School started up here this week.  I always loved school.  I especially loved the beginning of the new school year.  I loved learning new things, seeing old friends, the smell of new school supplies.  It was always a special occasion when Daddy got out his drafting tools and beautifully lettered my name on everything.  Mother always made sure I had something new to wear — especially shoes.  I remember some crepe-soled oxfords for first grade.

This is the style I favored for my little girls when they started nursery school.

We shopped for them during the summer, and I told Katherine that we would save them for September, so forever after they were called the September Shoes.

Here are some first-day nursery school shots

You can see I had a red, white and blue theme going on there, but before you knew it, they were in uniforms. 

One year, there was a first-day-free-dress day.

Katherine was already away at college by then.  And soon Elizabeth was off too.  Here she is just moving into her dorm room at UCSD.

I still love the new things that September brings.  Choir starts up again.  I will be tutoring a new subject this term at the Mid-Valley Literacy Center.  (I have some new shoes to wear.)  And once again the school bus goes down my street early in the morning.

I just received the new school calendar from the girls’ old prep school.  This year, they published the school mission statement and philosophy on the back.  I don’t remember that this had been officially articulated when the girls were there (and I worked there), but it was generally understood.  I am glad we were able to send them there.  I hope they are too.  I especially value the part about critical thinking, and I see this in each of them today.