First Day of the School Year

As I look back on my years of teaching on the second anniversary of my retirement.

The first day of school, we always met en masse: teachers from all five elementary, one junior high, and the high school. Usually, it was in the high school auditorium, which would be crowded to the point of teachers sitting in the aisles.

The coaches and their ilk usually sat in the very back and messed around for the whole time. And we yell at kids when they do that. I normally got a spot under a light so I could read a paper or do some writing when it got boring, which it often would.

The superintendent would get up and give a positive speech about all the great things that had happened over the summer, and all the fantastic things in store for us this school year.

Then, little golden apple insignias would be given out to teachers and staff reaching five year milestones in their Round Lake service. I ended up with six of these.

We would then have a lunch. Usually the district would make it for us.

Afternoons were taken up with meetings, and, if really fortunate, we'd get a chance to work in our rooms. This was something I needed as this would be my first day at my school. Other teachers would start coming in a week or more earlier to "set up."

A Long and Boring Day. --RoadDog