Back to School...

Thomas Gilbard School, built 1906

While today is Epiphany and there has been much talk around our house about feasting, the Blessing of Water and polar dipping in cross-shaped holes in ice-covered lakes, the reality of today is that it marks the first day back to school for all of us in our household. And this has me pondering...

What memories of elementary years will linger in the minds of #1, 2 and 3 as they reach adulthood, parenthood and grandparenthood?

Epiphany, during my parents' in-law elementary years, meant that school had not yet begun (and even if it did, very few students attended). Growing up on the Canadian Prairie at a time when there were still many one room schoolhouses (although they were declining) and a strong agricultural tradition, school was sometimes considered secondary to reaping the harvest or other essential family demands. Bitterly cold winters meant that some students would live with their teachers through the harshest weeks or months. The rural one room schoolhouse fostered memories of learning, lunches (oh, what would be given for a honey sandwich when you were raised on a cattle farm!) and, for some, tender care in the hands and homes of their teachers.

What memories linger for you?