Moo

I was amazed to look at my blog and realize it's been almost exactly a year since I last posted. Once again, I will be attending "school" for two hours at each of my children's schools. I'm not looking forward to it. I don't mind attending the classes and hearing from the various teachers.

What I mind is feeling like one of a herd, moving in a mass, the crush of so many people. Sometimes, when I'm feeling silly, I'm tempted to add sound effects. "Moooo" But folks probably wouldn't appreciate my expressing that sentiment. Or would they?

It recently occurred to me why I seem to have less tolerance for shopping and generally avoid being around crowds of people. I'm spoiled.

For most of my growing up years, I lived on a piece of land that was surrounded by other, much larger pieces of land. The grasslands extended for miles. There were few trees. Cattle and horses could be seen. But they had enough space to run around and move. I could see for miles around in most directions. Neighbors were too far away to conveniently chat with them often - or to be offended if you didn't.

I could see the sunset. And the sun rise. I could see the mass of stars that are part of our galaxy. I could see why it was called the Milky Way. It took me a few years after moving to town to realize what was "wrong" with the sky. Most of the stars were missing! I kept expecting them to show up - expecting that the weather was obscuring them. Then I realized that one had to drive quite a number of miles outside the city just to see them.

In the countryside where I grew up, I could see a mass of thunderclouds, feel the wind whipping around me, smell the rain as a thunderstorm moved in. I couldn't stand to stay inside when I saw one coming. We didn't have air-conditioning (here in central Texas). A thunderstorm meant a break from the heat. I would run out into the yard and relish the wind - with simple, sheer joy. The animals could feel it too. The pony would run around and around. You can't smell the rain as easily in the city. At best, you get a mix of asphalt and rain. Not so pleasant.

I was spoiled with the space, the privacy, the wide open spaces I grew up in. I miss them. I think when I'm in a crowd of people, I feel I am being denied something important - something I feel entitled to - something I feel everyone ought to be entitle to - space. I guess a part of me really is still a country girl at heart. If you've grown up in a place where you never have space, maybe you can be ok with it because you don't know what you're missing. I guess I still haven't learned to be ok with it.

Not that the city doesn't have its perks. I like being able to get to a grocery store in 5 minutes or less - versus the 15 to 20 minutes that it took, when I was a kid, to drive the 20 MILES to the closest grocery store. If you go early in the morning - or late enough at night - you don't even have to walk through crowds of people to get a loaf of bread. It's also nice having a library,the elementary school, and even some nice restaurants - all within a mile. *Sigh* But I miss the open spaces, the stars.

Back to School

I recently attended Back-to-School Night at my child's High School as I'm sure many parents around the country are doing these days.

Since each kid has multiple classes and teachers, the schools have determined the most efficient way to meet all your child's teachers is to have the parents "attend" each class in the same order that your child would - complete with bells at the beginning and end of each mini-class period. This was quite an interesting experience the first time. I don't remember whether my high school had such a thing. If they did, my parents never attended, to my knowledge.

It took roughly 2 hours to go through all 7 classes. In each class, the teacher has a sign in sheet where you put your name, your student's name, your phone and your email address so they teacher can contact you if needed. The teacher then goes over a brief summary of what they're going to be teaching, how things are graded, and some tips on how to help your child be successful in the class. It's a bit tiring going through all those classes after a long day's work.

Overall, I was impressed. The teachers seemed to really care about the kids and obviously had put some thought into making the subjects more appealing and relevant to young people than I remember school being. Even the coaches seemed "nicer" than I remembered them being in school.

Wandering the halls got me to thinking about my own memories of high school. My high school was quite different in its layout. Instead of walking down halls, we generally walked outside, in the open air, between buildings. I don't know how the kids can stand being cooped up in one building most of the day.

I loved it when we'd have a good downpour. The walkways would turn to streams and there was no way you were getting to class dry. I'm not sure why I loved it so - other than it being a break in the routine.

As frustrating and boring as it sometimes was to be in school, I found myself missing it. Missing a time when my biggest responsibility was getting a paper turned in or taking a test. And deeply regretting the years in high school when I was obsessed with my long distance boyfriend instead of relaxing and enjoying the people right in front of me. I'm hoping my kid will be able to better than I did - to make good friends and cherish them and to just enjoy life as it comes.