Summer holidays are gone and so is the relaxed lifestyle of kids. It’s time to get back into the disciplined schedule. What are the 25 things that happen at the start of every new session?
- Parents are so proud of their children and try to take photograph of their kids on the front door in the new school uniform. Failing to take a good picture may stress them.
- There is always a parent who is looking for the holiday homework on the last night of holidays.
- This parent does the same every year and you decide to “teach them a lesson”.
- You can hear people talking at the school gate about variations of “How was the summers?”, “Went anywhere nice?”, and “What did you do?”
- Nobody remembers to arrange childcare for the last few days of the summers, so they send their little kids to more organized parents.
- Wait, does anyone remember “inset day”, seems like everybody forgot about it.
- Some people think it’s insect and not inset.
- Parents are wearing white vests, shorts, and flip-flops just to show their deep tan. “We know you are freezing”.
- A student accidentally calls their teacher as “mum”, taunts follow. Not only that, since mostly teachers in school are female especially in primary school, we all have at some point called our male teachers “Ma’am.”
- After long time your child wears the uniform for the first time in weeks, and you can see how much they have grown. You silently pray that they don’t notice that the sleeves are a bit shorter now.
- A fellow parent or teacher has got a dramatic haircut. Everyone feels duty-bound to comment “Haircut!”
- Waking up way too soon because you are out of sync with the school routine and you need more time.
- You forgot how to do a tie.
- Kids having meltdown as their new instructor is different from their old teacher. “Mom, he’s so scary, and strict!” This anxiety remains for a few weeks. During this time, we miss our old teachers. I know some students who got so emotional that they couldn’t hold their tears.
- Pedestals near school are whizzing with children on their new scooters.
- Parents carrying vast, elaborate, and time consuming homework project through the school gates.
- Teachers persuading parents to sign their children up for breakfast clubs and after school activities, which they are not interested in.
- Don’t know where the new classroom is? You are panicked and feel like crying. You also suddenly start missing your friends and think that you’re the “loneliest” person on this planet.
- Judging the child who’s wearing Crocs and then noticing that their parent is also wearing them.
- Year 6 or 7 fiddles with a shiny new phone; clearly they have been allowed their first mobile these holidays. Their friends encircle them in excitement. Suddenly the kid with the phone becomes the most popular person in the classroom.
- Children complaining about sore feet by the afternoon because of brand new shoes. But it felt really good when we relaxed in the bed after struggling through out the day.
- Children unpack their new elaborate, garish pencil case and cutesy pens with a smile on their face. Those new school supplies were the only happy moment of going back-to-school. However, once the reality of another year of school hits, that happy feeling wore off quickly.
- Someone has their hair cornrowed to show how exotic their holiday has been.
- You learn that your child was not invited to a birthday party or sleepover in the holidays. And you are there bridling that snub. However, your child does not care about it.
- At least one teacher is not present anymore. Rumours have it that they have either died, or had a breakdown while they have just got a new job.
