- September 7, 2016
- 2:48 pm
- Al Gini
- no comments
Happy New Year!
Happily for me, New Year’s Day is not January 1! For me, New Year’s Day has always been on that day in late August or early September when school bells ring out and millions of kids from kindergarten to graduate school return to the classroom.
Because I became a teacher, my life, my calendar, my body clock still measures time in terms of the school year and summer vacations. Over the years I have come to realize that one of the top serious social adjustments for recent college grads is getting used to how the rest of the world measures time. For many recent graduates it’s a shock to find out that the work day starts at the same time every day, that Tuesdays and Thursdays are not lighter schedules, and that the weekend does not begin at noon on Friday! Even greater shock is the realization that “summer time/vacation fun” is delimited to a couple weekends at the beach or the ballpark, and, only if you are very lucky, two full weeks of time-off!
Most college graduates spend 8 years in elementary education, 4 years in high school, and 4 years in college. So, at 21, that means that most graduates have spent 16 years on a schedule that they are now summarily cast-out of, and they find themselves thrust into the cold, cruel work world of 9 to 5, Monday through Friday, 11.5 months a year!
When you think about it – it’s a though pill to swallow and get used to! So to recent graduates, let me just say, sorry guys! I know it will be a though transition, but you will somehow survive. I promise!