It is 11pm on Friday night. And I am sullen about being a grown up.
I saw a pack of kids leaving school today and was hit with a pang of jealousy. Is it possible, that 10 years out, I am passionately missing "Back to school" time?
Friday nights meant something so different then. As a kid, it
meant getting to stay up later to watch "Unsolved Mysteries" or that the weekend would hold multiple Little League baseball games. (And by the way, if you're NOT watching the Little League World Series, then you're a total dork. Its just about the most inspiring event of the year! Go Texas!!!!) As you get older, it's the night you can talk on the phone with your friends till like 10pm. Or in high school it means hanging out in the school parking lot, listening to Boy George or House of Pain, having a dance party at your car.
But the thing about school I miss most is required reading.
Oh my hell, a 15 year old me would NEVER believe I'd be saying this!
But it's true. Once you grow up, who is your literary shepherd anymore? Who is the teacher? When do you get to sit in a group of your peers and really discuss ideas?
We become robots, stripped of our drive to be analytical. I miss that "A-ha!" moment of discovery when one member of the class would have a breakthrough, and then everyone would see that "Lord of the Flies" wasn't that far fetched, or that Hester Prynne wasn't a whore, or that Shakespeare was a bigger pervert than R. Kelly.
When you're a kid, your universe is so black and white. You know EVERYTHING. But it's through those books that we were forced to read that we see the world in grayer tones. To quote a famous band from my school days, "Gray is my favorite color..." (Nick Gray, especially!)
I'm grateful for those teachers I had that made "Back to School" so memorable.
All of them. But especially the English teachers. I've applied so much of what I learned in those classes to my current life and my art.
So, Mrs. Nelson, Mrs. Leach, Mrs. Lowndes, Mrs. Darr, Mrs. Burton, Mrs. Thompson, Mr. Rosenthal (you stone fox!) and Mrs. Land....thank you, thank you, thank you. I shall buy new, clean smelling notebooks this week in remembrance of you.
Books that made a difference:
3rd grade - Mrs. Lowndes read us "The Great Brain" series. I still gift these books to so many of my friends' children.
4th grade - At a book fair I got a book called "The Doll in the Garden". Had to do a big project on it. For the life of me, I can't remember what it's about, but it was eerie and I loved it.
6th grade - Read "Of Mice and Men" for the first time. Loved this story so much that years later, I watched the movie after senior prom. That's way better than boozing in a hotel room, right?? Right?
7th grade - "The Book of Three". My friends and I still quote Gurgi. "Crunchings and Munchings. Slappings and Whappings!"
8th grade - This is when my torrent love affair with all things Ray Bradbury started. I already had a deep affection for books, but "Fahrenheit 451" scared me, and inspired me. I still go for walks late at night while the rest of the world sleeps, cherishing my right to do so.
9th grade - A lot of Shakespeare this year. I liked that my theater background helped me understand his work.
10th grade - Oh man, the Crucible? John Proctor sweating like a stallion behind the barn?? That book was so titillating for a bunch of hormone driven 15 year olds. This was also the year I fell in love with poetry. e.e. cummings in particular.
11th grade - Beowulf. Canterbury Tales. Macbeth. I had such a great time in that class. We were proud of being academics and our discussions and fights were so intense.
12th grade - "Beloved" surprised me. It opened my eyes to an entirely different genre of American Lit. I've since become a huge Toni Morrison, Maya Angelou geek.
College - "Warrior Woman" by Maxine Hong Kingston. This book dramatically changed my ideas about what personal truth is.
So what books did it for you? What words made you fall in love with paper and ink?? Lemme know. And in the meantime, thank a teacher!
(*And I wouldn't be able to post this without thanking some other teachers, namely The Johnsons, Mr. Engel, Mrs. Baker, Ms. Lanham, Mrs. Rudasill, Ms. Raschiatore, A.J. Greeley, Mrs. Martin, Mrs. Dye, Ms. Wingfield and so may other educators, school nurses, cafeteria ladies, coaches, secretaries and
administration that made a difference!)
xoxo
Hil
1st day of school. 10th grade.
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well, i haven't really finished school yet but i have my books.
Dandelion wine number one
Diddakoi- a life changing book. But i love how not many people know about it.
Harry Potter series.
I remember sitting on the edge of the football pitch not the least bit scared about all the big boys throwing that leather soccer ball around (even though leather wasn't aloud) I sat scrunched up opposite the huge oak tree cross-legged with a new HP book. When harry kissed Ginny i got up and jumped around I went to my teacher and hugged her and swung my friend around.
Yep. My three so far.
hello guys, hello hil,
i just want to say one quote of one of my favorite songs about it:
Being grown up isn't half as fun as growing up
"in this dairy" - Ataris
thank you hil for sharing your feelings with us, for this i just love you.
marian
school times were so good..i miss them too...being a grown up has its own ups and downs..life has so many things in store...everyone shud miss their school days...
Test
I just got finished reading "Of Mice and Men" in school and it was soooooo awesome!
