It’s now the beginning of August, and summer vacation is walking out the back door as the new school year bangs on the front door. Most schools around here have either started already or are about to start.
Of course, that means different things for different people, for both students and teachers. For many students it means a return to a familiar routine, whether that be college, high school, middle school, or even elementary school. I suppose this sort of return brings with it feelings of both disappointment and excitement. Disappointment that school is back, but excitement that, well, school is back.
For other students, though, the return of the school year means a new adventure, an entrance into the next stage of their education. I suppose these students probably have a mix of dread and excitement swirling inside them.
For teachers, it means a return to their important work. It means both the return of familiar young and old faces and the arrival of many new young faces. I don’t have much idea what it’s like for them as they prepare for the school year, but they all deserve lots of thanks for being ready for it every year.
For me, the return of the school year has meant different things throughout my life. When I was homeschooled, the return of school simply meant the end of my leisure, but when I started attending public school in my junior year of high school, I knew it would mean having to face more challenges than just homework; I would be entering a new world.
When my second year at Union High School was about to start, I didn’t quite dread it as much. It was a return to a place I knew. But since it was also my senior year, it was my final year at Union, and so I felt a mix of sadness along with my excitement.
Right after I graduated from high school, I started on another adventure, one I travel as I write these words---my journey as a real published writer for my local newspaper. I wasn’t quite sure what this experience would be like, but I’m glad I’ve had it. I’ve put my writings out there, and I’ve connected with my community more. It’s taken me out of my comfort zone, and I’ve learned from it. I suspect that as college arrives, I’ll have to slow down my writing output. I plan to try to still write occasionally if I can manage it, but I know that school may very well gobble up much of my time.
But starting at my local community college will be another adventure, one I’m quite excited about. Whatever it’s like, it’ll be a new experience to be sure. I know for many people, starting college will mean leaving home, as it did for my brothers when they left for college. For those people the start of college means the start of a new phase in their life, much more than it does for me. But I don’t mind that; I’m more than happy to take my adventures one at a time. I know I still have a lot to learn and a long way to grow.
So here’s to everyone starting a new adventure as the school year returns. In a few months, or maybe even a few weeks, it might not quite feel like a grand adventure anymore, but for now at least, we’ll call it that. A grand adventure for students and teachers as they venture into familiar and new lands.
