I have a confession. I always loved going back to school. Don’t get me wrong. Summer break was great, but I also loved going back to school. A fresh start. Change. I have never had to prepare children for the back to school grind, and I do not go back to school anymore myself. My rhythm and situation are different, but I think there are lessons to be learned from the back to school time.

What I Need To Remember About Going Back To School

Make new friends

The start of the year always meant the opportunity for new friends. New people would move in to our neighborhood or I might go to a new school. Each new face or place was a chance to reach out and meet people. I would walk to school with kids from the neighborhood. I would invite new kids to eat at my lunch table. I have always loved to meet new people. I think that is because I practiced in grade school. I need to remember to reach out. Even as an extrovert, excuses and fears and busyness still keep me from reaching out to friends and family, making new friends, and widening my circle.

Let past mistakes be Past Mistakes

Each year I would try to leave whatever mistakes I had made the previous year in the past, as part of looking at the new school year as a fresh start. New teachers. New classrooms. New schedule. Clean slate. The older I get, clean slates aren’t routinely offered. A few past mistakes I try not to make. 1. Holding Grudges. Forgive even/especially when it is hard. 2. Being Mean. Don’t be a jerk even/especially when people are jerky to you. 3. Distraction/Procrastination. This is especially hard in times where chaos and unease make a path uncertain.

Get involved

I tried to pursue new things each year. Student council. Cheerleading. Spanish club. Service club. This helped me develop a love of service, trying, experimenting, and exploring. This also allowed me to test the waters of many oceans and decide if I liked to swim, or surf, or build sandcastles on the ocean’s edge. Today, trying new things take more effort but is truly important as each of us create the world we live in today and want to leave for tomorrow.

Do the Things I love

I stayed involved in things in school. Being in choir, drama, and dance taught me the value of commitment. Staying involved in things over time taught me the value of getting better at something through long term effort, of sticking with something even when it might not have been pure joy, of deciding what things mean enough in my life to give them time and attention. Setting an intention to do what you love is truly important. Doing what you you love is ultimately one of the biggest most important gifts we can give the world.

Read Read Read

Reading has been a constant throughout my life. Beginning, middle, and end of the school year, (and even summer) reading was a big deal. I loved getting lost in books. I loved characters and stories. I loved finding a new author and reading everything by that person. I loved reading with my parents. When I think about reading as a young person, I think about new worlds, imaginary friends, and beautiful words. I have stopped reading as much as I did when I was in school. I must reconnect with the joy of a good book.