Back to school!

This time of year is full of back to school jitters. Emotions can land all over the place; anywhere from the solace of returning to a familiar routine, to the dread of going to an environment which offers little personal control, and so many nuances in between. These can all be traced back to having this one particular time of year as their source. Since everyone receives education in some form, it’s a topic relevant to us all.

In my youth, teachers doled out things like writing reports and walking laps at recess as punishments. We equated writing and physical exercise with doing something wrong, and therefore believed they were things we should hate doing. Why else would it be a punishment? To me, this type of conditioning doesn’t lead to the goal of long term well-being of the child. No doubt, it serves some short term goals of getting students in line, but the takeaway, to the young formative mind, is that these activities are awful indeed. So why ever pursue things like exercise and writing on their own account? The paradox is that we need physically healthy adults, who can clearly express their minds; so, the short term benefits do not outweigh the long term deficits incurred.

The core subjects of our educational system are imperative to master. Mastery of our language- reading it, writing it clearly, and speaking it- leads to one being able to navigate our world with more ease. Other subjects are privileges to learn about, too. Math is a divinely given field. No one can make up anything in this subject, unlike our language, and other topics, which are completely man-made. Mathematical comprehension can lead to success financially, which can lead to more personal freedoms, if that side of math is ever explored.

And when science is correctly deployed, it can’t be made up, either. (Although lately “science” has been blasphemed into a completely arbitrary term, apt to change into the view of whoever happens to be spouting out their “facts” at the moment, if kept up to its original standards, it can be a beautiful thing.) History teaches us from our past mistakes. Social studies and geography broaden our horizons, allowing us to comprehend a much larger world than the minute version we may only have access to every day.

There’s a reason the Harry Potter movies and books are so darn enjoyable. Part of it is Hogwarts. Being off in this wondrous, educational setting, with books aplenty, and new intellectual areas to explore, with masters of these subjects ready to help expand understanding- it all speaks so richly to the imagination. Although Ron, Hermione, and Harry’s school days may be filled with learning more about make-believe herbs, potions, spells, and creatures, the subjects of our muggle world are certainly no less magical.

The primordial feel of the studying of our world’s subjects can spark an enthusiasm in the mind, if they are viewed in a positive way. Yet, the conditioning many a student gains upon their school years seems to be to avoid them- at all costs. Sometimes it’s not so extreme, certainly. But, other times, going through the system can lead to a depressive state.

If, on the other hand, the joy and magic of learning are imparted to students, then their adult lives can be less centered on running as quickly as possible away from the source of pain- school,- and more focused on further enriching their lives with continuing the lifelong process of engulfing themselves in the beauteous universe. No matter what back to school season looks like for you, I hope all involved can find a way to enjoy the crap out of it!