Dear Hilarie, You were definitely engaging in nostalgia as you watched those young students returning to school. Nostalgia is usually the pastime of retirees of any age, and those who are 60 years old or above. It is somewhat unusual for you, as a 27 year old, young, intelligent, talented, and beautiful, to be looking back at the good times you had in school in the relatively recent past. The fact that you can recall your teachers' names and favorite books by title shows that you have not been removed from that environment too long.
I think the structure of school that you may be missing, as well as the content of those past English classes, and the books which you read which impressed you so, may be a sign of the fact that you are now an entrepreneur yourself. You are responsible for setting your own goals, plans, projects, and schedules, as well as for those who work for you, and that is kind of scary. It is kind of like being the teacher in those school classes, which you recall, whereas before, as a student, you could consume the preparations of your teachers. Now, as the boss, you are the teacher preparing the lessons and directing the activities of your employees.
I also think you probably miss the more structured activity schedule of the One Tree Hill production season, as compared to the more free lance existence of running your own production company. With OTH, you knew exactly what you were supposed to do each day, what lines you had to learn, where to be, where to stand, etc., all the details of your daily routine were planned and programmed by someone else. Now you have to do all that planning and programming for SoGoPro by yourself with your partners. That is a huge transition.
Be comforted in the fact, that at age 27, there are still a few things which you have yet to experience for the first time. In another 10 years when you feel nostalgic, you will have added a lot more memories to recall, and the details of your youth from ages 8-19 will be more hazy, but still important just the same.
I really liked the photo of you and your little brothers at the beginning of your 10th grade year. Is the youngest brother whom you are hugging the same brother who works with you at SoGoPro? He looks like your favorite in that photo? You are so lucky to have such a close knit family, and I know your brothers all feel that they are lucky to have you as their big sister. Best of luck with SoGoPro.
Oh the lovely "Back to School" blues. Honestly, I think we all go through the phase when we want to rush through life. We can't wait to go to prom; we can't wait to graduate high school and start the next chapter of our life. Then their colleges, then we want to make tons of money. Then it's a Master's degree. Then it hits you, the simply joys of life, being able to sit down and become so immersed in a book, that it takes you off to another world. Recently, I have found that passion with the love of music, and it is funny to say, or I guess corny for those people who actually read others posts on blog site, but it is because of OTH.
I can't believe I am saying this as 26 year old recent MBA graduate who is like every other person in a America looking for a job, but with so much spare time I dusted of my OTH DVD's and started watching them again. And with that, I have come to love music; the intricate way the writers wrote the music into the scenes to intensify the emotions and moment on the show. I find myself looking for more underground up and coming artists, like they utilized on the show. Forget national radio that plays the same stuff over and over again. I have become inspired to write, and read more poetry. And yes, Maya Angelou is pretty awesome.
To think typically at this point in the year I would be moving back in to some apartment to start another semester or internship to gain more knowledge, hangout and party with friends and immerse ourselves in the richness that Philly has to offer, but now it is just life.
I can't quite say exactly to a tee what years I read these book nor match them with a specific teacher, but here are a few of my favorites through the school years:
The Outsiders
Where the Red Fern Grows
12 Angry Men
Maniac Magee
Shakespeare's - Romeo and Juliet, Cesar, Macbeth...To be or not to be that is the question...ah to memorize that whole solioquy for a grade and remember the exact seat I stood from and recited it in front of my eitnre class...is just scary
Of Mice and Men
...and of course Titanic
HB thanks for creating such a cool site where you can follow your work, art and passion in life. Keep rocking and can't wait to see some of your new work...
Hilarie, I totally agree with you. This is the first year that I'm not going back to school and I've been missing it!
Thank you for making me think about all of my old English teachers and what they still mean to me.
I am too 27 and from England. The kids have gone back to school this week and i was thinking how proud i used to be about my new pencil case and its contents the first week of school. Was anyone else proud of their stationary or am i just weird! lol. When it comes to it, when your in school, you want to get out asap and get to uni etc, but when you reflect 10 years later.... you had it all in high school, school day are the best days of your life!
I mean i love my life now, good job, great fiance and great family and friend but if you asked me to go back in time even for just a day i definatly would!
Hilarie Southern Gothic looks like a really good venture and an amazing opportunity to harvest some great raw talent.
Liz x
I am too 27 and from England. The kids have gone back to school this week and i was thinking how proud i used to be about my new pencil case and its contents the first week of school. Was anyone else proud of their stationary or am i just weird! lol. When it comes to it, when your in school, you want to get out asap and get to uni etc, but when you reflect 10 years later.... you had it all in high school, school day are the best days of your life!
I mean i love my life now, good job, great fiance and great family and friend but if you asked me to go back in time even for just a day i definatly would!
Hilarie Southern Gothic looks like a really good venture and an amazing opportunity to harvest some great raw talent.
Liz x
Hilarie! I would have to say Shakespeare in 9th grade made me really really want to read more and more. I read Romeo and Juliet like 4 times. But once I read that I started reading for books on my own it has just expanded from then on. If it wasn't for required reading I wouldn't have the love for books as I do now.
=]
Thanks for that, Hilarie!
Well I am still in high school, going into grade 11, and I can honestly say that I am excited to go back to school! I have always been the type of person who loves going out to get new school supplies and the craziness and excitement surrounding this time of year!
