Back to School Days by Lynn Lovegreen

I loved school as a kid—I started telling people I was going to be a teacher in first or second grade. And I did become a teacher, so I continued going to school most of my life. August was always an exciting time, as I thought about going back to school and what great things might be in store.

Now that I’m retired, the heady anticipation of this time of year is gone. But I still love back to school sales. As a writer, I’m still attracted to all those notebooks and pens and such. 

I don’t need to buy much for myself. So I donate to a school supply drive. It’s a win-win situation, where I can give in to retail temptation and a student or two gets fun school supplies to start the year.

I encourage you to do the same. Check with your local school or community group to find a school supply drive, and donate a little or a lot. Happy back to school days, whether you’re going back to school yourself, sending a child to school, or it’s a just fond memory!

Lynn Lovegreen grew up in Alaska, and still lives there. She taught for twenty years before retiring to make more time for writing. She enjoys her friends and family, reading, and volunteering at her local library. Her young adult/new adult historical romances are set in Alaska, a great place for drama, romance, and independent characters. See her website at www.lynnlovegreen.com. You can also find her on Facebook, Goodreads, and Pinterest.

Back to School - Then and Now by Paty Jager

As a writer of historical western romance, I have an arsenal of reference/research books on my bookshelves.  There is one in particular that I find myself using time and again. A replica of the 1897 Sears Roebuck & Co. Catalogue.  It not only shows me what things back in the 1800's looked like, it gives me prices when a character goes to a mercantile and purchases something.

A fraction of my research books

I thought it would be fun to compare the items a child might take to school back in 1897 to what they would use today.  The 1897 prices are from the Sears Roebuck catalog and today's prices are from a Rite-Aid advertisement in the newspaper.

1897
School Mate 6" x 9" 350 pages pencil tablet         $0.35
Ink bottle                                                                  0.05
Pen holder                                                                0.03
(this is a wood handle that holds the quill tip)                                                                 
quill pen tip                                                             0.06
ink eraser                                                                0.25
(at this price I imagine they didn't make mistakes often)
dozen pencils                                                          0.14
eraser                                                                      0.07
slate 8 x 10 (they had a variety of sizes)                0.12
box of chalk                                                            0.07
school bag                                                              0.15
or if you preferred a book strap                             0.10

Total                                                                    $1.39   

In most occupations at the time, this was a day's pay. In some occupations 2 day's pay.

2017
notebook - 8" x 11" 70 pages                               $0.99
pack of 2 pens                                                        1.99
box of pencils                                                        1.99
Binder                                                                    4.99
Notebook paper 100 sheets                                    2.50
Glue                                                                          .59
Crayons                                                                  3.19
Backpack                                                               9.99
chalk                                                                      1.29                                                           
ruler                                                                       0.99

Total with the same type of items                       $28.51

An average daily wage now, according to Trading Economics is $176.24.  Although I find that hard to believe. I would say most work for less than $20 and hour which they said $22.03 was the average wage.

I could have went into the calculators, ipads, computers and a whole list of items that are used now that weren't used then, but I wanted to stay as close to the same items as possible.

When you started school in the fall what was your favorite thing? The new lunch box, new clothes, or the school supplies?  I liked the school supplies. I loved school and was always anxious to get back to learning in the fall.

Paty Jager is an award-winning author of 32+ novels, novellas, and anthologies of murder mystery, western romance, and action adventure. All her work has Western or Native American elements in them along with hints of humor and engaging characters. This is what Mysteries Etc says about her Shandra Higheagle mystery series: “Mystery, romance, small town, and Native American heritage combine to make a compelling read.”

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School Bells Ringing by Kristin Wallace

The theme at RTG this month is School Days. In honor of the occasion, I gift you with a couple Throwback Pic of my first day at school way back when. (I think this is Kindergarten or first grade.) Note my advanced fashion sense. Note also that this took place in the 70s, a decade not known for any kind of reasonable fashion sense. 

It seems like summer just started, but I know all the back-to-school pictures will start appearing everywhere in the next couple of weeks. Does it seem like kids go back much earlier now? When did that happen? I’m pretty sure we had a full 3 months off.

But seeing the little kiddies (and not so little kids) in their brand new school clothes, with smiles blooming as they head off for another year brings back a lot of memories. I remember taking that list of school supplies to the store and hunting down everything you need. Pens, pencils, pencil sharpeners, erasers, protractors, Trapper Keepers. Getting new textbooks that we promptly covered with brown paper bags, which we then “decorated”. In some schools they don’t even have textbooks anymore, but a tablet like an iPad. I guess it does save their backs from having to cart around so many books, but you can’t cover them with a paper bag and draw on them.

There’s the wonder of getting your first locker, which usually doesn’t happen until Junior High. Or what we referred to as Junior High. Now, I think it’s called middle school in most places. Where I went to school, we were in elementary until 5^th grade, and then for 6^th grade some County official thought it would be a great idea to send all the 6th graders to one school. Can you imagine? A whole school of 11-12 year olds in one place? That’s like the basis of a horror film, right?

So tell me your favorite “Back-to-School” memories? Did any of you do the brown paper bag covers? What kinds of traditions do you have with your kids now?

Kristin Wallace is the USA Today Best Selling Author of inspirational and contemporary romance, and women’s fiction filled with “Love, Laughter and a Leap of Faith”. She is the author of two best selling series, Shellwater Key Tales (sweet contemporary romance) and Covington Falls Chronicles (inspirational romance). Look for her holiday novella, LOVING YOU AT CHRISTMAS, in the Sweet Christmas Kisses 4 Box Set at the end of September.

For info on all of her books, visit, Kristin Wallace Author 

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