Do you remember how excited you were as a student to go back to school? Remember the smell of the new school supplies which brought a tingle of excitement mixed with the fear of going into a new grade and what that would bring?

You would get a different teacher for home room and see many teachers from last year too. There might even be some new  teachers on staff to get to know.

Yes, I remember the excitement well. There was some sadness that the summer was ending, but with that sadness came the expectation that in the not to distant future the apple harvest was going to start.

With the harvest came the scent of autumn which in it’s fullness would bring out all it’s colors. The harvest was also time to get into the apple trees and make some more money to spend on new clothes for school.

Let us get back to the first day of school. We rural students had to take the school bus. The bus driver was usually the same. We had Mr. Dawson but once in a while Mrs. Emerick drove too. She always chewed gum and wore a captain’s hat. Everybody respected the drivers.

When you got on the bus everybody looked fresh and there was a buzz of excitement in the air. You would find a seat and watch all the next people get on the bus. The drive on the first day always seemed to take forever getting to school.

Eventually we arrived at school and exited the bus. The big school doors were daunting, but through them we would go. The school then always smelled new and fresh, the floors were shiny, the walls were clean. The air had a feeling of excitement and expectation.

The first tasks were to find home room and meet up with all your old friends, greet your teacher, get a locker, text books, and your class schedule.

Once everything was in order then learning began in earnest. So it was, the first day melted into the second and thus began the year.
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