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THIS week a whole new world opens up to the children around Australia. A new school year begins.
With it come new teachers, new classmates, different subjects, added technology challenges.
It is particularly so for our prep students arriving at school on their very first day at the "big school".
Transition days, a great introduction for these little people, means their first day is much less fearful than it was when our children first started school.
Into the classroom troop the "preppies", the little girls with dresses too long, shoes too wide, bags too heavy; small boys... is it "long shorts or short longs"?
Hats cover heads with shade down to their toes.
The "newies" are so good when they first start school. Hats are worn conscientiously, shoes stay on and lunch boxes are emptied, under the watchful eye of their teachers.
Innocence and trusting adherence to the rules begins to fade as they move up through the school until by grade 6 it is generally about "looking cool", breaking rules as often as possible over hats, lunches, homework.
Then suddenly it is all on again. Year 7, a new school, a new set of rules.
Those big, confident, cocky young six-graders shrink down to the equivalent of preppies all over again.
The big secondary colleges look confusing for the first few weeks as year 7 students frantically try to work out where to go next.
They’re far too proud to ask for help, of course! They work it out in the end.
The student of today strolls around casually tossing a light bag over their shoulder, which holds one zippy laptop or Notebook, and little else. How lucky are they!
Schools are exciting for children today. Teachers have to be innovative and imaginative. Thankfully most are. I watch with awe at the class activities and excursions our grandchildren are participating in.
How challenging it would be to take a grade 6 off to a school camp for a week, or even a couple of days. The responsibilities would be onerous!
A year 9 Outward Bound camp is such an adventure for students but quite daunting for teachers; they are the activities students remember forever, not necessarily the maths class or the English essay.
This is the future for those little preps today.
As parents those strings will be cutting loose, and you will have less credibility than the teacher for a while. That rights itself eventually.
These preppies will one day return to their schools to join in reunions with their old schoolmates.
Hold on to those photos. They’re always worth a laugh. Sometimes romances are rekindled.
Good luck to all our students and teachers for 2015.