Transitions
Mid-August. This time of year always does something to me. Historically, it's been part of the back-to-school arc — preparing for it mentally, shopping for it, and in the case of my college days, actually going to it. Counting all my education, I've spent twenty Augusts in this state of mind... and on this dog day Saturday with nothing else going on, I feel like I should be making the usual preparations.
It looks like most of the academic institutions around here (both upper and lower) will be in full swing in a little over a week. That puts us more into late August. When I was in public school, things started up in early September — while college leaned more toward the August 15 timeframe. You wouldn't think that week would matter one way or the other, but I'm sure it does. One more week of summer when you're a kid is like adding an extra holiday to the calendar when you're an adult. Not a bad idea, by the way — provided it's a freebie holiday which doesn't require a lot of extra work and stress. Think Labor Day, not Christmas.
I don't know when the school calendar shifted around like this, but I think it has something to do with all the extra time off school kids have today. When I was in school, "early out day" meant we got out of school one hour early every other month or so. Today it's two hours, ten times a year. There are also these things called "ISE Days" — four of those. We didn't have anything like that. And don't get me started on snow days. When I was in school, they put chains on the bus tires when it snowed, and your ass got hauled to school. Yeah, we had our fair share of snow days sometimes, but we usually got them when there was an imminent six to nine inches of snow or more (imminent in this case meaning five inches had already fallen and there were no signs of it letting up). I can't remember any instance of them letting school out early because of the mere threat of foul weather. It may very well have happened, but I don't recall it.
In the interest of comparing apples to apples, I've looked at the calendars for both Raleigh County (since I was in that school system growing up) and Kanawha County. Both are sprinkled with the aforementioned ISE days, but Kanawha County has the early out days while Raleigh County does not — at least they're not marked as such on their calendar.
I remember a Bill Cosby skit in which he talked about walking miles to and from school through three feet of snow, uphill both ways. I'm not making a claim like that at all. I realize it sounds like it, but that isn't my intent.
Generally speaking, I feel out of touch with the world anymore, and it's good to have the comfortable familiar feeling this time of year brings me. In a month we'll be in the midst of either Indian Summer or dropping temperatures, there will be a slight touch of color in the trees, and the holiday seasons will be fast approaching (accelerated, of course, by the relentless march of commercialism). School will be fully in motion, there will be a semblance of order and routine. Given the relative chaos over the last month or so, I think that's the best I can ask for — and I'm thankful for it.
Comments on "Transitions":
So Brad, I definitely remember getting out of school early because of snow, because for some strange reason I drove all the way to the mall with Kara after we got let out early and by the time I got home, I was sliding all over the place. Near your house, if I recall correctly. So there!
# Posted by Becky Robinson on August 22, 2009 @ 20:04:34 EDT.
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On Goodbye, Blossom, Martha said: We can still dress up and go to Laury's. Or Aubrey's. Or even Soho's, if/when I get over being mad.