My Top 5 Books/Movies/Shows About School

So in honor of the School Days Blogfest I've started, I've decided to name off my favorite representations of school. So here they are!

1. The Harry Potter Series - By J.K. Rowling
School: HOGWARTS

Okay, so it might not be the "school" we are familiar with, but after reading The Sorcerer's Stone all I wanted to do was attend Hogwarts and learn to be a wizard, and lucky for the reader, each subsequent book just made the world even richer and more appealing. J.K. Rowling did such an awesome job, that even to this day I still sort of believe it exists. So come on owls, I'm waiting for my letter!

2. Bridge to Terabithia - By Katherine Paterson
School: Lark Creek Elementary

I read Bridge to Terebithia for a class I think, and was completely surprised by awesome it was. This is aside from the "school aspect," but I read this at a time when I wouldn't even touch a book that dealt with "issues." I was not the kid who read Beverly Cleary and I wouldn't have been caught dead reading a "Babysitter's Club" book. Terabithia amazed me at the depth of the writing, and at how true the story felt. The smal town school experience seemed so like my own. Miss Edmunds is also a gem. She always reminds me of the teacher I wanted to be...when I still had the crazy idea of being a teacher.

3. Saved By the Bell

School: Bayside High

Nothing ever represented the essence of school like Saved by the Bell, or at least the essence of what we all wanted school to be. From the very first ring of that bell, Bayside was everyone's dream school. It was like Cheers, everyone knew your name and even the "big" problems had solutions. And they had some pretty hilarious solutions. In the words of Zach Attack, the kids at Bayside will be "Friends Forever," and their escapades will live on in reruns tomorrow.

4. Maniac Magee - By Jerry Spinelli
School: ????

As you can tell by my question marks, I don't remember much about school in this book, other than the little girl carting around all her books in a wagon. However, I DO remember the first time I read this book. Mrs. Sallee's 7th Grade Reading - This book captivated every single kid in my class, even the ones that thought reading was a waste of time. Maybe it was the possibility of living the way Maniac did, or maybe it was just that Maniac was magic, but we LOVED this book. It was an awesome experience because for once, we were all enjoying reading, and I'm pretty sure that's a bit of magic in itself.

5. Buffy the Vampire Slayer
School: Sunnydale High

Okay, maybe I haven't mentioned it before, but I happen to think that Buffy the Vampire Slayer was the best show EVER. The first three seasons were totally about High School and all the crappy/good/crazy stuff that goes on there. And I'm not talking about vampires, demons and the monster of the week, even though they were all there. I mean the actual highs and lows of going to school: grades, peer-pressure, boyfriends, time management, and the almost impossible task of attempting to choose a career. In the end, graduating from school seems like almost an impossible feat.

Oz: Guys. Take a moment to deal with this. We survived.

Buffy: It was a hell of a battle.

Oz: Not the battle. High School.