Last year, my English class read To Kill A Mockingbird and although I often read novels on my own time, this was probably the first book of advanced literature that I actually enjoyed! Harper Lee is extremely talented! Our class also read Julius Caesar.
I am looking forward to reading Macbeth this year because I have heard great things about the teacher that I have!
Throughout these past few years, I have become a big fan of Jodi Picoult. Her writing is intriguing and interesting and I feel a connection to the stories which she is telling.
I will go and thank my mom because she is a fantastic teacher who dedicates so much time and effort to making our school (that's right, she teaches at my school haha) a better place even though she often receives little thanks and recognition!
xo Beth
Hilarie, you are not the only one who misses school haha. I'm out of school 8 years this year... graduated at 16 or just gone 17... way too young.
Schools are different here in Ireland, we wear uniforms, and you can skip a year in Secondary School, which is from 12-17. Of course I skipped. Get me outta there quick haha.
We had to read a lot. Probably mostly Irish books, but you may know some.
Age 12 ~ "Under the Hawthorn Tree" ~ by Martha McKenna which was about The Great Irish Famine (I still love this book)
Age 14 ~ "Roll of Thunder Hear My Cry" by Mildred D. Taylor which was about being an African American in Mississippi 1933.
Age 15-16
~ "My Oedipus Complex and Other Stories" by Frank O'Connor
~ "Philadelphia, Here I Come!" ~ by Brian Friel
~ "Jane Eyre" ~ Charlotte Brontë (hated reading this book in school, but read it about a year ago and loved it)
Age 18-20 ~ Theatrical Studies of course required me to read Shakespeare
~ "Romeo and Juliette" (This was easy due to the movie hmmm Leo)
~ "Midsummer Nights Dream"
(plus I went to Shakespeare's Globe in London on a school trip and we did a workshop and saw some Musicals)
And of course we cant forget that famous Irish dude James Joyce and this dude William Butler Yeats. Both were the bain of my existance... but I've grown to like them.
Me starting school in my uniform, I'll add a recent one when I find it haha.
WOW! Crazy thing is I have been having the same feeling...I hated school but now at almost 25 years old, I starting pondering the fact that it was so easy and I can never go back. what happened to the time? Why is life this big hurry up and get ready to wait game?? Thanks for making me take the time to slow down and remember. Keep on Rockin!
I remember year 10 of secondary school, age 14, (we leave Secondary school at 15/16 in UK and then go onto College then Uni). We had been given a list of books. We could choose one book ourselves to write an essay on. This would be part of our English Literature coursework.
On that list was a book by Gerald Durrell, (famous conservationist) called 'My Family and Other Animals' It's a auto biographical description of Gerald Durrell's youth and growing up with his family in Corfu. It's one of the most hilarious books I have ever opened. I always laugh out loud and make people stare when I read this book :o) I remember feeling so amazed that a book on a 'school list' could be this good! I read this book at least once every year and always in the summer. But it's never the same feeling as the first time. Hilarie!! If you haven't read this one then do! It's FUNNY!
I currently work at a school as a teacher. It's hard to get kids into reading. They have the web and T.V. so its a real struggle to inspire them to pick up a book. Shakespeare.. forget it! I tried to draw parallels between the film Titanic and Shakespeare's Romeo and Juliet once to a student who was a little obsessed with Titanic. Explaining how they are both tragedies... this only served to complicate things. Despite the fact we live in the port of Southampton where Titanic sailed from the student didn't realize that Titanic was a real event. When they said, 'wow I never knew Shakespeare died on the Titanic'! I was at a loss for words.. clearly this was not the way forward so I sourced a graphic novel of the classic story and we started from there..
Right gotta go get my 'Back to School' stuff. New trousers are in order!
Rach
Thanks for the blog Hilarie, I am actully looking forward to going back to school even more now. I only have two more 'back to school' days after this one before university so I intend to make the most of them.
I love this time of year because I get to spend at least a day or two in town with my mum picking new notebooks and folders and buying ink cartridges for my fountain pen.
I have to say that I have been quite lucky with my schools so far with the fact that they have forced me read and read more, as has SoGoPro. The only books that I have ever read because of school though that have had an effect of me are Animal Farm, Stone Cold, The Firework Makers Daughter (mainly because I had the greatest teacher that year-Mrs Kean) and Pride and Predjudice as I loved debating all of the topics in it. The feminist in me definately had a ball with that book.
Most of the books I have fallen in love with I have read through recommendations or general boredom. I definatley have developed a thing for series of books or reading lots by the same author eg. Lord of the Rings, Harry Potter, The Hitchhikers Guide To The Galaxy (Douglas Adams is hilarious and puts a great spin on human ideas) and pretty much anything by Ray Bradbury. I think my favourite book of all time...so far, is definately Wuthering Heights, there is such a creepiness to it and it is so over the top in places...I love it!
Thank you again Hilarie for the blog and thank you to SoGoPro in general for restoring my love in books :D
Laura
I've been out of high school for 5 years, out of college for a year and a half, and every year I still get the nostalgic feeling of shopping for new school clothes, and finishing my "required" summer reading. Back then I never really cared about doing the work, it was all about getting to the weekend, having fun and hopefully doing well enough to make it to college. Looking back, I never learned more than what I learned in my high school English classes.
