Back to school has always been one of my favourite times of the year. Ever since I was a little girl going to elementary school, I loved the process of preparing to start the school year. I love picking out new clothes, deciding which book bag I was going to use this year and shopping for school supplies. Every year, whether it was elementary school, high school or university, the day I went “school supply shopping” was one of my favourites. This combined with the crisp fall air and the need for a pair of socks and a scarf in the evenings has always made this time of year a bit magical for me.
Luckily, as a teacher, I have been able to look forward to this day into adulthood. Each year, as the days get shorter and the evenings get cooler, I contemplate what new supplies I need and where I am going to get them. I start preparing lesson plans and cleaning up the files on my school laptop. I freshen up my PowerPoint slides and make the necessary updates to my Welcome Back presentation.
This year though, back to school has a whole new meaning for me.
Instead of returning to my classroom full of middle school students, I will once again be the student. Taking advantage of the spare time (yeah right!) that I have on maternity leave, I have decided to go back to school. Come September I will officially be a Master’s of Education student. For the first time ever, though, I will be a student from the comfort of my own living room. Or bedroom. Or deck. Or wherever I choose to work because I am completing my graduate program online.
Despite my less-than-scholarly environment, this isn’t preventing me from observing all of those back to school traditions that I love so much. Much of my work will be completed via the internet and university course tools, but I still need supplies to work with and so I have made the always important decision of which pens I will be using and which notebook I will make jot notes in. I have ordered a custom made laptop tote for my supplies and computer with a matching pencil case for those times that I will get to escape the house and two kids and two dogs and work for a blissful few hours at the coffee shop.
I know going back to school as a graduate student and a mommy to two girls under three is going to be challenging, but the magic of “back to school” that I remember so well is making it all much more exciting.
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