It seemed when I was a kid, no matter how the school year went downhill later, the first day was always something to anticipate. In those younger, elementary school years, I’d hunger over the summer for school pizza, rolls, and mashed potatoes. I still get a growl in my gut remembering it. Then came the day we went out and got the school supplies. Pencils, notepads full of clean white paper, and if the one we possessed last year had gotten well worn, a new Trapper Keeper! I’d go home, set out my ruler, scissors, unsharpened pencils and paper, protractor (did I ever use that?) and…the best supply of all, new crayons. In our house, we rarely got the 64-count Crayola box with its own crayon sharpener, but we did get the size below it, and that was fine with us. I would sit, and sniff the crayons, imagining myself working hard to color a beautiful illustration worthy of being hung on the classroom wall. I remember the time I got my finger caught in the see-saw at Sutherland Elementary. It smashed it pretty good, and Mr. Freer, the music teacher, was drinking water from a cola can. He poured the cold water on my finger. We had to color an apple later that day in class, and I did a HORRIBLE job of staying in the lines. Why couldn’t I have mashed a finger on my RIGHT hand? Anyway, coloring correctly was a huge deal. In my older years and not having children, I am fairly out of touch with everything students are asked to bring in for supplies. I do know that many schools gather them from all students, and they become available to any that need them throughout the year. But as some teachers will tell you, they always end up going out many times to buy supplies to add to the collection.
I remember those days at Sutherland, and Mrs. Fran White operating the office “store,” where you could buy things you needed for class like red pencils with black lettering that said “SUTHERLAND TIGERS – No. 2” and notebooks with big smiley faces on them, in any color you wanted. Even though the supplies have changed slightly, and the way they are distributed, they are still very, very needed. Please, as you make the trip to the store to get supplies for your child’s school, pick up a few extra and bring them in to the Cromwell Media office at 1115 Tamarack. Let’s make sure kids still share that excitement for the first day of class like we did. Give them the tools they need!