"Fahrenheit 451", "Their Eyes Were Watching God" (MY ABSOLUTE FAVORITE), "The Scarlet Letter", and "The Awakening" are a few of my favorite summer readings that really stuck with me over the years. I also fell in love with Robert Frost and Emily Dickenson. They all have very different meanings, but all contributed to the person I am today and for that I am so grateful. Not only did these books shape who I am, but the teacher who taught me and so many others about these specific books is the reason I am even writing this response. She taught me 2 of my 4 years in high school, and helped me grow as a student and as an adult. She always believed in her students and there was never a time where she didn't believe we would all change the world for the better. She taught me so much about following your heart, and your dreams. About living for today, you can deal with the future later.
She passed away 4 years ago from cancer, and it breaks my heart to think about her not being in this world anymore, but because she never lived a day that she regretted, I live my life in a way she would be proud of. "Carpe Diem," as she always said.
When we're younger, we never realize the effect that teachers have on us. They truly shape the people we become, and it's more than just what lectures they give or what books they make us read. We never understand their motives until later on in life, but we eventually do understand and that's when we grow. I am so very thankful to have known the teachers who guided me all those years ago, and so grateful to have been taught by Ms. Woolery - the teacher who showed me how to be great at what I do, even if it's not exactly what I planned. I know one day I'll be a big shot Reporter in Washington, but for now I'm going to be a big shot waitress in Wilmington!
Thank you, Hilarie, for posting and inspiring me and so many others - just as our teachers once did.
---
College graduation:
"To be nobody but yourself in a world that is doing it's best night and day to make you everybody else means: Fight the hardest battle which any human-being can fight and never stop fighting."
I love e.e. cummings!
hey hil,
loved your blog and i can definently relate to what you are saying.
i miss high school, i miss waking up early in the morning to catch the bus that would leave you if you were less then 30 seconds late. Then you'd have to run after it waving your hands in the air like you just don't care!!!
I miss seeing the teachers that inspired me all through my high education... Ms. Zukuwski, Mr. Burns, Mr. Namin, Mrs. Tivey, Mr. Royer (R.I.P)Mrs. Reed, My daily, Mrs. Brown
I loved, loved english and the books we read were always great.
I remember my 12 grade year we read Gulliver's Travels and macbeth.
I actually had an entire class dedicated to William Shakespear. I love John Steinbeck he's one of my favorite writers and i rememeber reading his work for the very first time in 11th grade. Of Mice and Men is such a powerful book. I can't remember anything that i read in 10th grade but in 9th i read the lord of the flies.
Over all, i think my favorite book was Of mice and men.
Im definitly feeling nostalgic. Im in college now but it's kind of different. I dont have my Mum running around stressing about that one book she couldn't get at the book shop or the fact that all my socks have holes in them. She has this fear that if someone see's these tiny faults in our uniform they'll automatically recognise us as the kids who look homeless. God love her. My brother was dragged out yesterday for new trousers - the other ones were too worn at the knees. I garentee he will play football in them all week long and have them ruined. Luckily for us all she'll give up around november.
I know what you mean about books. We used to get our book lists around july. I'd have all the english novels play read before we got back. Yes I really was that kid still am. We read some good, some not so good (although I think that was due to lack of understanding). Wuthering Heights at 14, was just above my head. Ive recently came across it in second hand book sale and threw it in to make up my 10 for 1 euro. Definitly worth it.
I remember reading Friedrich, which focused on two boys who were neighbours in Germany, one was Jewish. Probably the first book I fell in love with and read over and over again.
Next was Mice and Men. I was 15 and I am ashamed to say had never heard of John Steinbeck. It introduced me to one of my favourite authors. East of Eden is probably my favourite book, can never decide between it and The fountainhead.
My brother was back this week, and I felt that same pang. Oh to be young!! Ha, I'm only 20 but I do miss going to school for those first few days catching up with everyone, and laughing at that ridiculus outfit that this one teacher would always wear. After a week he'd revert back to the tried and tested. Those were good times.
I've only been gone two years but I miss it around this time. Then my brother will come home moaning about the stew that is always served on a thursday, its still a mystery to whats in it, and suddenly I'll feel a whole lot better. I loved getting the stationary and the new books, but school dinners- oh they were bad.
Books from school years:
Where the Wild Things Are
A Wrinkle in Time
Casey at the Bat
One Flew Over the Cuckoo's Nest
The Bell Jar
Jonathan Livingston Seagull
Sybil
The Thorn Birds
Anne of Green Gables
Little House on the Parrie
Hil, it's so great to read a blog from you again! Your words are so true and heartfelt and I loved reading them. Thank you for sharing them with us.
I'm actually currently sitting in class right now, in my 2nd week of senior year in college. Reading your blog was a fun trip down memory lane for me, thinking back on all the teachers I've had and all the books I had to read.
