The Hancock-Henderson Quill, Inc.
August always seems to sneak up on us, doesn’t it? One minute we’re soaking in the slow days of summer, barefoot in the grass soaking up the sun, and the next, the back-to-school signs are going up in the store windows, and we’re reluctantly digging out last year’s backpacks from the back of the closet.
Growing up in a small town, back-to-school was never just a date on the calendar. It was a feeling. A mix of nerves and excitement, eagerly waiting for the first day to hear everyone’s summer stories, and to see the friends you spent most of the summer with.
I remember going school shopping with my mom every year like it was a holiday. We’d always make a special day trip to the Quad Cities, searching for that perfect first-day outfit. It had to be just right; cool, but not trying too hard. The perfect outfit to walk the halls of a school where everybody already knew who you were.
That’s the thing about growing up in a small school, you don’t blend into a sea of strangers. Your teachers know your name before you even walk in the door. They know your parents, are friends with your parents, or sometimes they even had your parents in class. There’s something comforting about that, even if it made getting away with anything nearly impossible. I was lucky enough to have a brother who was a A+ student, so he already had won the teachers over for me!
It’s feels more than just back to school. It’s a when lockers slam, bells ring, and little ones march into classrooms full of possibilities. We may not have the biggest buildings or the fanciest programs, but what we do have is heart. We show up for each other, in the stands on Friday nights, at the school plays, and at parent-teacher conferences where no one has to ask your last name because they already know it.
So here’s to fresh notebooks, new beginnings, and one more first-day outfit that’ll live in a photo album for years to come. Here’s to small town schools, where your gym teacher is your basketball coach and your dad’s high school classmate!