Back to School

There’s no feeling quite like the one we get on the first day of a new school year. A few of us may feel excited, while others may feel anxious, sad or just plain annoyed. Realizing this in the past week made me reflect on a very memorable first day of school: my first day of kindergarten.

My mom had helped me pick out the perfect back to school outfit that morning and helped pull my hair into my favorite style: cute little pigtails. I had selected what I thought was the best backpack of all time (a hot pink bag, prominently featuring my favorite Care Bears, of course), and all of my brand new school supplies were carefully stored inside. I was ready to take on kindergarten! When my mom pulled our family minivan into the school parking lot, I couldn’t have been more excited to see all my friends. I hopped out of the van and expectantly waited for my mom to walk me up to the front doors of the elementary with me, just like she had done everyday of preschool.

Except she didn’t. I impatiently marched over to her door and knocked on it as hard as I could.

She rolled down her window and I said, “Mom, come on. I’m ready for you to walk me to school.”

Instead of climbing out of the van like I wanted her to, she said, “Grace, you’re in kindergarten this year. That means you get to walk into school all by yourself.”

Five-year-old me had never considered the possibility that my mom wouldn’t be walking up to the front doors of my elementary that morning. It wasn’t in my plan for how my first day of kindergarten would go, and my response was to throw a full-blown tantrum. However, my mom bravely stood her ground and, after a lot of crying, complaining and coaxing, I walked into school on my own that day.

Now, I realize that we aren’t kindergarteners crying about walking into school by themselves, but this was the first of many times in my life that I can remember things not going according to plan. That’s because life doesn’t happen according to our plans, as much as we may want it to.

Sometimes this can be difficult to accept, but when we encounter changes in our plans, it is important that we don’t let them derail us from working towards our goals. Instead of being afraid of change, we have to embrace it. Maybe you don’t get elected to that officer position you were hoping for, your best friend moves to another state or your day just isn’t playing out how you thought it would. Change can come in all forms and it can make our lives difficult, but just like 5-year-old me on my first day of kindergarten, we have to remember to work through our fears to embrace the changes in our lives and whatever they may bring.

Smile for the Camera,

Grace Long

State Reporter