In Elementary school I became hooked on the Babysitters Club series and remember reading every single book in it. I also loved the Boxcar Children series and probably read every book there as well. Another book I remember loving to read is Island of the Blue Dolphins by Scott O'Dell.
Middle school I loved Tuck Everlasting and Where the Red Fern Grows.
High School, probably the absolute favorite book I read was The Color Purple by Alice Walker.
Freshman year of college I read Uncle Tom's Cabin and last semester (junior year) in my Children's Lit class (I'm an Elementary Education major) I read Because of Winn-Dixie and loved it.
<3 Michelle
My favourite subject in school was English and epecially literature.
I loved everything about it even the long Essays we had to write lol
"...Once you grow up, who is your literary shepherd anymore? Who is the teacher? When do you get to sit in a group of your peers and really discuss ideas?"
^^^This rang so true to me. I wish i had a literary guidence again...that was till you guys started the book club, I finally feel now I have what school gave me in terms of that and im really grateful so thank you guys. Your Book clubs are my new literary shepherd :)
I loved my 11 grade and Matric teacher. Mrs Weakley and Mrs McDonald they were my best and I felt most inspired in their classes as for the books, well i enjoyed all of them. From "To kill a Mocking bird" to "Macbeth" the one that stood out the most was "Lord of the flies" that haunted me and kept me thinking for many years after i read it...wait a minute all the book i read did that for me and thats why I enjoyed them so much!
Thank you again!
-Nats
Ps: that pic of you and your bros is so adorable! :)
hello!!ok,my favorite subject in school was literature,I miss that class too because I love to read but the books that made the difference i don´t discovered in class and I think it was Fahrenheit 451 (made me realize how lucky I am to be able to read and think for myself) and Cold Blood by Truman Capote stories, all stories (especially the black cat) by Edgar Allan Poe .... I think they are too many books to name all
it´s the first or the second time i wrote here so,i have to say sorry for my english =D
i'm still a teenager and therefore still obliged to go to school. however i live in london and here school is kinda different. especially seeing as i go to an uptight private all-girls school that's only wish is to see our school at the top of the league tables.
for me back to school has never been something to cherish. sure you meet your friends and get to find out what they did over the holidays but still that does not really entice me when i could be out in the sun. what really gets me about back to school is the lack of personal freedom i get when i return. at my school there are so many rules your head bursts and here are just a few:
. uniform: 1. white shirt with marroon stripes (short or 3/4 length sleeves) 2. marroon pleated skirt (max. 2 inches above knee) or black trousers (not jeans or cords!) 3. marroon jumper (v-neck or strangling) 4. black leather or fake-leather shoes (not canvas, trainers or non-supportive) 5. marroon, grey, black or flesh coloured tights or white, black or grey socks (no patterns)
. hair: only natural coloured, simple styles and ties-back with a plain headband or hair-tie
. nails & makeup: none whatsoever (if you have any on must go to the school nurse and remove it)
not even the idea of reading new books could excite me. last year i was fortunate enough to get the best teacher and therefore read: 'romeo & juliet', 'frankenstein', 'an inspector calls', 'the mariner's tale', 'farenheit 451' & 'sense and sensibility'
this year (before the term has even started) i have had to read: 'hard times' (charles dickens) & 'northanger abbey'
I lived under a similarly strict regime in terms of uniform - but it was an equaliser at least. And at 7am when even deciding what to wear for the day just seems beyond me, sometimes I wish i could just mindlessly put on a uniform again.
You have my sympathies with "An Inspector Calls." The film version is (unitentionally) hilarious though!
I'm a Junior, and last night I got my class ring. Throughout my entire middle/high school experience, my English teachers are the ones who've made the biggest impact on my life. They were the ones who made me realize that I wanted to be a writer through the amazing stories they told me. I can remember feeling myself change the first time I read books like "Of Mice and Men", "Where the Red Fern Grows", "Night", "Pride and Prejudice", "Catcher in the Rye", "The Great Gatsby", and "The Freedom Writer's Diary"(which was my required reading this summer. If you haven't read it, check it out. It's not like the movie. It's awe inspiring). Not to mention that at the tender, young age of seven, I fell in love with a boy wizard.
This semester I'm in Honors English III. The class syllabus says that we'll be going through "The Scarlet Letter", "The Crucible", "The Adventures of Huckleberry Finn", "I Know Why The Caged Bird Sings", and "Their Eyes Were Watching God". I can only hope that somewhere in this list is that feeling of wonder, and amazement that I've experienced so often in the past.
Thank you to Ms. Garcia, and the English Department of Midway High School. You have truly changed my life for the better. I could never repay you for this thing you've given me, this love of literature. Go Midway Raiders!
Class of 2011!
(I'm the one with the black nail polish and brown hair, beside the girl in the black and white dress)
I'm almost done in HS, and if everything goes well, I'll be going to college next February to study Eng Translation :o)
But last year I had a "strange" professor. She wasn't like every other teacher at school. And she had me do an asignment on metaphores. So I picked up my first Ray Bradbury book, Dandelion Wine. And it was love at first sight.
I also read Farenheit 451.
And I got a 10 in that presentation. Such was my enthusiasm.
I even got some of my classmates interested in reading RB.
