It’s that time of year again. Students of all ages, gender, size and ethnicity are gathering their backpacks, bookbags, textbooks and electronic devices and bracing themselves for another year of academics. 

 

 

That seemed to be the standard response when students were asked how their summer was and whether or not they were excited to get back to school.

 

Whether it was the little tykes on their first day of kindergarten or the experienced high schooler, Becker Public Schools was bustling with activity for the first time in months as kids, parents, teachers and school administrators scrambled to be prepared following summer’s break.

 

“I’m not ready for school yet,” said ninth-grader Adam Thelen as he dismounted the bus Wednesday morning. “I’m too lazy to be getting up this early.”

 

Thelen, along with hundreds of other freshman, were commencing their second day of school after kickstarting their high school academic career Tuesday with orientation. Thelen’s favorite class in school is math.

 

“I think today is going to be a little different from yesterday,” Thelen said. “Yesterday was just us (freshmen). Today and from now on it’s everybody.”

 

Vacations, staying up late and waking up even later are hallmarks of any adolescent student’s summer. For kids, summer speeds by like a race car. For parents, it wheezes along like a jalopy.

 

Most of the learning the first day or so was basic orientation — learning where their lockers and bathrooms are and when and where to they get lunch and to board busses.

 

But not all students we met were dragging their feet and their bookbags as they exited the school busses this week.

 

“I’m excited,” said freshman Jimmy Hines, whose favorite class is mechanical drafting. “I like school. It also gives me the chance to get out of the house, too.”

 

Freshman Aliza Tesmar feels the same way.

 

“It’s good to be back, to be with friends,” she said. “I’m excited to be going back to school but I admit, summer went way too fast.”

 

Tesmar is also a fan of math class and said Tuesday’s freshman orientation wasn’t that difficult.

 

“We didn’t really have to do much work, like learning the syllabus” she said. “We just went over the rules and learned who our teachers were and who are some of our classmates. Freshman day was really good.”

 

Tenth-grader Adam Golembeck, who really doesn’t have a favorite class at school, says it is hard to try and get back into the routine of going to school again.

 

“Summer was so good and I wish it was summer still,” he said. “To be back in school, well, I guess it’s all right.”

 

 For some,  a school day is six hours of instruction, another hour or two of homework, dinner, maybe a little fun, then straight to bed to get good rest until that alarm rings at sunrise. For others, it also includes extracurriculars, sports and maybe even a job or — ugh — detention. 

 

Needless to say, the average school day can be exhaustingly rewarding when you think about the development of skills and levels of social interaction that come day-in and day-out.

 

And just a reminder, while kids are busy sharpening their pencils for the school year, drivers need to sharpen their awareness of more and more children on the roads, sidewalks and crosswalks over the next nine months. Keep wary of students in the early hours of the day and in the early afternoon and evening when school lets out and activities wind down.

 

Becker police will be on-hand, stewarding the children, busses and cars and will be on watch for drivers who violate the safety of children.

 

Slow down and be aware. It’s that time of year again.