Back to School

So I'm filling in on Call For Help today and one of our guests is highlighting some nifty gadgets for the kids for the new school year. Ah, how I remember the chaos that was "Back To School." Let's take a walk back in time, shall we?

1. A couple weeks before our first day back (always used to be the day after Labor Day, no exceptions) the school would post all the students' names in their future classes. This was the moment you found out if all your best friends were in the same class as you (score!) and whether you got the cool teacher or the hag from hell (start acting sick).

2. Back-to-school clothes were big. No, huge. For some unknown reason, kids became fashion slaves sometime in August and rode that horse until October when everything had been worn. It wasn't about growing out of last year's pants...it was about Esprit and Guess! And if you were a frequent receiver of your older cousin's hand-me-downs (me), you might even pretend they were new. Man, peers can be unforgiving! I'd like to think kids aren't as shallow and judgmental as they used to be, but I have a feeling some things never change.

3. Remember those old pee-chee folders? They were printed with graphics of basketball and football players and were barely thicker than construction paper. Pee-chees were also useless if you were using a 3-ring binder cause they had no holes. Yet they were the folder to have. Why? I have no idea. My parents never bought them for me because they weren't practical. But you can't tell a 10 year old about practicality.

4. Lunch boxes vs. brown paper bags. Can anyone pinpoint exactly what summer we kids got the memo to switch from colorful, unique lunch boxes and advance to plain, identity-free bag lunches? I don't remember the year, but I remember the importance. Lunch boxes were deemed too babyish and absolutely had to go. To avoid Hunger Strike '86, you needed a brown bag.

Top 10 lunch box themes that were hot at my elementary school before they were not:

1. He-Man
2. The Smurfs
3. My Little Pony
4. Transformers
5. GI-Joe
6. Michael Jackson
7. Rainbow Brite
8. Care Bears
9. Strawberry Shortcake
10. Thundercats

5. Even more important than the sack lunch were the contents of the sack lunch. CapriSun was a must. Hostess cupcakes were reserved for the lunch elite crowd. Skippy peanut butter ruled. Let's just say I was never allowed any of that stuff, and today my body thanks my mother.

I can't say I miss that back-to-school status stress... but I sure wish I still had summer vacation.

Comments

[A-non-o-mus]

I think we all thank your mother... :)

[The 12th Monkey]

Do kids even have lunch boxes anymore? I seem to remember as I was going to school lunch-boxes were starting to be phased out. Instead, they had these plastic-vinyl type lunch-bags with cool velcro straps...

...Although, Geeky as it may sound, The First lunch box I had was a blue plastic Star Trek: The Next Generation lunchbox.

And Trapper-Keepers - Kids wanted Trapper Keepers over folders - kids were always searching for the coolest trapper keeper...

...Eww, Now I remember why I hate those days...*shudder*

[Pip]

Oh yes. Thank you Sarah's mom :)

[Terwilliger Jones]

For me, it was a Roy Rogers metal lunch box with thermos, which was to be filled with Campbell's tomato soup. Milk was bought from the school in tiny half-pint glass bottles for the sum of 3 cents. The bottles were capped with a circle of cardboard which we boys soon found could be made to whiz through the air if one cut a notch in the side and applied a rubber band. No trapper-keepers or peachies (whatever that is). We were required to have one (1) grey three ring binder, with #2 pencils, one bottle of paste, one packet of paper, one box of Crayola crayons, preferably the desireable 64 color edition, realistically the 8 color box. No backpacks (they were only used by Boy Scouts and were WWII issue). The boys were to be in flannel shirts and blue jeans (Levi Strauss). The girls were to be in dresses.

Oh, me....

[Jason]

Wow. I can't believe I had most of that stuff when I was in elementary school. I still remember "Pee-chee" folders (I had some red and green ones, as well), and Trapper Keeper folders. Man those were the days...

[Specie8470]

The 80's were fun. I still remember my favorite lunchbox of the Legend of Zelda cartoon.

[Jeff Elwell]

I remember Scooby Doo Lunch boxes with the hefty thermos. Then I think there was a "Banana Splits" one.. Okay, just a thought. I think Sarah should also do a "special" Co host on XPlay, Unscrewed and CFH again. Everyone need a little shake up. And who better than the smart and beautiful Sarah...

