98 Days: Back To School Night

Today I went to back-to-school night with my little sister, Hannah. She's going to start junior high tomorrow.

Isn't she cute? You'd brave your old school for her, too, wouldn't you?

She was SOOOOO excited. She was bouncing through the hallways, smiling bright as the sun. She'd run to one of her classes, then she'd see the teacher and get all embarrassed, looking at her feet. Then she'd grab the disclosure document off of his desk and run back out of there as quick as she could. It was really funny, because she was always so eager to get to each destination, but she didn't want to stay there very long.

At one point, she just leaped into my arms and squealed, "I get to go to this school tomorrow!"

It was back-to-school night for Nik, too.


He's at the junior high as well, but since it's his second year, he wasn't as impressed with it. The most exciting parts of the day for him were 1) When he realized there was a really hot girl with a locker next to his, and 2) When he found out his history teacher and body conditioning teacher are the same person, and that if he screws off in history he'll have to pay for it with laps and push-ups.

And if all that weren't enough, I went with Cari to HER back-to-school stuff, too.



Cari's going to be a sophomore at the high school this year. I was really excited about going with her (I have such fond memories of high school) but the experience turned out quite sour. There's been a lot of construction since I've been there, and a lot of policy changes. (For instance, those kids are allowed to have beards now!) It wasn't different enough that I could think of it as a different school - my elementary school exist no longer, in my mind, since they bulldozed two thirds of it - it was only different enough to be a hollow shell of my own high school career. It wasn't until I got home that I realized why it wasn't as fun as I'd remembered it being: None of my friends were there. :-(

Anyway, they'll all be up early tomorrow, putting on their new school clothes and filling up their backpacks. Thinking about my own school starting up again makes me want to throw up and punch someone in the face. I still have to buy my textbooks, renew my bus pass, get cleared for work, and finalize my housing arrangements. (Really, they should just have a button that says, "I'm bumming off of my parents.") The only thing that's getting me through is Hannah's bright, cheerful face reminding me that school is a fun and exciting place to be.

Thanks, kid.