[A knight without armor]

Does back-to-school this year have any special meaning to you? ------ Just that notebooks, etc. are on sale. I don't mean to be a downer but for some reason I always feel remorseful for homeless children who have to face school and be mistreated by the other kids. I always think how difficult and awkward certain things in school would be for a kid with no underpinnings.

Do you have children in school? ------ No. If I had a kid I'd be strongly inclined to homeschool him or her. I certainly wish my parents had homeschooled me but that would not have been possible.

When you think of going back to school, do you think of experiences you had as a child, as a teenager, or as a college student? ------ Child. Some kindergarten but mostly first through 8th grade.

Were you one of those people who looked forward to new friends and new challenges or were you one of those people who hated to lose the carefree days of summer? ------ I loved having and smelling the brand new school supplies. At the same time I hated getting up before daylight and dealing with horror! - math and then beginning with jr. high - gym.

What did you wear to school? ------ Made the best of what I had. It was never "right" never. In the winter snowboots that were fuzzy on the inside and I'd carry my shoes in a sack. In grade school my winter coat zipper would get off track and stuck and I'd have to stand while the one and only janitor pulled it loose with a pair of pliers. This frequently happened to kids with zipper coats.

When you started back to school in the fall, were cool, crisp days just ahead or was the weather going to continue to be hot for a few more months? ------ It would soon be cool. I remember cold, dewy grass making my feet slippery in my sandals on the way out to the school bus.

Whom did you hang out with? The jocks? The artsy crowd? The nerds? ------ The quiet kids. The outcasts, actually.

Did you go to football games in the fall? basketball games in the winter? ------ No. Didn't care for sports. Plus I lived clear out in the country and my parents were too tired to haul me back and forth to town.

Did you go to your prom or formal dance? --- No.

If you didn't go to these kinds of events, what did you do instead? ------ Talked to my friend on the telephone and occasionally would go to town to spend a Friday or Saturday night sleepover with her.

What was the most popular song in the year that you graduated? ------ I graduated high school in only 3 years because I had extra credits. In 1973 the nonstop songs on the radio were Tie a Yellow Ribbon Round the Old Oak Tree by Toni Orlando and Dawn and Big, Bad LeRoy Brown by Jim Croce.

What was your favorite subject and why? ------ Geography. I liked maps and cultures.

Who were your favorite teachers and why? ------ My geography teachers, both men, in jr. high and high school. They were both quite strict and I liked the orderly classroom atmosphere.

By the way, I'm probably the only person who really loved the school lunches. In the first grade my mother would make me my favorite (to this day) sack lunch consisting of an egg salad sandwich with the crust cut off of course, a little bag of Fritos, and a Hostess Suzy Q. I loved the hot lunches the rest of the time. I was introduced to those fudgy-coca oatmeal drop cookies. I don't know their name. I don't think they are baked. I raved about them so much my mother told me to ask the cook for the recipe! Gosh! I was so scared! But I got it and enjoyed them at home from then on.

[rightwingintelligentsia]

You have some very distinct memories of school. I can't say I was always fond of the school lunches myself, but I do remember the cafeteria ladies were usually very nice. But those awful hairnets!

[trussell]

Does back-to-school this year have any special meaning to you? ------ Don't have to pay babysitting anymore...woohoo, more cash to pay on the bills.

Do you have children in school? ------ Yes...an 11 year old in 6th grade, and a 6 year old in 1st. The 11 year old girl joined football.

When you think of going back to school, do you think of experiences you had as a child, as a teenager, or as a college student? ------ Teenager...I got wild and stupid.

Were you one of those people who looked forward to new friends and new challenges or were you one of those people who hated to lose the carefree days of summer? ------ I loved summer...swimming, movies, staying up late and playing kick the can.

What did you wear to school? ------ Clothes that got me made fun of...dressy shirts and slacks.

When you started back to school in the fall, were cool, crisp days just ahead or was the weather going to continue to be hot for a few more months? ------ It was getting ready to turn cool...I love winter the best, and it could REALLY snow here when I was growing up.

Whom did you hang out with? The jocks? The artsy crowd? The nerds? ------ The smokers, the bad kids.

Did you go to football games in the fall? basketball games in the winter? ------ I prefered to play the games...but if I was dating someone who liked to go, I would go with him.

Did you go to your prom or formal dance? --- Yes.

What was the most popular song in the year that you graduated? ------ Top 10 of 1985:
1. "Careless Whisper".....Wham!
2. "Say You, Say Me".....Lionel Richie
3. "Separate Lives".....Phil Collins & Marilyn Martin
4. "I Want To Know What Love Is".....Foreigner
5. "Money For Nothing".....Dire Straits
6. "We Are The World".....USA for Africa
7. "Broken Wings".....Mr. Mister
8. "Everybody Wants To Rule The World".....Tears for Fears
9. "The Power Of Love".....Huey Lewis & The News
10. "We Built This City".....Starship

What was your favorite subject and why? ------ Math...I love working with numbers.

Who were your favorite teachers and why? ------ I didn't have a favorite...I hated them all. :D