It’s no secret that I’m not that many years out of school. This time last year was the first time (ever) that I wasn’t preparing to go back to school in the fall. As the summer waned, I couldn’t shake the feeling that it was time to start something new. After all, most of my jobs have been summer jobs, quick to end once September rolled around. But last year, to my contentment, I continued to be blissfully employed into fall … and winter … and spring. And here we are once again, and once again I’m thinking about all the things I used to do when I started school in September.
There are certainly some things I miss about going back to school in the fall, and though it was more recent for me than it was for most of our readers, I have a feeling we all miss a few things about the usual fall rituals. For many parents, maybe it’s less of what they miss about being in school and more about all the things they look forward to when their kids start school.
There’s just something so crisp and lovely about back to school season. Everything feels fresh and new, the air gets a little cooler, and the school buses are back on the road.
For me, it was the Labour Day weekend trip to Staples for new stationary supplies. I confess, I’m a stationary nerd. My dad works in health care, so I always grew up with him hounding me to give his pens back. He buys very fine tipped, expensive gel ink pens that he says are the best for writing on charts. I can’t say whether or not that’s true, but I can say I did always like his pens the best – at least, I did until I found my own favourite.
Every year before the first day of school, he and my mom would take me to Staples, where I’d pick out an appropriate selection of pens, brightly coloured notebooks and erasers (you can never have too many erasers). Then we’d go to the Cinnabon in the mall and I’d get one of those cinnamon buns the size of your head, and a milk, and I’d be ready to take on another school year and all would be right with the world.
Mind you, the feeling always wore off pretty quick. Then, the realities of homework (middle school), friend drama (high school), and endless textbooks (university) settled in once again.
My favourite pens, for the record, are a cheap retractable one that Staples discontinued a few years back. I’ve been on the lookout for a new favourite ever since.
That’s just one of many back to school rituals, but it was the one I looked forward to most every year. And while I’m no longer in school, you can bet I’ll have a new eraser in hand on Sept. 1. After all, tradition is tradition.