And then this year, along came Hamlet.
And my enthusiasm died along with Ophelia.
---------
Great post! I didn't remember the last time it was Hil who wrote a post.
xo,
Ella
:o)
Hello I know that site is not that your but I was anxious to inform you that I find you exellente as acrtice and am disappointed that you leave one tree hill but I really espere to see you soon has the ecran. But I console by saying to me that we shall see you for a season still of one tree hill in France. Please have accept this message. Good luck for the continuation.
Little League baseball is the best. In fact, I'm watching the championship game as I type...come on California (sorry about Texas!) The Great Brain series was great! I can't tell you how many times I read and reread them. Some of my favorites through the years...The Education of Little Tree, Tuck Everlasting, The Catcher in the Rye, A Separate Peace, Cold Sassy Tree, and Les Miserables.
You totally read my mind! I was just on the phone last night with my best friend saying how much I missed the hype of "back to school time". Oh how much I LOVED new school supplies! There was/is nothing like a brand new, empty notebook. I still have an addiction with buying new supplies, they're just fun! I took my god daughter back to school shopping the other day too, and it brought back memories of shopping with my mom.
As for books, I must say that To Kill a Mockingbird was probably my favorite classic, Romeo and Juliet was up there too. But, in 10th grade I had this teacher that I completely clashed with. She made us read this book called "Third & Indiana" It was about a boy who grew up in the ghetto, in Philly, Because I grew up right outside the city, it caught my eye. That same teacher who I clashed with so much became my reason for wanting to teach creative writing. She also made me proud of my writing, and told me not to hide behind it. Thank you Ms. Quinzi. Also, Mr. Casner was another reading teacher who I can now call my favorite teacher. He was young, and very hip, but also very smart and noble. He introduced me to Shakephere. Thanks Mr. Cas!
Thanks for the trip down memory lane!
Samantha <3
Well wow what a blog! I cannot tell you how true your words are. We are all the same I guess, you don't realise what you have till its gone! Isn't it weird how every year no matter what, you really feel a year older, even though you only left school 2 months previously. That is the feeling I always had anyway, and the year I got to Upper Sixth (17/18) when you know you are at the top of the heap - it is just so much fun, big fish - little pond.
The really freaky thing though, believe me, is taking your own KIDS to school! My eldest is so over excited, cant wait to get back to her friends, she says it feels like years since she has seen them....
As for literature the books I remember - the years i cannot recall:
The Crucible
Macbeth, Julius Ceasar, Midsummer nights dream
Animal Farm
Lord of the Flies
All My Sons
Playboy of the Western World
I loved the book Animal Farm, it is really a fairly impressive write - at least I think so.It is close to my heart too as we did a theatre production of it, being cast as "Hen number 2" was awesome!
The photo is of my big sister and I when I was starting my first ever day at school age 5, so that was 1981!
And special thanks to Mrs Jelly, Mrs Harbinson, Mrs Leeman, Mr Ievers
I completely relate. I have only been out of school for a few years, but I miss the excitement of a new uniform and new timetables and new stationery. Ah, how I LOVE stationery. I miss having teachers who genuinely knew and cared about me, as opposed to university professors to whom i am just a number.
One of the things I have desperately missed is english class. I honestly would have gone just for the fun of it, even if i hadn't had to. I was that girl. We have a different system here, whereby there are no general classes in college - you declare a major before even starting and then focus solely on that. There has therefore been no opportunity to take literature classes as part of my degree. I thought perhaps a book group would be a good way to fill the void - but to no avail (all the people who were interested in reading were english students (shocker!) and too swamped with class work to sit around chatting about more books).
I joined the paper and started to tutor english in a high school nearby. Those things mean I get to spend a little bit of time each week thinking about words and imaginary people - I need that.
But it's not quite the same.
The Lord of the Rings every year since I was seven....
I'm still in school, so I haven't found many books that actually changed my life yet, but all the ones my Italian teacher made me read did that; and the best thing about those pages weren't the stories or the way they were written, but the thoughts that came with them and the possibility of sharing these thoughts with my classmates and hear different opinions, and maybe even change my mind after hearing them.
I think everyone has a different way to approach with books, that's why it's so interesting and important to talk about them; sometimes it happened that someone made me notice something about a book, a sentence or even only some words, that I didn't consider while reading the first time but then when read them again I saw them in a different way.
Of course, I have to admit that I probably would have never read those books if I didn't have to, but now I'm so glad I did, because they were really usefull, even when I didn't like them at the begging, I realized then how much they helped me understand so many things.
I own a lot to two teachers in particular, who made me fall in love with reading with their true passion, so I want to thank Mrs Bertini and Mr Reverberi.
And about "first day of school feeling", I have to agree with everybody who said that it's something magical, scary and exciting at the same time; and I also agree that right now everything seems black and white to me but hopefully this will sooner or later change!
Bottom line I just want to thank everybody for their comments and Hilarie for the blog because they made me WANT to go back to school next week just to read some more books and find the ones that I will remember forever. So thank you!
xoxo
Bia
To Kill a Mockingbird was that AHA moment for me - I had my copy filled with notes down the sides of the pages. Then, someone borrowed it and I never saw it again - bookshelf has never been the same since.
