RURAL REFLECTIONS: Not just a pencil

The pencil was fat. Black and fat. The tablet was yellow lined with wide spaces to print the alphabet on. Shoes polished. New dress. Always clean underwear. It was August, and I was off to the first grade.

School supplies. How we take them for granted. Were there children who did not have the basics for that first day? Was someone watching for the kids who might slip through the cracks? I never thought about it back then.

Now I see ads asking for donations for school supplies. The list of supplies has at least tripled from what we once took. Pencils, crayons, paper, markers, the list goes on. I am overwhelmed just looking at it.

Some schools ask parents to purchase extra supplies if they are able to help those in need. We can donate an extra dollar or two at most grocery stores or drop off supplies. This is important. Kids need backpacks along with the supplies. Many kids need clothing.

School is hard enough socially without the child feeling different. We can all do a lot to see that all kids start school with a positive outlook and self confidence. We can help.

One year our teacher insisted that we buy these fancy plastic pens that would allow us to write cursive perfectly. They were not inexpensive, and we were all required to have them. I never thought about the financial burden for some families, but there must have been a sacrifice somewhere in the family budget. How did we do it back then? No family should have to worry now.

I remember that big, fat pencil. When I was three, my mother would curl my hair around my sister’s pencil creating long curls. Big, fat pencil. Big, fat curls. A pencil of many uses. Why small children needed to hold big pencils in little fingers is a mystery to me. I was thrilled when we moved up to #2 yellow pencils. A sign of maturity.

Even though you might not have children, your support of children is a step towards setting a child on the path to success. One that might one day affect the world.

Not just a pencil. A very special pencil in small hands.