Football, soccer and band camps are in full swing. We knew when the fair rolled around that it was the end of our summer. I never attended any camps in my day but my children were involved in band camp.

After they arrived home, I could hear music echoing across our valley as the neighbors began to practice their instruments. We had a car pool in my day. That meant that one mother would deliver the children to school and one mother would pick them up. That saved a lot on transportation costs. It also saved a lot of time since I only had to drive a couple days a week.

Once some of the children got their licenses, that was not an issue. A car pulled up out front and the children loaded in their instruments. I recall packing lunch for them. It had to be something that would not spoil. The kids ate a lot of peanut butter and jelly in those days. If I put peanut butter on both sides of bread it did not get soggy. They also carried those sandwiches on the nights there were competitions. If they were lucky the band bus stopped on the way home and they bought something else.

My children saved their allowance to purchase food on those bus trips. They never had a lot of money but they made it work. I wonder how many teachers still go to school a couple weeks early. In my day I went in to get my classroom ready. I went to the supply closet to get my plan book and pencils and crayons for my students. I always sharpened the pencils and fixed a package of eight crayons for each student. I got some erasers for the classroom, too.

I loved getting my room ready. I put up colorful bulletin boards. I put up an alphabet for the students to be able to check. I put up my flag so we were ready to say the pledge of allegiance. There was always paper to be removed. I had covered everything up in the summer so that things would not get dirty.

When I taught in the upper grades, the books were kept in the desks. When the students arrived, they picked their desk and unpacked their books. They were anxious to see who had used the books the previous year. It took me a while to discover who worked well together and who were too social. That was when I rearranged their seats.

I did not use a strict row by row arrangement. I often let the students work in groups. I think back to my own days in school. The teacher had little he/she could do. The desks were fastened to the floor and would not move. I have one of those old desks at my house just for decoration.

I cannot believe some of the things that the teachers are saying. It seems that students have lost their respect for teachers. I cannot relate to that. I expected respect and got it. It was a two-way street though. I treated my students with respect as well. I am always reminded that there are still good students out there who really want a good education. They are disciplined at home so they are used to it. On Sunday I did the children’s sermon. We have a group of young people at our church. They not only listened but they dug in with gusto on the assignment I gave them.

I love teaching. I always have. I know there are students who are not motivated to learn, but with some encouragement they can be reached. I knew there were different styles of learning so I taught to all of them.

As school opens let me remind you that you must stop for the buses when they are loading children. Let’s keep all of our students safe. Pray for the students and teachers. Do not just pray one day, but every day. This is our next generation.

Ann Swanson is a Russell resident. Contact her at hickoryheights1@verizon.net.