Teachers go back to school today for pre-planning (which is kind of a redundancy, since “planning” implies something you do ahead of time, but I digress). The first week of school where teachers are back but students aren’t are kind of the back bar of teaching. It’s all the inner workings without all that messy teaching and grading going on. Just the adults, doing their thing, and being able to eat lunch at a normal pace for the last little bit until the students arrive.
Plus, you get to unpack all your brand new office supplies!
I should have figured out I’d be a writer or teacher way early on. I love school, and I really love school supplies. Freshly sharpened pencils, rubber band balls, markers with glitter or stamps on the end, fun rubber stamps, stickers, cool paper…the list goes on and on. This year, I decided to treat myself to a new pen for grading that the kids won’t be tempted to lift: a Pelikano school pen (a fountain pen), purple ink. Usually, they freak when they see a nib, so it’s much less likely to go walking than my cheapie PaperMate ballpoints.
When I think school shopping, I think office supplies, not clothes. What are your back to school memories?
New shoes. When I was in elementary school, we didn’t need our own supplies. The schools provided everything. I think the only thing we would be allowed to bring to school was crayons, and the 64 box was a big hit. It wasn’t until junior high that we had to supply our own stuff. I probably got a new back-to-school wardrobe, but I really have very few memories of those days. Then, I’m old, so I don’t have many memories left at all, I fear.