How was your first day at school?

The main thing is to sit next to your best friend

Start of school: 1982
Place: Wilnsdorf NRW, Germany
My memories: I come from a small village where the primary school had a wide catchment area. The children came from all over. So the excitement was all the greater as to who would be in my class.

One person in particular was especially important: my best friend Steffie - I wanted to sit next to her, come what may. Plus the school bag, which I had put in and taken out at least five times the day before, and the biggest surprise: the school cone!

Friends are the very best thing I have taken away from my many years at school.

Virginia Nolan

How a sip of milk seals a friendship

Start of school: 1990
Location: Untermoos school, Zurich
My memories: My friends say I have an elephant's memory. Whether it's the phone numbers of my friends from primary school, their birthdays or the names of their aunts of the umpteenth degree: I can still remember everything. When it comes to the first day of school, however, my long-term memory lets me down.

I remember - almost - nothing. Except for Manuela, who was standing around a little lost in the playground carrying a blue fish-shaped bottle. I remember how I approached her and she offered me a sip of milk. That sealed a friendship that brought us many an adventure. Friends are the very best thing I have learnt from my many years at school.

Carefree in the mum bubble

Start of school: 1978
Place: Horgen ZH
My memories: My first day at school, what was it like? I don't know, no images come to mind. What I can still faintly remember is the public performance of a school theatre in the third grade. In one act, I played the clown with a classmate, wearing shoes that were far too big and a hat on my head that kept slipping over my eyes. That made the audience laugh a lot.

In the other act, a predator dressage was performed, where we crawled around the stage on all fours dressed as lions. The rest of the primary school didn't seem to exist. I was probably floating around carefree in a well-protected «all is well» mum bubble.

There were only ten of us in the first class: five girls and five boys. What a luxury!

Maria Ryser

Miss Stettler and the sticky houseplant

School start: 1984
Place: Villnachern AG
My memories: In Aargau in the 1980s, school started in spring. I must have had an extravagant style of dress even then: combining dark blue Manchester with wine-red plush, bright red wellies and an orange counter - not bad. Markus, the neighbour's boy of the same age, picked me up every morning for the first three years of primary school and waited patiently until I had all seven of my things together. This was also the case on the first day of school.

There were only ten of us in the first class: five girls and five boys. What a luxury! Miss Stettler (Miss was still common back then) gave us a light green and white striped houseplant, which soon developed sticky leaves. I was an inquisitive and enthusiastic pupil right from the start. Learning and asking questions still fulfils me today. No wonder I became a journalist.

After just a few metres, it was clear that we would not remain acquaintances.

Lisa Groelly

The start of something big

School start: 1999
Place: Gelterkinden BL
My memories: I don't remember much about the official part of my first day at school. I think we all got a sunflower and the older pupils sang a song for us in the playground.

But what I will never forget is the journey to school. I went to school with a girl from the neighbourhood because our parents knew each other briefly. After just a few metres, it was clear that we would not remain acquaintances. From that day on, we always tackled the route across the village together. For nine years. The two kilometres sometimes took us twenty minutes, sometimes an hour. Today we no longer share the walk to school, but for 24 years we have shared wonderful memories: The girl from the neighbourhood is still my best friend to this day.

Barefoot to school in summer

School start: 1968
Place: St. Gallen
My memories: Mr Stehrenberger was a friendly man. When our first-grade teacher sat down in the circle of chairs, he didn't know where to put his legs because Mr Stehrenberger was very tall. When he wrote on the blackboard with chalk, it squeaked. That was unpleasant for him.

I adored Mr Stehrenberger a bit, because he played the guitar and recorder.

My satchel was made of real cowhide and had two cat eyes. I carried it with pride on my way to school, which ran alongside a stream. In summer I walked barefoot, there were no taxis for parents. Where there are blocks of flats today, there was a meadow with fruit trees.

I liked going to school. Mainly because of Mr Stehrenberger. I think he liked me. I idolised him a bit because he played the guitar and recorder. Later, I wanted to become a teacher. It wasn't enough for the entrance exam to the teacher training college. My recorder playing was inadequate.