Happy Friday! Wow, that phrase means a WHOLE lot more now! 😀 Here we are at the final day of Back to School Week, our #FlashbackFriday. Well, my girl got through her first day alright, and I got SO MUCH done! For kindergarten and 1st grade she was in a half-day school, so this all-day thing is tripping me out. I think we’re going to make it through though. How have you parents and teachers made out? For those of you to whom the start of school doesn’t apply, I formally apologize for the spike in traffic.

So, as I was saying, welcome to #FlashbackFriday. Let’s celebrate the end of a crazy week with a sweet back to school moment. Any guesses? As far as I know, there’s only one episode when it’s the official first day of school, and that is “Heart of the Family” in Season 2. If you’re unsure which episode that is, that would be the one on the homestead. It also shows Frank just starting out as the town’s preacher, and giving his first school tribute. And of course, we have Jack and the cowbell! The whole scene just fills you with a sweet, peaceful feeling, full of hope for the future.

I love Frank’s words. He’s not a flashy or uppity pastor; he’s simple, I’d even say slightly gritty. So it fits that his words to begin the school term would be short and sweet, and not full of flourish. He gives great advice to kids nowadays too: “Keep your eyes on your books, not out the window.” It’s as if he’s a grown up kid himself. And he even covers possible smart remarks when he reminds the children, “This may be God’s house on Sunday, but it’s Miss Thatcher’s house during the week.” Although those smart remarks are highly unlikely, since Frank already knows Elizabeth’s reputation: “I’ve heard that NO ONE messes with Miss Thatcher!”

Then the bell! How can something so clunky be so romantic? Probably has something to do with the people handling it. 😉 They set the tone so well! Elizabeth gets that dreamy look on her face before Jack even appears on the screen. And then she does this adorable little swing back and forth like she’s a student herself. Part of me wishes they had gone on to get her an actual school bell since Jack says he ordered one, but I can’t deny that the cowbell is poignant, then becomes very special. But the look on Elizabeth’s face when she opens then rings it…PRICELESS! By the way, I’m seriously starting to suspect that Jack put Nellie and Patrick up to changing Gertrude’s name to Lizzy! He takes way too much mischievous joy in the revelation to be innocent!

Enjoy your weekend, Hearties! And remember: May your heart let your hope blossom!

Well, we have reached the end of another week! How did it go for you? I’ve heard many schools around the country, (this one anyway) have already begun! Wow! That seems incredibly soon! I remember my old elementary school picture calendars had September with the back-to-school illustrations. Now August has them, and September has autumn pictures, even though we’re still in the pool in the afternoons.

So that being the case, I thought it might be fun to do a school-related #FlashbackFriday. THAT is the theme of the month. So…which one to do this week? Tick, tock, tick, tock…well, since MY daughter hasn’t started school yet, (that’s next week! Ah! My last weekend!) I cannot do a first day of school, etc. No, my choice is the absolute very beginning of Season 2, the 1st words spoken, in fact. Do you recall what they are?

It’s a group of children: Pockets/Albert, Rachel, Emily, and Ephrim (Carla’s son). They greet each other, spot Elizabeth, and run up to her. She inquires if they’re enjoying their break, they say yes, but then here’s the clincher: the children are impatient to get back to school, and desperately want to know when it’s time to resume.

This encounter is quite brief, but I think there is a lot of power behind its simplicity. There are 2 things I really love about this interaction. The first centers on the children. They have truly come to love their Miss Thatcher. They’ve bonded. And who can help but love that beautiful smile, friendly voice, and compassionate demeanor? But more than that, they enjoy her teaching methods, and now have a thirst for knowledge. Before Elizabeth arrived in town, it was the humdrum, day after day, bleak and coal-dusted future ahead of them. Then add another log, actually several logs, on the fire with most of their fathers being taken from them. Talk about hopeless! Now they have choices, and they don’t want to stop learning. “When can we go back to school?!”

My second reason for connecting with this #FlashbackFriday is Elizabeth herself. As we are all WELL aware, (you may not call yourself a Heartie until you are,) Elizabeth is making her way down the street to have her first riding lesson with Jack. They just recently had their first kiss, and she is undoubtedly more than eager to have some alone time with the handsome Mountie. But Elizabeth doesn’t shoo the children away with a brusque “I’m busy; we’ll talk later,” does she? No.

They say, “Once a teacher, always a teacher.” I’ve also heard “Teaching isn’t a job, it’s the calling.” I was a substitute teacher for 5 years. I was also a performance and voice teacher for 5 years; I’m still a piano teacher, and the children’s music teacher at my church. If there’s one thing I’ve learned about children in general, they LOVE interacting with their teachers outside the classroom; it humanizes them, makes them real. I remember being with my mother at Sam’s Club, and coming upon my kindergarten teacher. I never fathomed the idea that she went grocery shopping! Then she stopped to chat for a minute, which made me feel very important. That’s what Elizabeth does for her students here. Of course, it’s a lot easier running into a teacher on a daily basis in Hope Valley, but all the same: she takes the time to talk, and have a real conversation with them. In fact, they say goodbye first, and the whole group skips away all the happier. Then and only then does she become love struck, doe-eyed Elizabeth, and turn her full attention to Jack.

If you’re a teacher or parent who’s already started back, keep breathing! If you start next week like we do, good luck! And if you start later than that, or you don’t have to deal with situation at present, the odds were definitely in your favor! 😀 See you Monday! This is Hooked Heartie, signing off!