August--The Dog Days of -- SCHOOL?

I was talking to my daughter the other day and I asked her when she went back to work? She is a teacher so I was checking to see when school started. "We went back today," she answered.

Now, I grew up in Pennsylvania and school ALWAYS started the Thursday after Labor Day. To this day that is a sacred date for me. Any deviance from that date bothers me. I should also add that I taught in Florida for 17 years and both of my children attended school there. I am very familiar with school starting in August. There were a few years when I had to go back to work at the end of July!

And I HATED IT!!!! I still do! When she told me she had already gone back to work and the kids would be starting school on August 12, it was like a physical kick in my stomach. UGH! YUCK! EW!

I could hear the amusement in her voice as she heard my reaction. I know she was thinking, "What does it matter to you? You're retired." True, but so what? I still hate it.

August is for summer. It is the last hurrah for vacationers. The last chance for picnics. The sun still sets at 9:00. Why should kids have to be in bed by 8:00?

I know that in places like Florida the weather in August is just as hot as September. I know hurricane season really gets going in September. I remember well, the September of 2004 when 3 hurricanes in a row closed schools repeatedly and suddenly we were looking at makeup dates. It probably is just as good that we had a month of school in before the constant interruptions. (Ha. Truthfully, I'm just being Politically Correct on that one. Would it make any difference if school had been in session 10 days? Not really.)

There are other concerns as well. A lot of northern families I know take vacations in August. Half my neighborhood is empty right now with families getting in those final trips before September days roll around. After all, when the weather turns hot and sultry where better to be than at the beach or in the mountains?

When we lived in Florida it was difficult finding a time to get together when my family always had to be home by the beginning of August. We have aunts, uncles and cousins from up and down the east coast, including Canada, and we gathered in Connecticut. Some of them were in school until late June. August was the traditional month to get together. But my family would be heading back to school.

All this is just Stuff, I know. In the long run everything works out so while I may vent about it, it doesn't change anything. Teachers and kids do just fine going to school in August. I survived just fine when I did it.

But each year, when in early August I hear people talking about school starting 'next week', it still feels like a kick in the gut to me!

So, to my buddies in Florida, it may not be as big a deal to you, who grew up there, than it was for me, but today you have my sympathies! Just remember, vacation may be over, but there is still 6 weeks left of summer, so PARTY ON! (on the weekends.) I'll be sitting on the deck, book in one hand and screwdriver in the other! (NO! Not the handy tool, silly. The one with Florida Sunshine!) This one's for you!

Is It Really (JUST) August?

Tonight the world seems a little cock-eyed. The calendar is confusing. As I sit here typing, my husband is watching the first football game of the season. Football? Really? I like football actually, but it seems to me we don't need a lot of games before September. As if that isn't enough, I realize my daughter who is a teacher, goes back to work tomorrow...August 9! Come this Friday, the kids in her school district will be heading back to school.

It is at times like this I am REALLY glad I am retired. I was a teacher too, and although I lived in Florida for almost 30 years, I never got used to school starting in August. In my day, we always went back to school the first Thursday after Labor Day. August was the best month of the summer. We got out of school in the middle of June. Then after attending camp at Pennington Island (our church camp), for a week, I headed to Connecticut and Maine for the month of August. Those were heavenly days, made even better because I spent them with my best friend. We were so lucky. Usually Wendy and I headed to Maine for two weeks with her family. Then our families would meet, or my parents would come to Maine, and the two of us would head to Connecticut for 2 weeks with my family.

For several years I was able to take my own family to Connecticut in August. My sisters and I would often overlap our families for a few days. The trip from Florida to Connecticut included visits with friends and family as I traveled north. It was always my favorite part of summer. Even after I started teaching, we were able to make the trip and we would leave just in time to get back for school. It was a 3 day drive for us. The first day was a melancholy drive south as we knew summer was over. We'd stop at Nanny's or Aunt Sue's for the night. Day 2 was the transition day for me. By Day 3 as I drove through the Carolina's I would start planning the programs I wanted to promote at school. By the time I arrived home, the transition was complete and I was ready to go back to work.

Unfortunately, school districts started pushing the beginning of the school year earlier and earlier. Going north in August wasn't possible. I had to readjust my outlook about summertime.

Going back to work wasn't actually as bad as thinking about it. The first day back was fun for me as a teacher, just as it was as a student. Seeing everyone, getting the news, beginning the routine... work and school are an important part of our lives. The routine keeps us moving forward.

But August 9? It is days like this that make me glad I have retired. I loved my job, but tomorrow when I wake up, it will still be summer for me. And now that I'm back in the northeast, I'm happy to see that the kids in this neighborhood will still be enjoying summer for another few weeks.

As for Jen and the kids in Florida....Have a good year. I hope the hurricanes steer clear and the year goes well.

As for Football.... The Hall of Fame game is just the beginning. Pretty soon it will be exhibition games and then the season will be on for real. I'm going to enjoy the last days of summer to the full. The writing is on the wall. Fall is just around the corner!