Just letting out some Fan Noise. :)

[Chris Inman]

I only had a handful of cool teachers. The rest were inept or worse. My physical science and electronics teachers were very perverse toward young girls. I was lucky to be the firstborn and not get the hand me downs. I remember having mostly wranglers and T shirts and some formal clothing. When I was in elementary I was subjected to George Lucas merchandising and had a Star Wars lunch box until third grade. My lunches were PB&J, chips, fruit, and Capri Sun. Todays generation doesn't know what they're missing with their Squeezits and Lunchables. :)

I'm sure every adult would love to be a child again. I never had any kind of stress until high school. Working at Kmart and daily life as a teenager was hectic. It was one hell of a ride though. I say was as if I've changed. ;) I'm the same, life's just more stressing.

Stay Cool,
Hyper Smiley

[Ken193]

With 50 Snapple bottle caps you can get the "Saved by the Bell" lunchbox.

[Larry]

I remember the school bus lunch box most vividly. It was metal and looked like a school bus with Disney characters visible in the windows. It had a domed top where your thermos was latched in place. I never had one of those. I remember having a Walt Disney World lunch box, probably when it just opened. I also had a few Peanuts ones. That was the only thing I liked about heading back to school, picking out the new lunch box. Other than that, I used to get sick to my stomach when I went out shopping with my mother in late summer and saw all those back to school sale signs up in the stores. Ah the memories...

[Sick]

Sick.. I think Pip was thanking Sarah's Mom with the Rosy Palm salute.. get a girlfriend d00d, or boyfriend if that's what turns you on..

[Gregg]

With that list of lunch boxes all I could think of was retirement. If only I had saved them all with the foresite that a little thing called ebay might come upon us. Oh well...back to the grind!

[TonyH]

Well, I never really took a lunch box to school. I always preferred to eat the weird choices of lunch served in the cafeteria, like pizza, french fries and salad, or for morning break left over chicken strips on biscuits. I never stooped low enough to put ketchup or jelly on those biscuits like my very strange friends. As for binders, or folders, unless I was forced to have one by the teacher, I always just preferred a notebook, some pens, etc., anything I could cram into my backpack; just like I do now in college. To close, I must say
"Thunder...Thunder...Thundercats! Hoooooooo!"

[Sue]

Hey Sarah,
Got any school pictures?

[Phil]

playing Number Crunchers or Oregon Trail on the ol' Apple way back when . . . them were the days.

[dewnut]

Wow... talk about a trip in the "way back" machine. While reading your post I started thinking about sitting in the back of the bus listening to the New Kids on my Ghetto blaster. WOW... times have changed! You must be about the same age as me.

Have a good day folks!
D-Nut

http://dewnut.dyndns.org

[glenn]

yeah, back in the days when apple's were still cool... and it's Number Munchers... makes me want to start up my Apple II GS emulator and get munchin away on some numbers...

[jude]

Skippy? I know you're hot and all but Peter Pan rules!

[Smivey]

My favorite part of back-to-school was going to the store to pick out my new lunchbox. I remember feeling a sense of pride as I walked into class with it. Then, at recess, all the bullies took turns kicking my ass. Back-to-school sucks.

[Tim]

Wow, I haven't thought about thos things in quite awhile! Sounds like my childhood school experiences are similar to yours!

I had a thundercat lunchbox...man, I was COOL!

[Mx]

I'm still in school, I actually start tomorrow. I will be a Junior (HS) and wow, time has gone by fast. I don't enjoy school, I don't think I am learning much, and yes, I do pay attention in all (most) of my classes. I have a Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles lunchbox, though it has long been retired to the closet. Our school Mascot is the hornet, so out little snack shack is called "The Hive". They have all sorts of horrible unhelathy things to eat. I normally get a bagel dog or a can of Pringles with two bottles of water. We don't use folders, we have binders mostly, though a few use breifcases and I will be using my laptop bag to store things in. I was shopping in Santa Rosa (you know where I mean Sarah and other people from the Bay Area) yesterday and the day before, tons of clothes. I wish I had a credit card, I could spend a fortune. Then again, I am glad I don't have a credit card because, well, I could spend a fortune! Kids are still shallow and evil, but who cared? I like to think I am in the "in" crowd, though I certainly don't try and keep other kids out and try to be nice to everyone. Everyone at my school knows my name :-D

So, there is your look into how school is now, at least for me. But hey, Sarah, if you want to switch, you can take my place in HS and I'd take your spot on TSS. ;)

Mx

[Egulphy]

My four-year-old is starting school next week...he wanted a RAMONES lunchbox!

