The real lessons of ‘back to school’

There was a short chapter in my life when I was not concerned with going back to school. It was post-college, pre-children, and I remember the smugness of planning a vacation for early October.For what felt like forever, my late summers had revolved around No. 2 pencils and class lists and the prickly anticipation sparked by names like Western civilization or Biology 2. But then, the months sprawled like a teenager in a hammock. And I won’t lie: The break was nice.After a while, though, I realized a bit of me was ready for “back to school” again. This was before I had kids of my own, before they hoisted pint-size backpacks and picked out special polka-dot leggings to wear for the first day. I just realized I missed September’s sense of potential – not in that self-focused way of many New Year’s resolutions, but as an expansive sort of longing for new things to learn and new relationships to forge. Why We Wrote This In our special back-to-school issue, we tackle some of the most-debated topics in education today, from artificial intelligence to college finances. Stories also delve into the connections we make in the classroom, whether interspecies or international. Whether you are returning to school yourself or whether it has been decades since you thought about meeting a new teacher, this magazine is for you. That’s where this special issue comes in. If you’ve experienced any of this – whether you are returning to school yourself or whether it’s been decades since you thought about meeting a new teacher – this magazine is for you. Throughout these pages, our stories tackle some of the most-debated topics in education today, from artificial intelligence to college finances. They also delve into the connections we make in the classroom, whether interspecies or international.Be sure to check out our special Kids’ Space – we designed it so you can pass it to the younger children in your life.In a lot of ways, the modern education system is an odd experiment. We take children away from their families, group them by age, and attempt to teach them a set of facts we think they all should know, from geometry to Shakespeare. So, it’s not surprising, perhaps, that the real lessons are not always about coursework.We asked children and teens at Camps Newfound & Owatonna in Maine for their best tips for Day 1 at school. You’ll find many of them sprinkled on the pages throughout this magazine, but here’s a sample:“Talk to people who look like they need a friend. Don’t do things just because other people do it.”“Don’t try to take it in all at once. Also, don’t worry so much.”“Don’t stress over grades – they won’t matter in the end (but still try). Don’t miss out on experiences.”This, I realized, is what I had missed most about back to school. And it’s this sense of humanity, alongside learning, that we hope you continue to find in our magazine.