Do You Remember Your First Day of School?

As some Glen Burnie students embark on a new school experience today and tomorrow, I've spent time reflecting on my first day of school and how it shaped my education.

I can still remember my very first day of "pre-first" grade, which is what those in the small town of Browns Mills, NJ, called kindergarten.

Luckily for me, being separated from my mother did not come as a shock as I already attended preschool through the Burlington County Action Program (BCAP) childcare service for part of the day.

My mother dropped me off at BCAP that September day in 1987 and returned before the bus pulled up to take me to Little Red Schoolhouse—a school only for pre-first students. She was there to see me off.

But I was afraid. I didn't know what to expect from my teacher.

"What if she doesn't like children?" I asked my mother.

"Of course she does. She wouldn't be teaching children if she didn't," my mother tried to reassure me.

Knowing of my fear, my mother already had spoken with my teacher, Mrs. Olivian Clemmons, and let her know that I was afraid she wouldn't like me. Mrs. Clemmons reassurred my mother that she loved children and I had nothing to be afraid of.

I boarded the bus, with a look of dread, according to my mother, and we made our way along Lakehurst Road for my first day of school.

My mother followed the school bus for the mile or so to Little Red to ensure things went smoothly when I arrived at the school. As I got off the bus with my fellow classmates, my mother walked with us to the door of the building and I made my way, without my mother, up the stairs to my classroom.

Mrs. Clemmons stood at the top of the steps, looked at me and said, "You must be Maya."

I nodded. She extended her hand to me and we walked together into the classroom.

"And it was love at first sight—for both of you I think," my mother said.

Mrs. Clemmons and I stayed in touch throughout my years of school even after my family moved from New Jersey to Virginia where I attended grades three through 12. She even attended my graduation from in Manassas, VA.

That bond helped shape the student I became as I moved through elementary, middle and high school. A student who believed that teachers were there because they wanted to help ensure that I learned all I could.

As Glen Burnie area students settle in to their first day at school what are your memories? How did your first day shape the rest of your educational experience? What did you do to help your child make the transition?