New School Year Excitement
By Joe Rector
Life settled back to a normal state this past week. Children returned to school, some excited for a new adventure and some dreading the demands of classes. Either way, thirteen years of schooling are inevitable for most young people. We older humans only had twelve years since kindergarten was something only rich folks provided for their children. I’m no longer associated as a student or teacher with school, but I remember how excited I always was for the beginning of a new school year.
Daddy would drive the family to West Haven, where mother and we three boys hopped on a bus. We’d ride to downtown Knoxville to shop for school clothes. During that time, no malls were around. The major department stores were located on Gay Street. At some point, Miller’s bought a storefront on Henley Street, so we could shop from both of the company’s buildings.
Jim and I always got a couple of pairs of jeans. Our eating habits dictated that we wear “husky” jeans, a kinder way of saying fat-boy jeans. Mother would buy us a shirt or two, and that was it. She was a phenomenal seamstress and made us shirts for school.
The only other thing we received in the way of clothing was a new pair of orthopedic shoes. They looked like Frankenstein clodhoppers, and classmates rarely missed chances to make fun of our ugly footwear.
More exciting than new clothes were the school supplies that we bought. I never had a Trapper Keeper, the notebook that was cool. Instead, we got the Blue Horse notebook and a pack of paper. If we were lucky, Mother would splurge and buy us dividers that we could use for different classes.
The official start to the school year always fell on the day after Labor Day. We woke up early to put on new clothes and shoes. Then we made sure all of our new supplies were neatly stacked together. For the first few years, our Aunt Nellie drove Mother, a new teacher, and us to school, along with our cousins. She had no positive feelings for Mother, and some mornings included a tense ride to Ball Camp Elementary.
That same excitement for the first day of school was colored by fear when freshman year arrived. We, in the eighth grade, had heard the horror stories of the initiation tactics used by seniors. None of us wanted to push a penny with our noses down the front hall or be sent looking for a sky hook. Most feared of all was a gang of senior boys taking a freshman to Beaver Creek, which ran behind the school, and tossing the poor soul into the water.
Still, we managed to keep a low profile for the first few days and avoid as much contact as possible with any upperclassmen. Our small groups traveled campus together. Classes were completely different since we had to find classrooms and arrive on time for each session. The mothering ended with the beginning of high school.
Clothing choices had changed for secondary school. Jeans weren’t as popular. Boys wore slacks and collared shirts. Girls constantly searched for that little loop of cloth on the back of those shirts and snipped them for collection, much like Native Americans supposedly collected scalps years ago. No one wore tennis shoes to school. Loafers or stylish shoes were the fad, except for some of us who still wore clodhoppers. Socks were required, and any boy who chose not to wear them faced being sent home for the day.
Girls had ridiculous clothing, although boys loved the choices. Females weren’t allowed to wear pants at school. So, they put on pantyhose and then slipped into miniskirts that barely covered the backsides. For young males, it was a feast for the eyes.
Hair styles changed too. Longer locks were a must for boys, and girls also grew hair out so they could then straighten the stuff with an iron and an ironing board. Sideburns were frowned upon, so every boy who could grew them just to test the patience of the administration.
The new school year was always a big hit for us back then. We would see once again friends who’d been absent in our lives for the summer. Diving into a new subject and textbook was also done with the determination to do better than the year before.
The truth is that within a couple of weeks, we were over the newness of school. Too many of us fell into bored states and looked for other things to occupy our time. Classes were excruciatingly dull or difficult, and the reading material was unbearable. Textbooks stayed in lockers for the remainder of the year. Few notes were taken. The results from such negligence were bad grades that led to groundings. It was at those times that we once again prayed for summer break and freedom from what had just so recently been something about which to be excited.
It’s coming before too long, parents, so be prepared for the change in attitudes, especially in your teenagers. I’m sure glad those school days are over for me.
