With last week’s record breaking response to Tell me a Story Tuesday, I thought we would do it again this week. Since September means school bells are ringing far and wide, let’s talk about going back to school.

For some people back to school brought fear and tummy aches. For some it brought excitement and fun. For others it meant the end of freedom and what the start of basically a jail sentence. What did going back to school mean to you? Do you have any back to school stories?

I don’t have a back to school story as much as a NOT back to school story….

Conemaugh Township Area Middle/High School

My freshman year of high school the teachers went on strike. It sounds like most kids’ dreams, no school for 6 weeks. But we knew that it meant we’d be going to school for weeks next summer in a school that doesn’t have air conditioning. It also could have meant that we didn’t get to take part in any extra curricular activities that fall and potentially not be prepared for those in the winter because nearly every sport and activity was coached or sponsored by a teacher.

I was in the school’s competitive marching band, we went to the school board along with the other fall activities to ask to be allowed to continue during the strike with non-teacher supervision. Shockingly they allowed it and while we couldn’t go to school we could practice and compete and loose football games every week, just like any other year.

There a lot of little stories that come out of those weeks..The band director and one of the assistant directors, who was also a teacher, were forbidden by both the school and the union to have anything to do with us “sneaking” into competitions wearing hats and sunglasses and then the band sneaking behind buildings just before we were to compete, as best a marching band can sneak anywhere….then there was the tuba player who got so wrapped up in the picketing that he started his own – first walking around with a sign on guard member’s flag pole that said, “Make love not war!” He came back a few minutes later with a sign reading, “Make TEA not Love!”

Even though we weren’t in school, I learned a lot those first few weeks of the school year. I learned about having to depending on and trust the people I was working with. I learned about conflict resolution and negotiation and that no one gets everything they want. But if you put the best interest of the people you’re supposed to be helping first then you’ll find a way to work things out. 

So now it’s your turn. Use the comments section below to tell me a story. It doesn’t have to be long, it doesn’t have to be good. Just tell me something that happened to you at the beginning of the school year. Don’t forget to follow the rules. Class is back in session – I can’t wait to hear about it!