BACK TO SCHOOL!
Memory, Emotion, and the Calendar That Never Leaves Us
Back-to-school season isn’t just for students—it’s a rhythm many of us still feel. For individuals in Maryland and DC, this reflection explores how early school experiences shape our emotional cycles, friendships, and sense of self, even decades later.
How many of you still organize your year around the school calendar? If you were a good student, the end of August was a time of excitement, and a time to gear up for a new year. You looked forward to seeing your schoolmates and telling all the summer tales of adventure.
If you were a not-so-good student, your anxiety started to gear up about mid-August, and you looked for ways to escape. Suddenly your clothes did not fit, and your backpack was nowhere to be found. You prayed for snow, even knowing that the thermometer was in the 90’s.
If you have school-aged children, you need to function on the school calendar. However, many still organize their year around that activity and have a deep emotional response to this time of year. You may be aware of this cycle and take it to heart, or you may be completely unaware and wonder why this time of year is disquieting.
Whether we realize it or not, our early school experiences stay with us in some way.
Some of us have maintained friends from elementary school. You may not have regular contact, but when you do meet or call, the sense of connection reappears automatically, as though you were young again and no time has passed.
Early school experiences can make a deep impression. I remember my second-grade teacher because she put a large wire cage in the center of the room and placed a hen in the cage. We watched in awe as that hen laid eggs and sat on them until these little chicks hatched. We had a lottery to see who would get to take the chicks home. Of course, our parents were not as excited as we were, but that teacher was brilliant. We learned about the circle of life and about caring for another creature. And yes, we were required to clean out the cage!
What school memories stand out for you? As a young child, your school experience can be powerful and set the stage for future experiences and feelings. Take a moment to go back in time and ponder the influences of early childhood on who you are now.
Want to explore the emotional impact of school memories? Visit Psychologs Magazine’s article on emotional attachment to school memories, Education Elements’ top 20 back-to-school memories, and Psychology Today’s guide to back-to-school stress.
If this season stirs reflection or emotional shifts, therapy can help. Learn more about individual therapy in Maryland and DC or explore therapeutic approaches that support emotional insight and personal growth.
By Dr. Gloria K Vanderhorst
