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School’s upon us

by Minden Press-Herald

The summer is quickly passing by and as we look at the calendar, we can hardly believe August is upon us. And before we know it, it will have slipped quietly away.

A new school year is upon us, and those with children starting back to school are probably excited, while the students, maybe not so much.

The beginning of a new school year was always a time of excitement for me. I loved school and each fall I was ready to go back, see my friends and get my hands on new books, paper, pencils, colors and all the other accoutrements associated with learning.

It was thrilling to learn new words and see them come alive for me as I learned to master the process of reading. New worlds that I had never even dreamed of opened up for me.

I still have that love for learning and try to stay informed and involved, just in a different manner than when I was a child.
The classroom always had a certain smell that could only be associated with school. Nothing smelled quite like new books, tablets of paper, and chalk dust. I wonder if they still have that familiar smell.

I can remember all the teachers I had, beginning with that first grade teacher that everyone complained about. She was a tough disciplinarian and big brothers and sisters always put the fear of her in the minds of the younger ones. When I was older we seemed to have a lot of new teachers. I later learned that since Shongaloo was a small school, many of the new teachers got their start there. Some quickly moved on, but others remained.

After I was out of school and had small children, each year we looked forward to shopping for new school clothes and school supplies.

Many years later, I was able to enjoy school shopping with our children for the grandchildren. Each year while they were growing up we would take a day for shopping, eating out and enjoying each other’s company. All too soon those days were gone and now they are shopping for their youngsters.

While my little ones were in school, I decided I wanted to go back to school so I enrolled at Southern State College (now SAU) where I earned a bachelors’ degree in elementary education. Later, a master’s and 30 additional graduate hours from LA TECH.. Friends who were teaching with me said they would never go back to school. But, me? I would have just kept going if I could have drawn a salary. But, it doesn’t work that way.

Now when it’s almost time for school to begin, I still have that urge to buy school supplies. When I walk by the displays, I stop and browse, looking to see if there is anything I can use. And usually, it is. Just last week I came home with a college ruled notebook which they were offering for 17 cents. Who could pass up a deal like that? One can always use another notebook.

I like to re-stock my supply of pens at this time as one can always find a bargain. And last week I brought home a large bulletin board. I have plans for this to display pictures of the grands and great grands. My shelves were getting too full of pictures, so I’ll be trying a new method of displaying them.

I may even drop by the store again and browse the school supply aisle.

Don’t be surprised when you’re shopping to see me there picking up school items.

Fannie Moore is a journalist who lives in Shongaloo where she enjoys writing on a variety of subjects.

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