It's that time, school has started in some areas of the country and will be starting soon here in Maryland. Labor day is only twelve days off, the unofficial end of summer. Can pumpkins and corn stalks be far behind? Well, they are already in the lead, at least at the major retail stores they are.
I had been talking about this with my sister, all the grandkids going back in the different areas of the country where they live, and how things have changed. Of course we started with, talking to my sister about grandkids! Just how that happened we are both a little confused about. How can my sister have grandchildren? And how can I have a grandson that is a senior in high school? I'm her little brother. It does seem a bit surreal at times, especially when we begin talking about the old days. The old days weren't all that many years ago, where they? Well, it was a different century. And that, that is a sobering fact.
She had mentioned that school had started in Florida. She lives there but as I mentioned all her grandchildren elsewhere. She was telling me on the news they were reporting the air conditioning in a number of schools in Dade county Florida wasn't working. The temperature in the classrooms were exceeding 100 degrees. You would have thought they would have checked all that out before school even started, but apparently that's not the case. I guess they had no money for that stuff, too busy buying Narcan for the drug addicts or housing illegals I guess, but don't get me started on all of that this morning. At any rate that's when I mentioned how we used to just open the windows. Yes, you could open the windows in the schools I attended, except for my senior year when we went to the new school. That school is 47 years old this year and I hear they say it needs replacing, too old ya know. What? Well, anyway that school was air conditioned and the windows didn't open. Or maybe they did, tilt out at the bottom or something, I really don't remember. But, we had chalk boards that much is certain.
I expect schools being designed and built these days are a lot different. First and foremost I guess we have to design them to act like a fortress. Are they installing bullet proof glass and doors that resist explosions? I wouldn't be a bit surprised if they are. What security features are being installed as " standard " equipment these days? That gives you something to think about doesn't it. I said to my wife just the other day, I can see a day when we have no public schools at all. Everyone will learn at home. Maybe they will have " extra curricular " centers where you can take your children for those activities. Centers that are heavily fortified and secure.
Sorry I got distracted I was talking about opening the windows. When I went to school elementary was grades one through six. We didn't have middle school, at least I never heard it called that. It wasn't in a separate building that much is certain. No, grades seven and eight were in the high school. As I recall those grades were held mainly in the basement and the first floor. High schoolers were on the first and second floors. I do believe that art class was in the basement, at the end of the hall but like I said that was 48 years ago, so my memory is a bit hazy. All the classrooms on the first and second floor had rather large double hung windows which could be opened and frequently were. You could hear the street sounds, or lacking traffic, the birds chirping. I remember getting yelled at by the teacher for staring out the windows instead of paying attention. In the spring it was hard not to. In the winter months, those windows would be closed but you could see the snow when it started and a murmur would go through the classroom. Would we get out early? I don't remember that ever happening but there was always hope.
That old school building is still in use to this day. I haven't been there to inspect it but I'm certain it has undergone many upgrades over the years. I didn't think much about it when I was going there but my Mom and Dad both attended that school. I did sit in the same classrooms as they had. I even had a teacher that had taught my mother! And we thought that Mom and that teacher were pretty old people. Oh the stories that building could tell.
I remember going back to that school years after I had graduated. I was a Navy recruiter then and had gone " home " to visit Mom and Dad. I wore my uniform to go to the old school and hopefully see some of my teachers. I did meet a few that were still there. One teacher, sadly her name escapes me was my English teacher. She was retiring that very year. I spoke with her and she hugged me and began to cry just a bit. She told me how awful the students were these days, not polite and respectful like the " old " days. She said how much changed in such a short period of time since I had been her student. That exchange touched me and that's why I remember it. To see your teacher acting like a regular person, with feelings and everything, was a bit of a shock. But I think we viewed teachers differently back then. A lot of things were viewed differently back then. Back when we looked through an open window. Aw, good days, good memories.
I had been talking about this with my sister, all the grandkids going back in the different areas of the country where they live, and how things have changed. Of course we started with, talking to my sister about grandkids! Just how that happened we are both a little confused about. How can my sister have grandchildren? And how can I have a grandson that is a senior in high school? I'm her little brother. It does seem a bit surreal at times, especially when we begin talking about the old days. The old days weren't all that many years ago, where they? Well, it was a different century. And that, that is a sobering fact.
She had mentioned that school had started in Florida. She lives there but as I mentioned all her grandchildren elsewhere. She was telling me on the news they were reporting the air conditioning in a number of schools in Dade county Florida wasn't working. The temperature in the classrooms were exceeding 100 degrees. You would have thought they would have checked all that out before school even started, but apparently that's not the case. I guess they had no money for that stuff, too busy buying Narcan for the drug addicts or housing illegals I guess, but don't get me started on all of that this morning. At any rate that's when I mentioned how we used to just open the windows. Yes, you could open the windows in the schools I attended, except for my senior year when we went to the new school. That school is 47 years old this year and I hear they say it needs replacing, too old ya know. What? Well, anyway that school was air conditioned and the windows didn't open. Or maybe they did, tilt out at the bottom or something, I really don't remember. But, we had chalk boards that much is certain.
I expect schools being designed and built these days are a lot different. First and foremost I guess we have to design them to act like a fortress. Are they installing bullet proof glass and doors that resist explosions? I wouldn't be a bit surprised if they are. What security features are being installed as " standard " equipment these days? That gives you something to think about doesn't it. I said to my wife just the other day, I can see a day when we have no public schools at all. Everyone will learn at home. Maybe they will have " extra curricular " centers where you can take your children for those activities. Centers that are heavily fortified and secure.
Sorry I got distracted I was talking about opening the windows. When I went to school elementary was grades one through six. We didn't have middle school, at least I never heard it called that. It wasn't in a separate building that much is certain. No, grades seven and eight were in the high school. As I recall those grades were held mainly in the basement and the first floor. High schoolers were on the first and second floors. I do believe that art class was in the basement, at the end of the hall but like I said that was 48 years ago, so my memory is a bit hazy. All the classrooms on the first and second floor had rather large double hung windows which could be opened and frequently were. You could hear the street sounds, or lacking traffic, the birds chirping. I remember getting yelled at by the teacher for staring out the windows instead of paying attention. In the spring it was hard not to. In the winter months, those windows would be closed but you could see the snow when it started and a murmur would go through the classroom. Would we get out early? I don't remember that ever happening but there was always hope.
That old school building is still in use to this day. I haven't been there to inspect it but I'm certain it has undergone many upgrades over the years. I didn't think much about it when I was going there but my Mom and Dad both attended that school. I did sit in the same classrooms as they had. I even had a teacher that had taught my mother! And we thought that Mom and that teacher were pretty old people. Oh the stories that building could tell.
I remember going back to that school years after I had graduated. I was a Navy recruiter then and had gone " home " to visit Mom and Dad. I wore my uniform to go to the old school and hopefully see some of my teachers. I did meet a few that were still there. One teacher, sadly her name escapes me was my English teacher. She was retiring that very year. I spoke with her and she hugged me and began to cry just a bit. She told me how awful the students were these days, not polite and respectful like the " old " days. She said how much changed in such a short period of time since I had been her student. That exchange touched me and that's why I remember it. To see your teacher acting like a regular person, with feelings and everything, was a bit of a shock. But I think we viewed teachers differently back then. A lot of things were viewed differently back then. Back when we looked through an open window. Aw, good days, good memories.
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