[AgentOrange]

Lunch boxes? OMG! It was all about my Planet of the Apes box! Of course, every year I had a new one, so some of my favorites included Jabber Jaw, Space 1999, Battlestar Galactica, Buck Rogers and Superman...had to have a Superman LB at some point.

[AgentOrange]

Oh yeah, punk is a fad now, not a lifestyle. Buy "The Beaver" his RAMONES LB MX, or he won't fit in with the other first graders.

[Corey]

To tell u the truthi really dont remember what my lunch box had on it but i do remember it was blue.

[Chris Inman]

Wow, Apple II reminds me of working on Logo in middle school. Kids have it made these days. I wanna go back so I can learn to spell potatoe. Hooked on phonics didn't work for me. 8p

Hyper "A.D.D." Smiley

[jase]

does Sarah ever EVER reply to our comments?
*Sarah, if you're reading this..... :) *

[Chris Inman]

Of course she does. Check out the archives. A lot of good, funny, and cute stuff in there.

Hyper Smiley

[Chris Inman]

Oh yeah, "Sick" you cracked me up with the rosy palm salute comment. :D

[sharkiee]

Ahh the lunchbox thread could go on infinitely. So in that spirt I'll add my two favorites. Firstly, the Dukes of Hazzard(my favortie show as a kid...God only knows why). Secondly, Pac-man(an 80's kid staple)!!!!!! I also had a Pac-man bed spread (I know I'm a geek) but, I'm sure that is a whole different thread entirely :)

[MasterBlaster]

"Even more important than the sack lunch were the contents of the sack lunch. CapriSun was a must. Hostess cupcakes were reserved for the lunch elite crowd. Skippy peanut butter ruled. Let's just say I was never allowed any of that stuff, and today my body thanks my mother."

...I thank your Mom too!!! *wink*

[Shelley]

Now they have all sorts of cool ( as my 6 yr old would say "stylish") backpacks. She has a "Kim Possible" one. As for the lunchboxes, hard ones are still quite popular ( as well as the soft strapy velcro ones), but they are plastic and are really hard to open. One thing that really shocked me was the amount of supplies I needed to buy for her. When I was in elementary school ( 81-85) things like scissors and rulers were supplied by the school. Now, I had to buy all that plus things like paper towels, manila folders ( in addition to the regular folders), and 3 types of glue ( paste, school glue, and glue sticks). I DO live in Florida so that may explain why the parents have to buy all this stuff. It is either us or the teachers.
BTW, I like your blog!

[Worchester]

The postings about her promiscuity and guilt are the funniest babble I've ever read. Get a girlfriend dude!

[Ranscom Bartlett]

I like cheese.

[Alan]

The ultimate geek lunchbox - I had one, and surprisingly, didn't get a lot of grief about it, at the time, circa 1978...

http://www.thismodernworld.com/pages/gra/gra_metric.html

[Nathan Broot]

Got your name, Atlanta peach. Keep it up, really.

[Leah]

Sarah,

Wow - thanks for the walk down memory lane. I too remember that year when lunch boxes suddenly became wrong. The list of cool lunch boxes made me smile.

Thanks and have a good one,
Leah

[Idol]

OMG!! I can't believe that you didn't mention Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles in the top ten lunch boxes! I mean come on.... And hey I still use lunch boxes today! It's still cool...
Peace

[Ty]

Anyone looking for Saved by the Bell, Goonies, Gremlins, or Smallville lunch boxes for only $10 per may contact me.

[Ty]

My e-mail is [email protected]