Back to School
What is it that is so enticing about back to school shopping? When I was a kid, my dad would take me. I don’t think he enjoyed it much, but he was patient with me. I wanted to take my time, walk up and down the aisles, see what the options were.
It wasn’t so much that I wanted a lot of things. It was that I wanted to appreciate them. All the paper. Pens. Pencils. Notebooks. Three ring binders. Page dividers. Pencil holders to clip inside your notebook and zip up.
Lunchboxes may have been involved. Plus, how many of you (maybe still) are all about that first day of school outfit?
This time of year, there’s something about how the air changes for fall. The view of the sky is a bit crisper. Bluer.
There’s something in the feeling of starting again. Returning. The both/and of that. Seeing your friends in a new grade. A new classroom. A new teacher.
Back to school can hold a meaning about learning differently. I might think something I’ve done a certain way is the way it’s done only to find out that that’s not true.
Back to school can mean returning to learning differently in order to connect, to meet people where they are. Listen.
Listening means I’m going to need to slow down. Wait. Be present.
This Facebook post shared by a friend is brilliant. She encourages parents not to make big plans the first weekend after their children return to school. She likens their summers being like living in a frat house to then returning to the school room where there are rules, timelines, deadlines and expectation. The author encourages parents to go easy on their kids as they may feel exhausted and more emotional while adjusting.
The idea of not creating more plans for the weekend is to allow for children to rest as they grow accustomed to their new schedule. We can learn from that.
I can be a big talker on a Tuesday of plans I think I want to have on the weekend. I’ve learned to say “I could be talking big, but this feels like a fun idea.” I give myself permission to revisit. Sometimes those plans materialize; sometimes they don’t. It’s okay to change our minds.
Now back to this: that first day of school outfit may already be in your closet. Just waiting for you to notice. You might be curious about how to do that. Check out Annie Mullins and All in the Detail for ideas.
When you think about back to school, what it conjures for you and this time of year as August wanes, what are the thoughts? Your schedule? School supplies? Getting up earlier? Snacks? What you’re going to wear the next day?
Try this:
You’re 10 years old. You’re starting school in a week. What was your routine in getting ready for that first day of class? What did you look forward to the most? What excited you? What scared you?
You’re 15 years old. You’re starting school in a week. What was your routine? Did you plan your wardrobe? Did it matter? What excited you? What scared you?
You pick the age. You’re a week away from your first day on a new job. What was on your mind? Were you planning your wardrobe? Thinking about how you would get to work, your route, your options? What excited you? What scared you?
There are no wrong results! If you want a gold star for effort, know that you have it.
I’d love to hear from you. Let me know how it goes.