A Different Back-To-School This Year

 If you've ever attended school, then you know just what time of year is coming up for many people. That's right, it's time to go back to school! If you're a grown-up that no longer attends school, then you've already made the not-so-subtle shift to a life without this marking of time. You probably work through the summer months, maybe you take your vacation time to spend with your kids/family, you likely enjoy whatever warm and sunny weather you can around your responsibilities.

However, if you're like me, then you live according to a school calendar. Which means a few weeks off in the summer and then back to school in the fall. This, my friends, has always been my favourite time of the year. Yes, it's true that as soon as springtime hits, I'm already looking forward to and counting the days until summer. But that's a lack of sleep and utter exhaustion talking. Don't get me wrong, I love having nothing to do except exactly what I want to do. Yet there's just something about renewal, about a new school year, a fresh start, the smell of freshly sharpened pencils and that little bit of cool air in the mornings that just get me excited. This usually means that I've had the chance to unwind, reflect and restore to factory settings. Even through the anxiety and stress of getting back to work and reorganizing family life, I usually feel alive and excited to begin anew.

When I think back to my years as a young student, I have really fond memories of back-to-school. My mom would take us shopping for new clothes, shoes and school supplies. We would get everything all ready in my new backpack and begin thinking about a new teacher for the year and what fun things we would get to do. My very first day of kindergarten is still fresh in my mind. The thrill of meeting new friends and learning a new language and being all grown up enough to walk to school alone. In my mind, not much compares to this experience. I mean, I was made for school. School was awesome and I rocked it! I was definitely not too cool for school.

Of course, since that innocent time, I've had not-so-great experiences at school. Plenty, in fact. High school kinda sucked. College and university were not easy and very often lonely. Still, I became a teacher. My mom must have known that would be the path I'd take - she used to call me a professional student. She was right. I love school, even now. There were a few years in there where I wasn't in school, where I was working, and especially through the summer months. Yuck. I truly feel for those of you who have to work in the summertime - it must be hard to get in the car and make your way to a downtown office where they blast the A/C and you just get glimpses of vacation life. I didn't choose my profession based on those weeks off, but, man, it sure helps. I know that without that time off, teachers would collapse under the burdens of school life. It's not an easy job. I know I didn't choose an easy path for myself, but I do love it. Still.

I will say this, though. I have come to realize just how privileged I am and have been all this time. I love school. It has a special place in my heart and I've got amazing memories to look back on. For some, though, that's just not the case. And for a million reasons, too. This year, as I prepare my kids' backpacks and go back-to-school shopping for clothes and shoes, I'm reminded that not everyone has this privilege. Not everyone has fond memories of their time at school. In fact, for many, school is a source of trauma and pain, school is synonymous with suffering and heartache and brutality. School for some is not a place of comfort and connection, but a prison that has kept them isolated from the love of family. Some kids have had to face real fear, and some still do. I think about all those children that were torn from loving arms and forced into residential institutions and finally buried in unmarked graves. I reflect on how some children are right now living real stress and anxiety at the thought of stepping through the front doors of a place that for them means failure, ridicule, shame and isolation. It's enough to make me want to sit and cry and hold my own kids even tighter and never let go.

This year, for me, back-to-school means a chance to help set things right. I am determined, as an educator, to create safe spaces for children and youth to live their fullest lives. And I will do that through the caring and loving adults that surround them. I will channel my disgust with what has happened in the past and I will solidify my dedication by learning the truth and sharing what I've learned with others. This awareness will lead to acknowledgement which will lead to atonement and then to action. This is my promise to those children and the survivors of those so-called "schools". Every child deserves a chance at an education that is founded in caring and meaningful connections.


Photo credit: https://www.flickr.com/photos/bcgovphotos/43208129180/in/photostream/ 

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