The never-long-enough summer break is almost over. Soon, classrooms will be full of energetic students and patient teachers.

Parents will buy school supplies with the same desperation that Coast residents snatch up milk and bread when a hurricane is heading their way. Shelves will soon empty of the basics — paper, pencils, pens and notebooks. Only a few sad Trapper Keepers will remain.

I remember the first day back at school as both exciting and terrifying. There were new teachers, new classrooms, new desks and sometimes new friends. My old elementary school seems like a relic from ancient history compared to the high-tech classrooms found in schools today.

There was no electronic white board. There were the old green chalkboards that stayed covered in a dusty powder that always ended up on those new school clothes.

There was no air conditioner. Teachers encouraged parents to send box fans for the first few weeks back in August. The roar of 20 box fans muffled anything the teacher said. They also kept the chalk dust stirred up.

It was so hot in our classrooms we had to keep towels under our legs so the metal desk chairs didn’t burn our skin.

I remember the green and black tile floors and the rusty metal lockers that always seemed to get stuck. We were allowed to put our own locks on them, and the janitor must have cut a dozen of mine off after I lost those tiny keys.

We had scheduled bathrooms breaks — and there were no stalls for privacy that modern children demand. There was a trough.

We also had to brush our teeth during the afternoon bathroom break. I don’t remember ever seeing other children brushing their teeth at school, but my third-grade teacher demanded it. And she was scary enough that none of us questioned it.

Much has changed since I was in elementary school, but some things remain the same. Teachers are still loving, kind and generous. They still treat students like they are children of their own. They still give out hugs and candy and smiles. They still work to build the confidence that will one day send children into the world on their own.

Teachers are a special breed for sure. But too often their service goes unnoticed. So to all the teachers out there who spend more time with their students than their own children, I say thank you. You are appreciated. You are valued.

 

Luke Horton is the publisher of the Daily Leader.