Back to School time (again)

The calendar turned to September, but it sure ain't autumn.

After a cooler than usual week to end August; someone turned the heat back on.  Highs in the upper 80s to low 90s with dew points warm enough to really make it uncomfortable.

It must be time to head back to school.

Madison schools opened for most students yesterday and is open to all today.  Since there aren't any schoolkids in our place, I see the difference between school and non-school days in the amount of traffic on city streets.

Just about a month ago on August 5, kids were heading back to school in some parts of the country. In the Dairy state, though, legislators more than a decade ago decided it would help tourism and businesses dependent on student labor if school didn't start until sometime in September.

I can remember (barely) going back to school.  We went back in August.  It was hot.  There was no air conditioning.  Just a box fan or two to move the air around.  It didn't help.  More schools are artificially cool now which make it easier to tackle classwork in the hot days of early September or during the dog days of August.

Lumbering into the halls of J.A. Craig High School with a bag of books and supplies, I found my locker.  The bottom was for books.  The top (and only) shelf held folders and notebooks.  Especially sophomore year, when I didn't want to hang out too much in the area where my locker was located, I carried a half day's worth of books from class to class.

You could take a bus to school, maybe catch a ride with a friend or neighbor, I walked the half mile or so to school.  Unless you lived a long way from school or had no alternative, you didn't want mom or dad to drop you off.

My morning started with a walk next door to see if my classmate and friend was ready to go.  If he wasn't, an older sister might be ready.  They also hosted an exchange student each year.

Our morning walk to school was a great time to learn about their life back home in Malayasia, Germany, or Sweden.  Over the course of an academic year we got to know each other.

Some days were hot.  Others cold, wet, or snowy.

The walk across Randall Avenue was the busiest.  The best strategy as a pedestrian was to keep walking otherwise the cars would never stop.  Which reminds me...

Be careful out there - kids are back in school!