We’ve all seen those late summer ads in which parents energetically flit through the aisles of super-stores; often while “It’s the Most Wonderful Time of the Year” plays merrily in the background. And who hasn’t laughed along with those viral videos of moms dancing in the streets each fall; as school buses return kids to the classroom.
But could it be that sometimes parents aren’t the only ones that look forward to summer coming to its close? Though you may think school-loving children only exist in 1950s-style sit-coms, we can assure you eager learners can be found in real life as well. (And we’re not just referring to college-age students counting down the days ’til they can head back to campus!)
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Why Some Kids Love Going Back to School
While many children slip into a back-to-school funk — some to the point of having seasonal affective disorder. Others are genuinely elated when it comes time to gather their supplies, practice spelling words, and figure out a whole new schedule.
Natalya Price of Summit says both her elementary-school-aged son and daughter were eager for classes to begin, mainly “to see their friends and also to meet teachers.”
“My son, Alex, a third grader, was especially excited about making new friends with the kids that were not in his class before. He is the social one,” she says proudly.
Hmmm. Perhaps it runs in families. Kelly Barton of Chatham explains that her daughters were also looking forward to the start of a new school year.
“Alison (entering fourth grade) was excited to go back to school because they have Chrome books, and she really likes using them,” Barton says, adding that her older daughter, Carol, a sixth grader, has been waiting years for the chance to get to middle school. “She’s excited that they get their own lockers, they change classes, and she gets to see her friends again.”
There’s Nothing Like a Good Routine
As happy as they were for summer to commence, many kids agree that by the time August rolls around, they’re ready to get back into a routine.
Let’s be honest: Even if you have to start setting an alarm clock and bid farewell to the lazy days of summer, there is something undeniably exciting about the arrival of autumn. Some adults look forward to the change of season because it reminds them of those childhood days of fresh starts and new beginnings.
John Stringfellow recalls as a child he longed for school to begin as it provided the perfect excuse to stay indoors drawing, designing and reading. The joy of returning to the classroom still fills the fall season with incredible enthusiasm. “It always feels like the everything is getting back in the groove when school starts,” he notes.
This writer can certainly relate to that. As a lifelong lover of books, I can attest that when you’ve finished your required summer reading by July 4, and you spend your mornings roaming the library aisles willing Madeleine L’Engle to write a new novel, time passes slowly. (If only I’d had the wisdom and foresight to scoop Oprah and start a book club at age 12!)
And remember the excitement of putting together your new fall wardrobe? You could justify it because, as a kid, you’d outgrown everything from the previous year. Who could resist the temptation to wear that new favorite cardigan even as temperatures hovered in the upper 80s? Or, how about sporting those penny loafers without socks even though you knew you’d acquire blisters worthy of a trauma center before noon?
Final Thoughts
When you’re an adult who hasn’t changed sizes in years, purchasing new pants, shoes, and shirts is fun but pricey and, in my house, really only puts us one step closer to appearing in a Hoarders episode.
Still, is there anything like the scent of freshly-sharpened pencils that permeates the back-to-school air? That woody aroma elicits an almost-Pavlovian response as your mind becomes alert with creativity. (Do they make a candle in this fragrance? Surely that would help with writer’s block!) Paired with a pristine marble composition book, it’s like New Year’s arriving three months early. Who couldn’t get excited about that?
