Back to School…

Blog Post No. 5

21/08/2012

As September is fast approaching us, it reminds me of the same time of year when I was of school age.

My mum used to take me shopping for a brand new pencil case to WH Smiths and she bought me all new things to put in it; new pencils, some funky new erasers, those scented gel pens that were all the rage when I was at school; popcorn scented ones, blueberry scented ones and apple scented ones, new maths sets- protractors and compasses never seem to make it to the following year and some sharp new pencil crayons. No matter how old I will get I will relish a new set of drawing pencils and a blank sheet of paper. I loved having all brand new things to go back to school with and compare what you’ve got with friends. You were always the cool kid in the class for a few days when you rocked up to school at the start of the new term with the latest pencil case and all the best stuff in it, until you went to big school at least and then you got beat up instead.

I would be fitted for new school uniform as each new school year started, I would be a year older than the last which made me that much taller too.  You see at a tall 5’7and a half I had a lot of growing to do. Most of my school life I was a skinny minny with knobbly knees and long feet to boot. Now fully grown into a size seven, so not excessive now but through my early school years I looked much disproportioned with size fives and standing less than five foot tall. My stepdad still teases me about my grey woolly school tights being baggy and wrinkly at the knees as I was so skinny back then. It is seemingly impossible to have baggy tights I hear you say but that was me.

I was always measured for a new skirt, new jumpers and shirts but no matter what, the skirt just never seemed to fit my teeny tiny waist. My Gran spent most of the school year adjusting my skirt so it would stay up as opposed to residing round my ankles not a good luck during a poetry recital when your grey pleated skirt falls to the floor in front of the whole school, parents and teachers too! It was the teachers that laughed the most!

How I wish I was that svelte now, I’d give my hind leg to have my skirt fall down because my waist is so slim.

Whatever I ate as a child nothing made me gain any weight, I used to have the metabolism of ‘Speedy Gonzales’. I assure you I had a healthy appetite and ate copious amounts of chocolate and sweets and the ice-cream man practically set up camp near our street in the school holidays. These days all I have to do is look at an iced bun or ’99 cone and I gain half a stone.

Oh to be a child again. *Memories*

 I used to be out climbing trees, building den’s, running around everywhere and riding my bike. I was always outdoors when not at school even the weather didn’t deter us from playing out.

I hope my children in the future are the same and not hooked solely on the latest computer game or electronic phase. Childhood is for running around, acting daft and exploring the outdoors if we ever came in as kids my parents would say get back outside and find something to do and that we did.

Going back to school after the six weeks holidays was something to be excited about. I liked having new exercise books to fill up with neat handwriting and cool illustrations. The allure of a new notepad with its blank interior and untouched pages I still can’t resist. I guess that’s just the writer in me. It may have taken me a long time to finally put pen to paper and write something with the confidence to let others read it nut I have always carried a notepad and pen with e wherever I go.

Getting back into the routine of getting up early and going to bed at an earlier time is one of the most difficult things about going back to school after the six week break. You have just got them used to getting up at a reasonable hour, i.e. after eight am and now you have to get them up around seven am and out the door for eight fifteen. This is some task I tell you!

It is to be expected that concentration levels are lower during those first few weeks back at school. The kids are getting out of their ‘free time’ mode and back into a more structured routine, requiring more sensible behaviour. The teachers are switching from late night with a glass of Chardonnay and long days spent on Greek islands and have to reacclimatise themselves too lots of coffee and orderliness instead.

Things slowly began to slip back into there once familiar routine and making packed lunches and having P.E kits washed and ready for the day ahead soon become the norm. Only in those first few weeks after the holidays do you and your children have to suffer the embarrassment of them being sat in the lunch hall with your turkey salad on rye and you at your desk with cheese and marmite triangle shaped butties the crusts cut off. And you turn up to your gym class with a pair of muddy football boots and small kit to match whilst your child is sat in their P.E class with your Pilates mat and your revealing lycra suit. And the teachers forget their lesson preparations and have to improvise with learning through music or dance to fill the time slot where science would have been. Things eventually settle down and school life goes back to a normal balance of learning and fun it a great big dollop of not long til next summer holidays in the horizon.

The first weeks of term for us mere mortals are consumed with near disasters and crazy goings on in hindsight are hilarious to the adults just not for your embarrassed child. But these things are barely avoidable when all summer uniforms and lunchboxes were far from anyone’s mind.

Who doesn’t love the six weeks holidays, especially the parents whom get to see their children grow and spend proper time with them? We all wish those summer holidays could last just that little bit longer...

Good Luck to everyone going back to school this term.

And a special Good Luck to my Aunt & Uncle’s little one, MJ as he starts in Reception this time.

-Love Mrs Nx