Elementary school starts on Monday, which means we will be spending the weekend completing the scavenger hunt known as collecting the supplies on the school list. Big Brother is entering 3rd grade. I suppose that makes him an upperclassman in his school. I’m sure this will be reflected in his maturity level going forward.
Big Brother is expected to show up at 3rd grade with a veritable bounty of supplies. I showed up for my 3rd grade with a shirt, pants, and shoes. Everybody was fine with that. Eventually, I acquired a pencil, and after that, an eraser. They need a lot more stuff to write with now. Maybe they’re more furious writers; they probably press down harder on the pencils.
Our supply list consisted of the clothes on our backs and anything useful we could find in the woods. (Image: Lewis Wickes Hine)
They need a bunch of sandwich bags too. If sandwich bags hadn’t become a staple school supply I believe the zip-lock people would be out of business. What American eats a sandwich small enough to fit in a sandwich bag anymore?
Buster starts preschool in a couple of weeks. This will be his last year there before Kindergarten. How can I be sure he’ll be ready to move on to Kindergarten next year? Because the public pays for Kindergarten, while I pay for preschool. So if Buster can’t read by this time next year, he’s officially a taxpayer liability.
Big Man will start preschool next fall, which is another reason Buster has to be out of the pipeline by then. Do you think Frank and Jesse James were allowed in the same preschool concurrently? Some things are just too much to ask of society.
I’m not sure Big Man will need two years of preschool, and my wallet tends to agree with me. I never went to preschool and I learned to read and write somewhere along the way. I’m mostly all caught up to the other readers in my age group by now.
My knowledge of letters and numbers was of little concern to my preschool teacher. It was more important that I have soft hands. (Image: Frances Benjamin Johnston)
My wife says she wants him to start preschool mostly for socialization reasons. He’s pretty good with other kids already, and sometimes I think she almost agrees he doesn’t need it. But then she takes a good, hard look at his social train wreck of a father and is reaffirmed in her conviction to spare no expense in preventing that tragedy from happening again.
It’s hard to argue with her when uses visual aids to convince me: like a mirror.
Once I get over the adjustments required by the new school year, I will settle down to the knowledge that Buster goes to a very fine preschool and Big Brother’s elementary is equally good. The tuition and the supply hunting are a small price to pay to cement my children’s futures – though Big Brother is about to find out his future can be cemented just as well with a 24 pack of crayons as with a 64 pack.
There’s nothing you can do with antique fuchsia you can’t do with heliotrope.
This too is an important lesson in his education.
Snoozing on the Sofa 
Wait until middle school. Imagine that school list TIMES 7 – for EACH teacher. I was blown over. That same kid starts high school this year…they don’t distribute “the list” until after the first day. Believe me, I saved all the un-used supplies from last year to use again this year. I’m hoping high school goes back to a smaller, more compact list…I guess I’ll find out next week. Have a good first day of school!
We may have to trade in his backpack for a wheelbarrow. Best of luck to your new highschooler.
YOur humor shines through this post, Scott! I laughed several times outloud. Finally you are getting a break (no wait your wife is… You will be working) for some hard earned SILENCE in the house. Do you have any sick days coming so that you can just lay back on the couch to appreciate that silence? Totally loved this post … Keep up the great work! I can see the inspirations moving a mile a minute now! YAY!!! I look forward to the school stories as I know there will be, especially with your boys. LOL ❤
Thanks, Amy. The beginning of school just means we have to juggle all the children to a different rhythm than we juggled them in the summer. More of the same, only different.
Once you learn the rhythm, Scott, it will become a piece of cake. The unfamiliar we struggle with then one day it becomes known. Good luck!!! I cannot even imagine getting 3 boys to 3 different schools!! ❤
It’s only 2 schools now. It’ll be a couple of years before it’s 3 schools. Can’t wait. That’ll be a blast!
Oops. I misunderstood. It’s ONLY two for now, hmmmmm. The three is going to be the bonus! 🙂
It will be awesome!
LOVE your enthusiasm, Scott. 😉 Tee hee …..
It holds back the tears.
Sounds familiar ….. (((HUGS))) ❤
Since when did antique fuchsia and heliotrope become Crayola colors? Probably around the same time sandwiches topped fitting in ziploc sandwich bags. A great post, Snoozin’. 🙂
Thank you. Crayola won’t stop until they own all the hues.
One needs antique fuchsia they just do…Maybe home school is cheaper? LOL
Are you kidding? I don’t wanna spend all day with these kids.
You’ll love it!
Right up until the stroke.
Well yeah that is a risk you take but worth it for that colour…
*Note Gibber Jabberin is back in action. 😉
Awesome! You couldn’t stay away from the party, could you?
Well technically I could. Tippy Gnu is running the majority of it..lol
You could, but you can’t.
That’s it.
The supplies list gets shorter in high school but the items get more expensive. The TXP-95ARxcpt/–34 minicomputer/calculator for algebra? The ASB card, yearbook, pottery class extras…don’t get me started on sports. Oh man, and then if they do well they go off to college. Have I mentioned my kids are out of the house this year?
I had a really reliable calculator in school. It consisted of a pencil and a sheet of paper. You have a house all to yourself? Are you gonna read all evening or throw huge parties?
I used a slide rule for a year, I never knew what I was doing but I wrote down what the little line told me to and 50% of the time I was right. I’m going to read Sunday-Thursday and have parties Friday & Saturday ($5 at the door, 3 drink minimum).
A small price to pay for being entertained by a well-read host.
I was given an IQ test in 1st, 2nd, and 3rd grade to diagnose what might be wrong with me and despite that I learned to read, to write, and I’ve even worked with a Nobel prize winner. Through it all I’ve learned it’s not a race, we all get to the finish line.
I’m glad it’s not a race because if it were you’d be way ahead of me. The closest I’ve come to a Noble Prize winner is a tin of Norwegian biscuits at World Market. Thanks for the perspective.
Watching some of the kids carry their school backpacks I wonder who they manage not falling over backwards… anyway… good luck with everything 🙂
Thank you. There is a not insignificant part of me that dislikes the whole backpack school culture.
Looking back to how it was for us I struggle with the backpack idea. We were able to leave all books at school, in our desks or in a locker. We only had to carry the homework home. Now it seems to be totally different. At least here in Australia. They have to take everything home and back to school on a daily base. The backpacks are massive and way to heavy for kids. I often watch kids slightly bent over while walking home because the backpack is too heavy for them. Can’t be good for their bodies in the long run…
It’s no good for their backs and it doesn’t teach them to plan what they need when.
Exactly!
Jon only $3 per drink! I’m there.
and the heavy backpacks is the main reason why makers of wheelie-cases are making small fortunes…I suspect i’ts a conspiracy and that some teachers have profit sharing agreements with the wheelie-bag-makers.
Our kids are asked not to bring wheels. The teachers must have a deal with the chiropractors.
Maybe it’s too noisy.
That’s probably it.
I knew it. Call me Mr Google…
No wait. I prefer Captain Chrome.
Or Doctor Firefox.