From the Vault: Beginnings: Back to School, a student’s point of view
Dear Readers,
Introductions are complex proceedings, and I tend to bumble them – so allow me to merely introduce myself with three pertinent facts:
1) My name is: “Student in training”
2) I have this dream of finally wearing a pair of glasses (my eye doctor tells me I still have 20/20 vision, much to my everlasting sadness), and teaching students the intricacies of creative writing.
3) I am soon to be a university student with a major in creative writing – and I start school in about a 3 weeks. (Cue the physical and emotional panic!)
The best and worst of times
Ever since I was old enough to independently make my way to a school door, laden with a sturdy green backpack, my emotions toward the advent of a new school year have been turbulent, to say the least. Young and old incarnations of myself have always experienced severe mood swings in regards to the first day of school, and inevitably, on that illustrious day, I run the entire gamut of human emotion.
“I am terrified. I am hopeful, ecstatic! I feel mired in quicksand. I am a positive individual!”
Slightly older, dubiously wiser
This year marks my entry into a brand-new educational program. I like to think that I may have reached that mature stage of life where I will be able to forgo any anxieties I may have – but if I’m to capsulate my emotions right now, frankly, I would have to say I’m a jitterbug of nerves.
To put it quite simplistically, the first day of school represents a fresh beginning. As any new beginning can attest to, there is always a great deal of uncertainty when we’re on the cusp of new territory, and human nature dictates that uncertainty is followed by an understandable amount of worry.
At the risk of veering into philosophical sentimentality, it is worthwhile to point out (to my petrified inner child) that new beginnings are fundamental to our existence, to ensure our lives do not merely devolve into regression. And isn’t it an intriguing quirk of life that we are given this chance to start anew every fall for almost the entire first fifth of our life? For educators of course, this is a life reality – one they handle with a confidence and grace I can only hope to vaguely emulate one day.
Here’s to you, Educators.
With this new school year, a whole host of students, including myself, look forward to meeting teachers who will undoubtedly encourage our dreams, nurture our burgeoning interests, and help us reach goals that once seemed unattainable. To the educators who will meet a brand-new set of faces this coming school year – I raise my cup of coffee to you in complete admiration and gratitude. Thank you!
So as I sharpen my pencils (old habit!) and contemplate the visage of an abominably clean backpack (an optical illusion?), I want to wish you, whether you be a student or an educator, a fantastic beginning to your school year. May your first days be filled to the brim with cheerful introductions and hopeful grins.
