First Day at School

  Photo by Austrian National Library on Unsplash 

'The First Day Of School' by Howard Nemerov 

 My child and I hold hands on the way to school,
And when I leave him at the first-grade door
He cries a little but is brave; he does
Let go. My selfish tears remind me how
I cried before that door a life ago.
I may have had a hard time letting go.

(Click here for the rest of the poem)

"You're off to great places. Today is your day! Your mountain is waiting, so get on your way!" 

(Dr. Seuss)

"He who opens a school door, closes a prison." 

(Victor Hugo) 

"Education is not the filling of a pail, but the lighting of a fire." 

(W.B.Yeats)

I still remember my first day at school, although it's more the feeling I recall, rather than actual events. I went to Thornbury Infants School in Bradford (now demolished), and my first teacher was Miss Farrell; she was pretty, with jet black hair. 

My first friend, on that first day, remained a good friend throughout our time at Liverpool University and the years until she died. 

I remember playing with a toy which involved slotting wooden tiles onto pegs, and thinking how babyish it was.  

I cried after dropping off my own children for their first days, and no doubt my daughter will, this week, feel somewhat tearful as she drops off her third child in the reception class. 

After all the comings and goings and stops and starts for young people over the past year or so, I hope that now they can just get on with enjoying a period of consistency and stability at school, and have some fun! I wish them all well in their new ventures this week. 

Writing Prompts:

• Write about your first day at school if you remember it. If not, write down any memories of your early schooldays.
• Was there a particular teacher who influenced you at school? Describe them in your writing and the way they affected you.
• Write about other new beginnings you have had in your life.
• Recall some of your childhood friends and write about them.