J x
That's not good, Jess :(. I love reading annotated books - my own and other peoples. I know some people say that you should never write on books, or dog ear them or anything like that - and I can understand that - it's important to teach children that books have to be treated with respect. But there is a bigger part of me that loves a novel that looks like it has been thoroughly read by everyone in my family for the past twenty years :)>
I've got my copy of Farenheit 451 and Dandelion Wine all scribbled too :)
Hil that post was amazing along with that adorable pic :)
I also have to agree, along with everyone else, that everything and everyone who have to do with school, DO indeed matter in our lives. That's the way it's always been.
There are many teachers who have helped me become the person I am today, and will be in the future
Just want to thank (mrs. norman, mrs. veitch, mrs. savaadra, ms. orr & ms. lao (yes, had two awesome teachers for one class) mrs. bell, mr. ball (yup that's his name :P) mr. rodgers (not the tv show guy, although he was pretty awesome), mrs. trapp, ms. kitlass, mr. armijo (looked like Hugh Laurie) mr. ugalde, mrs. carpentier, ms. denise, john ledell, and a bunch of others.
I'm happy for everyone who posted on here as well, because that just shows that one person really CAN affect other lives besides their own.
Readings:
Beowulf, Macbeth, Julius Caesar, Lord of the Flies, Story of an Hour, To Kill a Mockingbird, Tale of Two Cities, Around the World in 80 days, Picture of Dorian Gray (hoped you liked that one nick :)) Oedipus, The Odyssey, greek mythology, etc. I liked a bunch of stuff we had to read, I just can't remember all of it.
And Hil, since someone else posted a pic, I might as well too. What the hell right?
two days before 3nd grade
my bro, dad, and I day before 10th grade. (san diego)
(and yes, I already had 'shades' back in this pic lol)-few of you will know what I mean :P
-Amber
I'm only going into 10th grade now, but:
Grade 5: Bridge To Terrebithia && Gabi's Dresser
Grade 6: The Outsiders
Grade 8: The Giver && Speak
Grade 9: Haroun and the Sea of Stories && Romeo and Juliet
Doll in the Garden was Mary Downing Hahn at her finest. she was my author of choice in 7th grade. "wait til helen comes", "time for andrew." so many ghosts playing with little children- very eery writing.
my dad, having read me mythology as bedtime stories, he was always throwing me books. including two of my favorites, "to kill a mockingbird" and "all creatures great and small" (herrot fan.)
my mother, a retired english teacher, opened my love for poetry with steinbeck, eliot, neruda, and gibran. she also shares my love of fitzgerald and austen.
"the shack" and "five people you meet in heaven" and "the lovely bones" have been my summer reads and they were excellent and very different. now on to "a thousand splendid suns" and "the memory keeper's daughter"
my 12th grade teacher forced us to read book after book for ap lit and we whined, complained, and loved every bit of it. "waiting for godot" "wuthering heights" "siddhartha" "king lear" "the importance if being earnest" "lord of the flies" "portrait of the artist as a young man." that was the year i realized why i actually worked to read and analyze every one of those- because i loved it. i haven't stopped reading whenever i can since.
I think i've read every single one of the titles you mention, Becca, except "The Shack." I will add it to my list! :)
i'm going to be a highschool freshmen in 9 days. the schools here aren't big on required reading; or required anything really. i'm scared to death to start highschool; but the required reading that hopefully will come i know i will enjoy..i've always loved a good book. my only problem? with 2 brothers already graduated from highschool...i've made my way through most of the classics. i did my brother's senior english project on ernest hemingway, william faulkner, and john steinbeck in 6th grade. this turned me on to all three authors..and in turn several more.
personal favorites from 6th-8th grades?
the winter of our discontent &+ east of eden- john steinbeck
fahrenheit 451- ray bradbury
as i lay dying- william faulkner
the bell jar- sylvia plath (this got me through a major clinically depressed period)
the great gatsby- F. Scott Fitzgerald
a farewell to arms- ernest hemingway
for whom the bell tolls- ernest hemingway
the poetry works of WH Auden, Edgar Allen Poe, and Lord Byron, and William Ernest Henley (mainly Invictus)
i have also enjoyed the plays of Tennessee Williams, and George Bernard Shaw, among others.
these are a few of my favorite pieces (i can honestly say, for as many newly published pieces i read...the classics stick with me the best.)
PS: though i'm not missing high school yet, i can see how much i will by looking at my brothers, i remember getting dragged along to certain parties while they were babysitting, and hanging around the school with them before football practice, or on a saturday or sunday waiting for everyone to show up to go somewhere, i remember them going to proms, and dances and seeing them come home, sharing all the memories they had from the evening(even when drunk the slurred versions were just fine), all of their memories (and the ones i was dragged along for) make me realize that going through everything on my own will be hard to let go of...i didn't even want to let go of their highschool years.
*^
i was the little sister who got dragged everywhere while my parents were on business trips, or out with the family, or just thought it would be nice for my brothers to have me along (haha! like i'd do any good) mainly i was everyone's little sis.
