First Day of School, 2011
Posted on August 29, 2011 Posted by John Scalzi 56 Comments
And thus begins seventh grade. Athena has been very much looking forward to the start of this particular school year, so I hope everything goes for her as she hopes and plans. I still think it’s silly to start the school year before Labor Day, but no one ever asks me about these things, so. In any event, it has been family tradition to start the school year with an informal portrait; this is this year’s model. Off we go into another year.
They grow so fast, John. Remember the song “Sunrise, Sunset” from “Fiddler on the Roof?”
I remember that she was wearing a black t-shirt at the start of last year. They grow up quickly.
Wow! What a difference a year makes. Good call on the pepper spray ;-)
Good luck, Athena! And good luck, John & Krissy. Seventh grade was rather turbulent for our girl, since it was her first encounter with just how bitchy and awful middle school girls can be. But it gets better. I know you’ll see her through it.
Athena looks lovely – what a nice first-day-of-school ensemble!
A young lady, ready to take on the world!
Oh yeah, daughter is starting fourth week of school (fifth grade) today. The school year is pretty whack now-days.
This photo makes me miss my daughter (now a senior undergrad at UNT). Best wishes and blessings, Athena!
Wow… Athena’s got style!
Good luck Athena!
Give ’em heck, Miss Scalzi.
She looks amazing and so grown-up!
As a side note, her outfit is something I could easily have worn to 7th grade in 1988. Fashion is amusingly cyclical. :) Now I understand why my mom was laughing when bell bottoms were briefly in style when I was in high school.
She’s a beautiful young lady–and it seems as though she has a pretty neat family, too. Have a great school year.
As the proud owner/operator of a 7th grader, I wish her the best of luck! My son is loving his year so far (2 weeks in) and I hope Athena does too.
Good luck to Athena! Seventh grade is a big deal.
Here in Connecticut, the first day of school has been postponed till tomorrow.
Athena looks lovely.
There will be a lot of firsts for her this year. I hope she enjoys them.
Let me know if she and her friends plan a day to wear the same color. When I used to teach 7th grade, this was a common occurrence for a group of girls outside my classroom.
Catherine
Information portrait? Is that supposed to be “informal” or “informational”, perhaps?
I officially love that outfit. Lookin’ good, girlfriend.
Best of luck to her. These were shitty years in my memory may hers be blissfully golden.
Have fun, Athena, John & Krissy. Remember, John, teachers work harder with students whose parents communicate when problems come up. And as a parent of a Tenth grader, well, stuff is always going to come up. Enjoy the journey, it goes faster but it becomes more fun, too.
Tim in Texas.
When I was younger, our school year didn’t start until after Labor Day. My kids started school 2 weeks ago (August 15th) and we have friends who started the week before that. The biggest issue I have with this is that here in Phoenix, it’s way to hot outside for recess. So, my 6 year old son, gets to sit inside all day without any running around time. That’s just cruel.
They grow up too damn fast don’t they??
Hope she has a fantastic day and an even better year! :)
Great outfit, Miss Athena! Have a grand year.
Congratulations and good luck on this first day, Athena!
She looks fantastic. Have an awesome first day, Athena, and an amazing year!
Wow, she looks great! More like her mom every day.
I hope she has a wonderful school year!
:-)
And her march towards becoming Empress of the Known Universe continues apace.
Have fun, Athena!
John, I hope you have a baseball bat next to the front door. While an aluminum bat may have a longer service life for beating boys away from the entrance portal, there is just somehting so traditional about the satisfying thwack of a genuine wooden bat, as opposed to the irritating ping of aluminum. No Sir, this post is not off topic… it is just a roundabout way of saying you got a pretty young lady in the household and–if not already, then soon–you will need some way to clear a path through the boys for mundane purposes such as ingress, egress, and a couple of hours of sleep here and there.
Oh, and by the way, nice ensemble Ms, Scalzi. Enjoy your day at school.
Best wishes for a brilliant and happy school year Athena! Your 1st day of school pic elicits nostalgic memories for my sons 1st day of school who are now all grown up with children of their own.
I hope it’s a great day! :) Also, what a lovely picture!
Have a great 1st day and a great year of 7th Grade Athena! Love the outfit.
Since Ohio kids go back to school a week before Michigan kids do this is officially Michigan Week at Cedar Point. I hear it’s a great time to go. Lovely girl.
