Back to School

St Paul's Lutheran School, Janesville, WI
10/9/2013  dwm photo

My friends in Indiana at Lutheran High School are back at school three weeks already.  While here in Wisconsin most schools open today.

Janesville school days usually started for me in mid-August.  Like most schools then, St. Paul's Lutheran didn't have air conditioning then.

I think the reason for that was the expense and that summers were not as unbearably hot and if it was hot, it didn't last long.  Those summer days of school were exciting and nerve-wracking, especially at J. A. Craig High.

Lutheran school from kindergarten through grade nine at St. Paul prepared me well academically for high school.  It didn't get me as ready to jump from a tiny pond into an ocean.  The first day at Craig, I don't remember much about the first classes.  I do vividly recall going through the lunch line and coming out with my tray.  The cafeteria sat at least 300 and I didn't know anybody, until my best friend's older brother (a senior) saw me and invited me to his table.  That made my day.

Years later, while working at Lutheran High School of Indianapolis, I saw the first day of school from a different perspective.  Teachers and staff rushed before opening day to get everything in place.  While summer break gives those hard-working folks a rest, it isn't long until they wind up like a clock to get all things in place before the first day back.

Much has changed from my days as a student.  We had bullies back then, but it was different.  The ones I encountered were not in my face all the time, now they seem to live on facebook.  I'm not sure how I would respond; not well, I'm sure.

Just as each generation endures their own challenges, I imagine today's school kids will tell their children how tough they had it "back in the day."

Best wishes to students, parents, and teachers this first day of school.  The best thing about it is surviving and starting the new normal.