Back to School... again.

When you're a teacher or a student, as soon as school supplies are on the shelves at the store, you know your summer days are limited. Personally it's preseason football when I start to notice what day it is on the calendar.

There is an excitement to back to school that masks the bittersweet of returning to school. Back to school clothes shopping, a new backpack and school supplies, and returning to old friends or colleagues. With all these things happening simultaneously, this transition can be filled with emotional highs and lows.

I have been thinking a lot more about this transition this year since I resigned from teaching in June 2025, and am now a "New Hire," in a .5 teaching position. This has brought up a lot of feelings that I didn't have at the end of last August. Here are some things I have noticed that help this transition from freedom to the confines of the school calendar.

Let the prep feel exciting:

Even if your back to school shopping budget is minimal, I think you can still make this part feel fun and exciting. What clothes or items will make this new school year feel a little easier? Is there something that will help your routine feel smoother? I remember when I was a kid, getting a new pair of shoes only really happened during back to school shopping. We would end up at Payless Shoes and pick the shoes that would define our vibe for back to school that year.

This year as a returning teacher, there is no logical reason to be as stoked as I am about my magnetic sticky note holder... and matching violet whiteboard marker holder, file older, computer mouse, and desk pad. These things provide something to help this new classroom feel a little more like my space and give a feeling of comfort during this busy transition. For kids I imagine their new pencil box and binder would be similar... filled with THEIR special things.

Focus on the new start... or the end:

I think a new beginning is exciting and something that I do look forward to... it's the ending of summer break that bums me out. I would guess that other people become stressed about the start of the school year, but are happy that the too-hot days are ending. It's just a little thing but you can trick your brain to look forward to the part that makes you feel good.... let the other part go and try to focus on this one part of the transition back to school. Our brains believe what they hear. If we tell ourselves we are so sad and stressed then of course that is the vibe you will bring with you... but if you instead focus on the exciting new beginning then your mind will interpret it as the truth. This can be a very powerful switch to make if you are someone that finds yourself dwelling on a big change.

One very important thing to remember is that we are all going through this together... for teachers, students, and families this transition back to school brings with it a lot of change and new beginnings. I choose to focus on the positive and do my best to make this a great start to the school year for myself AND my students. Best wishes to you for this being a wonderful back to school transition!