And that informal portrait will probably look better than the school photos they’ll take in a week or two.
Look out 7th grade. Athena’s got on power clothes!
So pretty! Go, Athena!
By law Michigan public schools must open after Labor Day. Of course this was done to help bolster the tourism industry, but that it agrees with my sensibilities, that’s okay.
Dr. Phil
They don’t seem to talk about this in school, but 7th graders can take the SAT. Not the PSAT, not a scaled down version, but the actual SAT. The country is divided into four regions, in Ohio you would go through Northwestern University’s Midwest Academic Talent Search. Typically your child can take the test if she scores in the 90th percentile on the standardized tests she took last year.
The SAT scores do NOT count or go on her transcript, but I can tell you it is a lot of fun when your 7th grader scores higher than your high school’s average SAT score. Some people feel testing this early is too young, and they may have a point if she is going to stress about it. I also wouldn’t put too much energy into prepping for it (we did one practice test).
I believe taking the SAT this early does two good things. First it is great practice, she won’t be nearly as nervous about it in 11th grade. Second, it makes her eligible for summer programs and online courses (my daughter took an online creative writing course from Duke University the second half of her Freshman year). It also puts her on college’s radars (at least that is one explanation for a 10th grader getting letters and flyers from over 300 colleges).
Good luck to Athena this year!
A lovely young lady!
Best wishes, Athena; that’s a very cute outfit. Break their hearts gently.
I hope 7th grade is a positive experience for Athena. She certainly looks as though she had grown much in the last year. The next couple of years are when lots of changes happen. It’s a coming of age time when kids start thinking about the more philosophical issues such as Athena did earlier with Lent. I loved to teach this age in UU sunday school.
Someone please enlighten me. When did the start of school move to August?
aj:
In the school district I grew up in during the ’80s we had school start in August every year and let out sometime in mid-May.
Wow, she looks fabulous!
And how the heck is it possible that she’s in seventh grade? When did that happen? Wasn’t she just a little kid not that long ago?
@41
“In the school district I grew up in during the ’80s we had school start in August every year and let out sometime in mid-May.”
Maybe it’s different in Canada. I grew up in a rural area of Nova Scotia. The biggest entertainment my brother and I had in the summer was “cow pattie” fights
Aw, she looks great! I’m digging the little white sweater. Even though I don’t wear white. It has nothing to do with virtue, everything to do with a love of ketchup and an innate clumsiness.
@#40
Here in South Carolina–at least in my school district–classes started a week ago. Even back in the early ’70s school started in August, but it was a case of we went to school on Thursday and Friday, then had Monday off for labor day (except for years when we went another week then had labor day off), then finished the year in the middle/last half of May. Now they start early in August and in some cases go till at least the middle of June, and in a couple of local counties they have been trying to convince the parents that year round school would be the thing with no more than a week or two off for kids at any point. Sigh.
Oh what a fun time of year! Mine started three weeks ago.
Go get ’em Athena and study hard!
Wow – your school system is slow! Ours got going two weeks ago. Of course they also get out really early, so in the end I don’t think it makes a lot of difference.
Wow…I just realized I’ve been reading your blog for a long time…at least 4 years. Amazing how much kids change in that short a time. She’s growing into a lovely young woman. Are you already planning how you yourself are going to deal with the teenage boy situation? My brother is going for the big menacing handshake routine. Seems to be working for him…
Good luck this year, Scalzis of all sizes!
Good luck and hopefully a straight-A year.
my 7th and 3rd graders start the day after labor day. I’d give $1,000 if they started this week.
Wow, I wish I had looked that lovely on my first day of seventh grade!!
We are into the third week of school here in New Mexico. I miss teaching 7th graders, I am at the high school now and it is not the same.
Rob
My son is also starting 7th grade, but in Ontario we do start next Tuesday.
Good luck Athena.
Our family tradition is homemade cookies on their return from the first school day
I applaud Athena’s elegant outfit! So cute! So styley!
What a delightful picture! May 7th grade be good to her.
John, I went to one of your Random Whatevers after seeing this photo and got Athena’s first day of first grade photo. What are the odds of that? I’m sure I could do the math but I’m too lazy right now.
Just wanted to say “Rock on, Athena!”