convicting regarding the urgency and sorrow Paul felt over those who were lost without Christ:

I have great sorrow and unceasing anguish in my heart. For I could wish that I myself were cursed and cut off from Christ for the sake of my brothers, those of my own race, the people of Israel.
Romans 9:2-4a

Ouch. I don't have unceasing anguish in my heart and I'm not willing to give up my "seat on the bus," as our pastor put it, for someone else. (I know it's not an option, but Paul was willing to if he could.) May God prick our hearts and give us a burden for the lost.

What could be too great a cost
for sharing life with one who's lost?
When will we realize. . .
People need the Lord

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Flashback Friday - Senioritis!

Tell about your senior year in high school. Were there any special traditions such as getting a senior ring? Were there lots of activities and parties as you neared graduation? Were you in any extra-curricular activities that had traditional "rites of passage" or "passing the baton" too the next class? Were awards given out - either serious or fun? Did you send out graduation announcements? Did your school have a Baccalaureate Service in addition to the graduation ceremony? If you attended church, did your church recognize/honor Seniors in any way? Did you keep your tassel - did you hang it from the mirror of your car or do something else special with it? What sorts of things did you get for graduation gifts? Was it a tradition to display the gifts in your home?

MY FLASHBACK:
I loved my Senior year in high school. Well, except for my English teacher because she was dull as dishwater, and it was even worse because I had such a stellar teacher the year before!

Class rings were a big deal. We actually received them our junior year. You had to wear it with the school's name facing you until you graduated, and then you could turn it around so others could read it. And getting the ring was fun too. You had to have people "turn it" - rotate it 360 degrees on your finger - until you'd reached the number of your graduation year. So since I graduated in 1979, 79 people had to turn my ring. And the last person kissed you after giving your ring that final turn! I don't think they do anything like that now. I don't even see many kids today with a senior ring. My boy wanted one for a keepsake, not to wear, and it sits on his desk.



We had lots of parties toward the end of the year. Since I was in a church with a big youth group, that made it really fun. I remember a swim party, a party with a luau theme (see above picture. No, my folks didn't miss my date's head; I cropped it but left the rest of him so you could see how well his shirt blended in with our gold drapes!), and a couple of others. There weren't any awards unless you were in a club or something that did that. I was in journalism, and they had the Flak awards. I got the Lizzie Borden award - for wielding such a wicked axe when proofing stories as a copy editor!

I think we had a Baccalaureate but I don't remember much about it. I think my pastor was the one who led it.

The church had a Senior Recognition the Sunday before we graduated. We all wore our caps and gowns. During the service as our name was called, we walked up, received a book from the church (I can't believe I remember the name of it; it was called After the Tassel is Moved), and then told the congregation where we were going to college and what we would major in (or if not college, what job was planned).

The actual graduation ceremony was rather anticlimactic after all the fun activities we had. I do remember how much fun it was walking in to the music of Pomp and Circumstance! I've always loved that song. We didn't get our diplomas then, just a blank paper rolled up with a ribbon. When we went to turn in our gown, we exchanged it for the diploma. I didn't have a car, so my tassel hung on the corner of my bulletin board in my room for years.

Graduation gifts were a fun part of the whole experience! I remember getting practical things like toiletry kits, a tote bag, pen & pencil set. My favorite gift was a crocheted afghan from a friend's mom and also his grandmother, whom I adored. The mom was the woman I've mentioned several times - yes, the one who insisted we wear our caps straight and whom I worked for during the summers and who became a widow just a few years later at 46. I dated her oldest son off & on, and the other son was one of my best friends; he was like a brother to me. That family was such a special part of my life. Anyway, the afghan was a tradition that she & her mom made for all of the nieces/granddaughters when they graduated. I was the first non-family member to receive one, and the most special part was her telling me that they started making it during one of the "off" times when her son and I weren't dating. They wanted me to know they loved me independently of whether I dated the boy. I can still see myself sitting on the couch in their den with it in my lap, being amazed to receive it, and I treasure that afghan still today. I haven't been in touch with her in several years, and I need to write her a note. Here's the picture of my afghan and other gifts. Ignore the fan in the corner, but be sure to notice the puke green shag carpet and drapes. It was the 1970s, after all!



So that's a look back 31 years ago - gulp! It's funny how something can just consume your life at the time, and then years later you realize what a small piece of your life it really was. And knowing that my whole life will seem like just a blip in eternity!


Enough nostalgia and ruminating for me! I look forward to reading your memories. And I thought that this Flashback would hit a pretty broad spectrum of folks, but alas, the blogging youngster Cae hasn't graduated yet!

Sigh. I am feeling a whole 'nother kind of senioritis today!

Link up your memories here!

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Flashback Friday Prompt #10

Okay, I'm an idiot. I just realized this didn't post. Sigh. Hope I haven't run everyone off!

For those of us in Texas, school is winding down. My kids are done at the end of next week, and some districts go through the end of the following week. I feel for those of you in the north who don't get out until the middle of June or later!


Graduation announcements are starting to arrive in mailboxes. It sobers me to realize my boy has just one more year. I feel like my kids should be in elementary school, not barreling through high school!


Thinking of his upcoming senior year brings back lots of memories of my own! So here is the Flashback Friday prompt for this week:

Tell about your senior year in high school. Were there any special traditions such as getting a senior ring? Were there lots of activities and parties as you neared graduation? Were you in any extra-curricular activities that had traditional "rites of passage" or "passing the baton" too the next class? Were awards given out - either serious or fun? Did you send out graduation announcements? Did your school have a Baccalaureate Service in addition to the graduation ceremony? If you attended church, did your church recognize/honor Seniors in any way? Did you keep your tassel - did you hang it from the mirror of your car or do something else special with it? What sorts of things did you get for graduation gifts? Was it a tradition to display the gifts in your home?

