Monday Listicles ~ Back to School Season

As a 50 year old and long done with 'first days of school' in my house, I thought Stasha at Monday Listicles gives me a good reason to list 10 things about the first things I think of when I think of school....

I have graduated from high school, received my Bachelor of Science in Civil Engineering from Oregon State University and more recently finished my Executive Masters Degree in Public Administration from Portland State University.  So I have a lot to reminisce on with my 19 years of school experience! So here are the first 10 things that pop into my head as I think of school...

1.  I think of how much I HATED it when my birthday (Sept. 6th - TODAY!!!) fell on the FIRST DAY OF SCHOOL ...  That is the WORST way to spend your birthday...  (ok, not really, but wasn't always my first choice on how to spend my birthday!)  And I remember that I was almost always the youngest in school to do anything - like drive, etc...

2.  I remember how much fun it was getting new outfits for school...  It was the one time a year when mom took all 5 (FIVE!!) kids to the store and let us pick out 'a few' outfits to start off the school year...  [How she did that for FIVE kids just boggles my mind...  she was a good saver, clearly!!]  That way we were all prepared for the class pictures that always seemed to fall within the first two weeks of a new school year.... Ikes!!  We always looked so much younger at the beginning of the year compared to the end of the year ~ it's amazing what 9 months does to a kid!!

3.  And then there was how shopping for school supplies as a parent was always a pain in the patootie - to chase the sales, make sure I could afford all they needed and to NEVER give them a hard time about the things that would show up on the 'shopping' list ~ and I was only buying for two on a single income (child support, what child support??????).  Like the extra boxes of Kleenex the teachers needed in their classrooms because the school budgets were cut back and they school couldn't afford any.

4.  Besides the first 3 memories I've shared, I also have a lot of fond memories of school - I am a 'lifetime learner' and will always be.  But I didn't find it fun when I went back to school in my 40's and found out my recall (memory) was not nearly as spry as it was in my teens and twenties....  Oiy!  How was I to get through school without the best 'internal hard drive'...  I learned to take better notes (external hard drive), to study harder and repeat things as many times as it took....  LOL

5.  I also loved meeting new teachers and classmates and would always wonder at the start of the school year who would be my bestie by the end of the school year ~ it was NEVER who I expected it to be.  (we moved a lot in the military, so adjusted often to new schools...)  And learning to trust, befriend and enjoy another is always a blessing and often in unexpected ways!

6.  I remember my kids being all excited at the beginning of the school year and ready to jump into the books (as was I when I was their age) to get homework done and in on time and then by the end of the year, it was like pulling teeth to even get them to do one piece of homework.  The excitement of the 'new' in our lives always captures our attention!!

7.  I spent countless meetings with my son's school administrators, counselors and teachers always looking for a way for an exceptionally busy ADHD child to fit into a school system that wasn't quite as prepared as they hoped to be!  God love their patience and passion of his teachers and school officials....!!  They always loved Teddy's passion and energy and were constantly trying to figure out how to capture it!  Bless you every one!

8.  I also remember almost every math teacher I ever had...  Math was always my favorite subject and I excelled in it!  I often ended out being a teachers assistant and mentored other students.  I even did this through college and have often thought of doing it at the local school.  I've even applied to be a math teacher at the local college.

9.  I am a promoter of post-secondary schooling and especially advanced degrees.  I have seen myself grow from being on welfare assistance (food stamps) to having the ability to raise two wonderful children on my own and providing them with healthy food, a safe place to be raised and taught them the value of an education ~ a value I hope to share with everyone, but most especially my children and grandchildren!!  It opens up doors, that you cannot even come close to imagining!  You NEVER know what you don't KNOW!

10.  I am most thankful and reminiscent of ALL of the schooling I've received and accomplishments I've had!!  I am amazed that I hold a masters degree and that means I keep company with less than 10% of the US population! That is weird and sensational all at the same time! I don't quite picture myself as having 'mastered anything' but that is what that degree says!! But I could fall into another category: 1 billion people worldwide are illiterate..... I am thankful I am not ~ and neither are you if you're reading this blog!  :)

Who do you want to be when you 'grow up' (figuratively, not literally)?