Recently, Upworthy asked our Facebook followers the following question: What’s a first day of school moment you still remember perfectly?
As the comments began to pour in, one thing became abundantly clear: no matter how old we are, what generation we come from, or where we grew up, almost all of us have powerful memories from the many first days of school throughout our lives.
The sights, sounds, and nostalgia of the first day of school
Bill Healy wrote, “Miss Casey put me outside of the classroom for some reason and forgot (there were 90 kids in that class) I got tired of waiting and walked home”
Cheryl Williams remembered one very specific sight on first day of kindergarten: “Marlene Rink arrived wearing a cowgirl outfit with white fringe. I was so impressed!”
Diane Neil Maye wrote, “My picture being taken by a photographer from the Charlotte Observer on my first day ever going to school. It was taken in Miss Parker’s class at Dilworth Elementary school. The photo made the paper the next day and it was 1/2 a page in size!”
Mary Ray had fond memories of naptime in elementary school. “I remember those nap cots! Teacher demonstrated how to set one up and then told class go each get one and set their’s up. I just looked at teacher and said ‘I don’t take naps anymore, is there something I can do to help you while the others snooze?’” she shared.
Helen Green remembered the first time she tried to step onto a school bus. “First day of first grade trying to get on the bus. I was short, and could just barely make that first step! My sister was behind me, incase I needed a boost.”
George Kallabis didn’t speak English as a kid and got a little mixed up on the first day of first grade. “Total confusion. I was 5 starting first grade and didn’t speak English yet. At first recess, I thought we were done and walked home. The second day I made to lunch break and I thought we were done. The teacher came to the house and somehow explained it to my mother. Fortunately I learned the language quickly.”
And Paul Manley remembered a pin attached to his shirt on the first day of Kindergarten. “First day of Kindergarten having my Mom pin a piece of paper on my shirt with my name, room number and the teachers name on it.”
For many folks who weighed in, these memories are decades old. In some cases, they’re 50 or more years in the past. It begs the question: why are our memories from school so powerful, vivid, and long-lasting?
First days of school are a major hinge point in our lives
There’s actually a scientific reason these first day memories are so clear and able to withstand long passages of time. Researchers who study autobiographical memory have found that school is “a nearly universal source of vivid recollections.” Transition moments like the first day of school are among the best preserved memories the human brain stores.
This might explain why our comments section lit up the way it did.
Our recollection of the first day of school would technically be called a personal event memory. It’s a mental construction of a scene, including visuals, smells, feelings, dialogue, sounds, and more. That’s in contrast to semantic memory, which are things we remember and recall but that are not tied to a specific time and place.
We might know that Montpelier is the capital of Vermont, but we likely have no idea where we learned that. On the other hand, if we can remember the first time we sharpened a pencil in kindergarten, it’s almost like we’re standing there smelling the wooden flakes as they’re carved off the pencil tip.
When event memories of a big landmark moment in our lives, like the first day of school, are strong, they become anchors for many other surrounding memories.
Event memories organize our lives
In other words, we use them to put other information into context. If we’re trying to remember what year we went to that concert, it’s very common that we’ll use a memory from school to complete the timeline. “I had just started ninth grade, so this must have been the fall of 2001,” for example.
And it’s no wonder that school memories, including the first day, often become those hinge points or anchors. They are monumental landmarks in our young lives. Those days mark a major evolution in our personal and physical growth, like little notches on the doorway as we grow up. They are filled with big feelings, new faces, new sights and sounds, and a lot of excitement to go with all the first day jitters.
Those big emotions help us create vivid recollections of the scene later on. Interestingly, though, our memories are often not quite as accurate as we think they are. The first day of school can all go by in a blur, and, in many cases, it’s just a single detail or two (the pattern of the floor tiles in the hallway, the feel of our new desk) that survive.
It doesn’t matter how much things change. Whether kids now are using laptops or being driven to school instead of walking, the big feelings and wide eyes of the first day are universal and timeless. The memories kids form as they step into school for the start of a new year are often forever.
