Academy Street: Things are different these days.

Today was Fall 2009's first day of school! I had kindergarden duty in the morning. There was NO WAY I was going to argue with those teary eyed parents who were just sure their babies would not make it through the morning without them. I tried to smile and tell them it was best to go ahead and let me take the children to story time in the library, but ended up letting the parents take them to the classrooms for a longer goodbye if they looked scared. Tonight I wonder what it must have been like for my own mother when she dropped me off at Miss Hanley's kindergarden class at Academy Street School 38 years ago.

It was Miss Hanley's first year of teaching. Bless her heart, I was scared to death of her. She was black. I had never been around anyone of another race. Between my fear, her first day anxieties, and my mom's own worries, it must have been a pretty terrible day!

Academy street was a school full of character. It was built in the 1800's and it was evident, even to a kindergardener in the early 70's. The doors creaked, there were windows in the bathroom, and the cafeteria was in the basement! Worst of all, the bathroom door which opened into the classroom did not have a lock. Let's just say I learned a lot about boys when I opened up the door and saw David doing his business. He had on a powder blue Mickey Mouse shirt. Funny the things we remember.

Soon after I left Academy Street School, the building was condemned. I always thought they tore it down, but was surprised a few days ago when I found a picture of the restored building which has been converted into apartment homes. Things change.

Anyway, this morning as I directed parents and students around the school where I teach, I remembered to be kind to them. I remembered the peeling paint and the stern teachers from "back in the day." I was thankful for our bright new classroom and library additions that were built over the summer. At lunch duty when the boys were pouring powdered drink mix into their hands to be licked instead of mixed and sipped, I accidentally smiled. I told them about my old teachers who would make us eat any food we mixed up on our trays, no matter how disgusting the combination. These kids were different. Powdered drink mix really did taste good to them, even on top of pizza. I was different, reacting with humor instead of the glaring reprimand my old teachers would have given in the same circumstances.

People can argue all they want about how great the children's behavior was back then, and how the kids of today are spoiled. Things are different, for sure. I think it's a good difference.