Growing up I always thought that New Years was wasted on January 1. The real start to the year was always the first Tuesday after Labor Day with the beginning of the new school year. After all, what great things happened in January but cold weather and a long wait until spring? But in September there were all sorts of different, exciting and challenging things to look forward to.
There was the challenge of the new grade. Who would your teacher be? Who would be in your class? Who would you sit next to? There were the new shiny brown lace-up oxfords with not one scratch on the toe or one scuff on the heel. There was the new dress carefully chosen for the first day, and new ribbons on the braids to match that dress. But most fabulous of all was the new box of crayons, all the colors present and the points on all the colors sharp and ready to draw. And when I got older there was the cherished box of 64 Crayola crayons which included gold and silver with a tiny sharpener in the box. The possession of that was way more intoxicating that any glass of champagne. Then there were the notebooks still crisp at the corners, the name on the front carefully written in script, and the waiting blank lined pages full of expectations.
But most important of all were the resolutions formed deep within, more indelible than any made casually in front of a football game on New Year’s Day. One did not recognize them as resolutions, but they burned deep, and propelled one forward into the new school year. It was a chance to recreate oneself, and leave the mistakes and problems of the last year behind. This year would mark the conquering of the bars on the playground, faithful practicing of the piano, being chosen first for playground games, being befriended by Mary, and getting straight As.
The days were still hot in the beginning of September, but fall was in the air with a promise of the crisp weather still to come. The leaves were thinking about turning color and falling, and occasionally a coat or sweater was welcome at the bus stop in the morning. It was a time to look forward with anticipation.
This year as September rolls around the children of 2020 will face a beginning that none of us has ever faced before. As teachers and school districts scramble to try and meet the new educational challenge, our children and grandchildren will most likely be sitting in front of a computer screen. There will be no one to notice the new outfit or the fabulous new athletic shoes. There will be a scrim between the dissemination of learning and those receiving it. There will be no games on the playground, no art class, no band, and no sports. Perhaps the best we adults can do is make a September resolution that we need to do everything we can to give our remembered new beginnings back to our children.