AJC > Sandy Springs > Blog > Archives > 2008 > July > 28 > Entry
DEL.ICIO.USGet out the checkbooks, it’s back to school
The Atlanta Journal-Constitution
For the second consecutive year my wife and I are out of the back-to-school business in our house - but this time around I think I’m fully appreciating what that means more than I did last year.
Our son went off to college in the fall of 2005 and our daughter fled the nest last year. Because we were so busy with our final child heading for college I wasn’t able to stop and smell the roses, so to speak.
I always dreaded back-to-school time as it signaled the end of summer and the beginning of the annual cash drain that comes with putting a kid back into school. If we could recover the money spent on glue sticks, folders (with pockets and holes to fit into binders), binders, pencils, pens, calculators, tape, paper, index cards, colored pencils, gel pens and various sundry other things we’d live in the south of France, albeit with uneducated children.
I truly do not begrudge the money as both our kids got great educations. But it’s just strolling into a store and seeing an entire wall of book bags that says the clock is ticking down on summer and there are no timeouts left. Especially with school starting earlier and earlier. The message was clear - fun’s over, get your checkbook.
Not that sending kids to college doesn’t have its share of expenses, but somehow it doesn’t feel the same. Sending a child to college is a right of passage - a sign that an exciting new chapter has begun. They are stepping out into the world, not moping toward the bus stop.
Back-to-school just means a shopping cart packed to the gills with things that are going to have to be bought again 12 months hence. For example, I still don’t know were all the mechanical pencils went, but it seemed like they had a shelf life of one school day before they had to be replaced.
But I blame myself for the great pencil drain. There was a period where I traveled a lot for business and I always brought home the disposable pen from the hotel room. I reasoned that way when one of the kids needed a pen - voila - no trip to the store needed! Of course as soon as my desk drawer began to sag under the weight of all those pens, mechanical pencils were all the rage and pens were as welcome as a Barney lunch box.
So for you intrepid parents out there taking a second mortgage to load up for another year of school supplies - we won’t mention the PTA, booster clubs, annuals, parking passes, t-shirts, lunch tickets, locker fees, gym suits, etc. - I salute you. I have been where you have been and I feel your pain.
And if you need a pen, call me.
Permalink | Comments (3) | Post your comment | Categories: Jim Osterman
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By chaching
July 29, 2008 2:59 PM | Link to this
Yes my wallet has already been emptied and I haven’t even made it through the “tax free” weekend. I noticed a nasty little ploy by the PTA at my school this year. To make sure that they are first in line to drain you, they have decided that you can’t meet your child’s teacher at Open House Night without first paying their dues and joining. That is when you go in and find your child’s classroom so he/she feels comfortable, fill out all the paperwork for emergency notification, notify the teacher of any immediate concerns that she/he may need to be aware of, etc… I have older children and when they were in school the purpose of PTA was to encourage Parent/Teacher communication, NOT TO INHIBIT IT!! How dare they!
Our school has a high ratio of single parents that struggle at the beginning and end of the year to provide their children with all of the many necessities, including uniforms. I think the PTA at Woodland Charter should seriously reconsider their start to the new school year and whether or not they are acting in the best interest of the children. I wonder how many parents won’t bother to show for this important night due to this restriction?
By DB
July 31, 2008 10:05 AM | Link to this
Aw, I always loved back-to-school shopping, and so did my kids — they were always anxious to do the Office Depot run! There’s just something hopeful and inspiring about a neat pile of fresh, unsullied notebooks, new pens and pencils, the long decisions over the exact color of bookcovers, pondering the exact type of tabs to put in the notebooks, mulling over your ideal color of highlighter …
All the other stuff — I donate as I can, and don’t worry about the ones that I can’t or choose not to donate to.
Now that the eldest is starting his second year of college, we are marveling at how little he needs (compared to last year’s “setting up housekeeping” rugs, microwave, shelves, etc., etc.) It’s a transition — for both of us :-)
By D
August 3, 2008 12:59 PM | Link to this
Ever since Jim’s column a few weeks ago dirctly challenging Sandy Springs City Council to live up to their promises to maintain and support our residential neighborhoods inspired 57 comments, more comments than all his other columns combined, he has, inexplicably retreated to writing silly little uniteresting and noncontroversial columns.
In the meantime, the Epstein and Holy Spirit land grabs have energized the neighborhoods and called into question the very purpose of incorporation adn the Sandy Springs police department has had a huge leadership shakeup as a result of misconduct on the part of some police leaders. Interesting stuff but unfortunately both columnists who write about Sandy Springs, Jim Osterman and Steve Rose haven’t seemed to notice. No wonder the AJC is going to stop publishing Northside editions. Jim, those 57 comments demonstrated that Sandy Springs residents wanted a venue to make their views known and don’t believe the City Council is all that responsive. Jim, Steve, step up.