PSS: those kids are always too cute! who doesn't watch the little league world series??
-nicole
port huron, MI
I'm a 5th year college student. I am still in school so the excitement of back to school is kind of still there. Although I do miss going to Target with my mom and picking out new notebooks, and pencils. I remember that in 4th grade we were finally allowed to use pen as long as it was eraseable. I remember being so excited for that.. Eraseable pen is pretty much a genius idea though..
I remember reading so many different books and many of the ones you mentioned.Which are usually standard curriculum for certain grades.
I think my favorite was definately Farenheit 451. It made me so greatful to be able to go to Barnes and Noble or my Local library and sit for hours and discover more books just like that one that I would enjoy and inspire me. The Movie was a bit creepy though...
=]
It was gre
I think growing up, there was just something magical about planting my nose in a book and drowning in the words of a novel and the illustrations of my imagination. The naivety, the ability to delve into someone else's world, and the intensity of it all--it was so real. It was as if I became "Miss Mary" wandering the grounds of Misselthwaite Manor in search of that Secret Garden, or Dorothy on the yellow brick road to Emerald City-- the adventures became my adventures. (I'd do anything to acquire that carefree spirit as a young adult!)
In high school, literature was both an escape from the real world and a comfort... no matter what my emotional state, there were always words that confirmed I was not the only person to ever have felt happiness, pain, confusion, or angst. The words brought light and knowledge to my naive world, required me to ask questions, to smudge the lines between right and wrong, good and evil. These same words also brought me to my love of writing and my love of performing :) I was blessed to have attended a school with a fantastic literature instructor, who allowed us to explore the text and express our interpretations in a myriad of ways--from skits, to short films, to radio shows, we took the words of others and made them our own. Under the instruction of Miss Shearon, we featured the characters of Macbeth on a Maury-style talk show, yelled "charge" when running up and down stairs, and discovered the actual importance of being Earnest.
Even as a 21-year old post-graduate, there is nothing more satisfying than completing, analyzing, and discussing a good novel...or maybe I'm just a nerd ;)
p.s. no longer anonymous...
<3 krk
I will officially be a senior this year and I am definitely excited. There's always something amazing about coming back to school after break.While I may lose major cool points for saying it, English class is like heaven on Earth to me. This past year in Enlgish I pretty much read everything and anything. I mean we covered everything from Shakespeare, The Canterbury Tales, David Sedaris, Orwell, and even The Handmaid's Tale.
My favorite novel of all time has to be The Catcher in the Rye. But
I recently read Everything is Illuminated and Extremely Loud& Incredibly Close by Jonathan Safran Foer, for summer reading and they are both amazing novels.
Love Jonathan Safran Foer! You should check out The History of Love by Nicole Krauss - she is his wife, and her novels bears remarkable ressemblence to Extremely Loud and Incredibly Close. They were released around the same time i think, but both authors maintain that they didn't discuss ideas with each other whilst they were writing. Weird!
Also, am quite jealous that you got to read David Sedaris in school!
Hey Hilarie~
Thank you for that! Even though I love my job, house, husband, and LIFE, I would give anything to have that "feel" of waking up on the first day of school. The anticipation and excitement of having it all ahead...what an amzing feeling! If only we all woke up feeling that way every day, I think there would be a little more passion to our every day thoughts and actions.
Thanks for all the work you do here, I simply adore you!
"unsolved Mysteries" was awesome I used to watch that religiously, I feel so much better knowing I'm not the only one who misses being in school, I'm currently taking time off from the university and with me missing school and not being able to go back yet it sucks that my aunts are going which shows your never too old lol. Before I started kindergarten my aunt Alisa who's five years older started to "play" school with me to prepare me for what it would be like, so she's the reason I love school.
My aunt Irene started me on my love affair with reading, one year for my eighth birthday she bought me "the wizard of oz" and I'm talking about the thick 600 page version, i read that book in one day which is the main reason people called me bookworm omg book-a-thons were awesome I would look for any book just to fill up a page for some free pizza or bowling certificates.
My sixth and seventh grade choir teacher Mrs May, she's the one who's responsible for my love of writing, it started off as writing lyrics then grew to poems and short stories.
Mrs Arnold (my favorite English teacher) had the class read "Bless me Ultima" don't quite remember what it's about but I do remember that it was one the best books i read that year the other was "To kill a mocking bird".
My step-sister Jessica introduced me to V.C. Andrews the first book I read that I fell in love with was "Dawn". what I love most about her books is the fact that I can relate to some of the characters. for those who have read her books you've probably noticed the same theme in different series that's the thing that draws my attention.
some books from my college days "Looking Backward; 2000-1887" by Edward Bellamy i had to read it for American History. its about a guy who falls asleep in may of 1887 in the Panic room he had built and woke up in September of 2000 and he has to adjust to life in the world of credit cards and to some sense what the world is today.
By the way that is a cute picture and walking alone at night was one thing I would do when I stayed with my mom at her boyfriend's house, I would go walking down the street to the cemetery and stay there for a few hours I only stopped going because a guy in a truck would follow me.
Val
My bad.. I wasn't logged in, the post below is mine :)