Remember, the questions are just a springboard of ideas. You may answer them or just use them to get you started.

Post your flashback on your blog tomorrow and then come back here to link up!

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Brain Drain

Said the College Board to my high school boy,
Do you know what we know?
Dump your brain, high school junior boy,
Let us see what you know!

AP tests - those sure can be a drain
Extracting all that stuff from your brain!
Finals are next, so let some facts remain.
Hope it doesn't make you insane!

It's enough to make even Mom testy! Two weeks ago, my boy had several of the TAKS tests (Texas Assessment of Knowledge and Skills). Since he's a junior, these are the Exit Level tests for the major subject areas (math, science, social studies; English was a bit earlier this spring).

Now he's taking AP tests. Five of them. Last week was Spanish, Calculus, and US History, followed by Physics (yesterday) and Chemistry (today). They each take 3 hours and are pretty tiring.

Next week he gets a bit of a breather - well, except for the 3 projects that are due! Then the week of the 24th is finals. He gets to exempt a few, but I don't know why they don't allow the TAKS or AP tests to count.

And the last day of school won't indicate the end to this testing. The first two Saturdays in June he takes the SAT and the ACT.

I'm thinking college will be a breeze after this!





Photo Credit: Google Images

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Flashback Friday - Favorite Teachers

Tell us about the teachers from your school days. Who were your favorites? Why did you like them? How did they influence your life, your occupation, or another aspect? Have you ever gone back & seen or contacted a favorite teacher to express your appreciation? Do you still keep up with any of your teachers? Was Teacher Appreciation Day/Week celebrated when you were in school? (Just share about favorites this week; we'll visit the not-so-stellar teacher memories another day!)

MY FLASHBACK:

When I was starting 5th grade, I was scared to death that I would get Mrs. Boyd. She was an older teacher who was very mean strict. And anyone in the school was fair game to receive her scolding. I held my breath when she came in to read the names for her new class, and sure enough, mine was on the list! As you can probably guess, she ended up being one of my favorite teachers. And part of that reason was the fact that her class was well-behaved. The one thing I always thought was kind of funny was the Gideon Bible she had on her desk. She used it during class once a week. . . .on Mondays to randomly stick her finger between two pages and the team captain whose guess was the closest got to pick first for kickball at recess!

My all-time favorite teacher was my 11th grade English teacher, Mrs. Fanett ("One N, two T's" was her mantra!). She. Was. Wonderful. She was hard. She made us work. But she also made it fun. And she inspired us to do our best. I remember that my best friend and I looked across the class at each other as we thought, "What are we getting ourselves into?" when she assigned a research paper on the first day of school. But we quickly realized that we were blessed to be in her class. One of several stand-out memories was that we read Our Town, and after that, every time we sang Blest Be The Tie That Binds in church, we would think of her. What fun it was to discover at the end of the year that she was (and she still is!) a Christian!

Other memorable novels included The Bear by Faulkner (which I will always remember for the vocabulary word juxtaposition, as well as the chapter that was all one sentence!) and To Kill a Mockingbird by Harper Lee. I smile as I remember such notable assignments as the dreaded Critical Review, endless vocabulary lists, the hated analogies for the SAT, and a plethora of papers to be written, including the one where I learned the most: writing a descriptive paper of our physical attributes without using any "be" verbs. (Couldn't write My hair is brown; instead, I wrote Brown wavy hair frames my face.) It was so hard to do, but it was also one of the most wonderful learning and stretching experiences I've ever had. I still have some of my papers from her class (and she penned fun comments and smiley faces in the margins as she graded them). We also read Walden by Henry David Thoreau, and I can still recite her favorite Thoreau quote:

If a man does not keep pace with his companions,
perhaps it is because he hears a different drummer.
Let him step to the music which he hears,
however measured or far away.

I still exchange Christmas cards with her, and about 10 years after I graduated from high school, I cross-stitched and framed that Thoreau quote and gave it to her. She was absolutely delighted and tells me it hangs proudly in her breakfast room. I had wanted to be a nurse practically all my life, but after having her, I considered majoring in English. She epitomized the best of teaching, and her recent retirement leaves a huge void in the world of high school English.


Now it's your turn! Post your favorite teacher memories on your blog and link up here!

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Flashback Friday Prompt #8

This is Teacher Appreciation Week here in the USA. While a National Teacher Day was occasionally observed beginning in 1953, it wasn't until 1985 that the National PTA designated the first full week in May as Teacher Appreciation Week, with the NEA designating the Tuesday of that week as National Teacher Day. (Why there needs to be a "Day" when there's a whole "Week" is beyond me!) I think it's interesting to see how other countries celebrate their teachers, and you can find that information here.

Anyway since I was finished with college before 1985 (although I'm NOT a grandmother!), I had never participated in anything like that until my kids were in elementary school. Even if we had done it, it would never have been on the level of what I have seen and experienced schools doing today! But that doesn't mean I didn't appreciate my teachers. With that in mind, here is the Flashback Friday prompt for this week.

Tell us about the teachers from your school days. Who were your favorites? Why did you like them? How did they influence your life, your occupation, or another aspect? Have you ever gone back & seen or contacted a favorite teacher to express your appreciation? Do you still keep up with any of your teachers? Was Teacher Appreciation Day/Week celebrated when you were in school? (Just share about favorites this week; we'll visit the not-so-stellar teacher memories another day!)

Remember, the above are just suggestions to get you going. Post your flashback tomorrow and come back here to link up!

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