Last night Bossy watched and listened while her neighborhood attempted to put its children to bed at a reasonable hour after a long lawless summer. Bossy couldn’t stop imagining the kids tucked in their beds, all of them anticipating the first day of school with that special combination of optimism and dread.
Bossy remembers that first day feeling from her own childhood. Bossy also remembers selecting her first day outfit from the small stack of clothes purchased for the new school year.
Bossy doesn’t know about her daughter, but Bossy can sum her typical first day of school experience in this way: Bossy insisted on dressing like fall despite lingering summer temperatures.
Which is what today’s Ten-Word Challenge is all about. In exactly ten words, can you share a first day of school experience?
And be sure to check back later today for the best first days on the web.
If you missed last week’s Ten-Word Challenge, don’t! Click here to read over one-hundred recipe triumphs and disasters.
Taking two buses to distressed part of town. Mature 12.
Hey, she looks friendly. Became close friend through adult years.
Geesh even after a whole summer the cafeteria still smells.
Oh God, two hundred seventy days to go. This sucks.
Oh God, (insert number of) years to go. This sucks.
Homemade corduroy vest and pants, everyone else in Levis. Humiliated.
Early alarm clock, chilly kitchen, carpool = gin. Not ready.
practiced walking in chunky, high heels all summer – still had blisters!
Sweet butterflies turn to angry, rabid bats in my stomach.
I have worked hard to extinguish the painful, agnstful memories.
Grade 6 first day. Grandfather died. Missed whole first week.
dread, filled with more dread…
Early morning,, swedish pancakes,, noisy bus, sweet learning time
Separated from my twin and mother? I cried all day.
Hoping that this year will be different. It never was.
freshman- lost my clothes shopping money – wore old clothes, mortified.
“This year, I’ll keep my notebooks orderly and learn”. Right.
Military kid. New school almost every year. Be my friend?
Freshman locker combination a nightmare, As was creepy locker neighbor.
New pencils, fresh erasers, squeaky new notebooks, precisely edged paper!
Sixth grade. New school. Walked into class with belt undone.
First grade, only kid without Mom, she taught high school.
My red plastic clogs made scary first grade year tolerable.
First year I bought “cool” clothes with babysitting money. ROCKED.
Nun’s habit brushing me as she swooped down rows CHILLS
Life-long fear of nuns- oh no -sister became one
Sister nun no more three kids- me big sigh relief
Not wasting a new outfit on just a half day!
. . not a donut, it’s a bagel! 4th grade suburban outcast.
My sister threw up on her teacher, got sent home.
Seniors smoking weed in back of bus; huddled behind driver.
Teacher told our class we looked small. She meant young.
6th grade, wore new fall sweater in Sept in Arizona, nearly died
Me: plaid dress, loafers. Them: dirty bell bottoms. I’m dead.
New: School, teachers, classes, clothes
Old: Being New Kid again
First day high school, 1974. Left house on third try.
‘Twas the night before Kindergarten, my little girl just started!
Fourth grade, was out the first week sick, was new…
Wearing gah-awful black leather and velveteen saddle oxfords, explains shoe addiction.
Awaken at five, to attempt the perfect Farrah Fawcett hair.
Huge crush on Bossy’s math teacher kept her going back.
47-12-3: First locker combination. Terrified of embarrassment, forgetting. Permanently memorized.
Just calculated, I’ve had that memorized for 47 years now!
Little girls in first-day best, photographed for posterity before school.
–>I loved the idea of new school supplies, not school.
WebSavvyMom says it all!
The only first day I remember was kindergarten. I towered over the neighbor boys.
Did Bossy really wear Earth Shoes with bell bottoms? Mine were worn with painter’s pants!
Can remember new dress, stiff shoes, and new lunch box!
Hated it (x5)
Kids all gone, I don’t do it anymore, thank goodness.
Brown jumper, white shirt, knee socks, bus-stop… Catholic school doldrums.
Fall clothes, summer temps, sweated – looked like I peed pants.
Painter’s Pants. Lord Bossy had forgotten. These days, for work.
I’m nervous. Kids aren’t. I learn so much from them!
Corduroy pants, matching flannel shirt, 100 degree bus ride home.
Don’t hit your teacher on the first day of kindergarten.
Amanda and I drank mimosas, played hooky, and had fun!!!
New shoes, fresh school supplies, cautious and misplaced optimism.
9th grade, painters pants,halter, what was my mother thinking????
(I looked very cute, but seriously………totally inappropriate!!!)
threat of private boarding school (not the cool kind of private boarding school) was the only thing that kept me in school – that and the thought that in 3 more years it would all be done and over with.
Levi flare cords, oh which color to choose and coordinate.
Bib overalls, 16th birthday gift from friends – all the rage.
I will be popular, despite braces. And glasses. And…crap.
a teacher’s 10 words: shit, damn, crap, where did summer go?, smiles, welcomes, hugs.
Kindergartener Caroline wore glasses – they’re for old people, not kids!
Much begging for matching outfit–blue pantsuit w/green frog–Thrilled!
Nervous,excited,can’t sleep!….oh yeah, and I’m the teacher!!!
From 40-student primary to boarding school – BIG shock to system!
Dark ages, girls wore skirts, changed year after graduation, bah.
Mom insisted on cutting my bangs herself. Too fucking short!
Fall: Uniform Skirt too long….Spring…..skirt WAAAAYYYY too short!
Sister Nancy busted Suzy: Green shorts under short uniform jumper.
4th grade blows.