The sun rises on a new scholar year, a breeze filled with the aroma of new books and elegant new clothes, as most, if not all people, go on a shopping spree for shiny new study/work stationary, whether it is a despised tradition or some wicked marketing scheme, it is the day to get curious about this new adventure for those going to school for the first time. It’s a rather dreadful time for the older fellas as they’ve already taken many knowledge pills over the years, they’re well aware of how bitter it can get. And why wouldn’t they? Prison is the nickname they gave to the poor innocent thing.

I wonder if each one of y’all remembers their first day in school, did you feel like getting lost in a jungle, like myself, a rocky path with invisible beasts all over the place, or were you a lucky king, who was well prepared both mentally and physically and was guided and supported every second of the way. I was awakened unusually early, dressed with new homemade clothes and splashed with a cold ambiguous statement: “You’re going to school.”. My sister walked me to the school’s big closed gate, where I was left out with lots of other children, we looked so tiny next to it. It was opened by a male stranger who was followed by several others who divided us into lines or rather queues that went into separate rooms in a harmonious army-like way. As you can guess, all I cared about later that day was getting that piece of delight in my mouth, I’m talking about non-other than the candy we were given on our first day, of course the wrapper had to be noisy, the teacher heard me no matter how hard I tried to be discreet. And I tasted my first hand hit with a wooden ruler, Yikes! Don’t get me wrong, I gained the teacher’s love afterward by becoming an excellent student, but the bitter humiliation I witnessed on the first day will accompany me to my grave. Now, the question that raises itself is: Why does today’s generation hate school a bunch? I don’t remember struggling much with studying by then since it was viewed by us as a fun competition we had to win, true, it was challenging and we had to work hard while being threatened with hard stares and grumpy faces (that was the only way teachers knew how to show love and care by then).

A major problem we’re oblivious to is the students’ sleeping schedule, it becomes so random in summer and we think that is okay until the shift happens and a new daily episode of “How to wake them up quickly with no fuss” drama starts airing. One way to solve that is by maintaining the same routine in both summer and school time because we don’t struggle with habits, we just engage in them reflexively without realizing it. It is crucial to talk the kid into having a schedule from the start of the year to save energy and avoid cramming for exams later. Meal planning for the week is in order too, with a discussion about incorporating some healthy meal options with our little ones. Also, talking to them about how they feel, and what worries them and addressing solutions would give them a boost and make them more ready for school, and why not talk about it while doing an off-school activity together to ease their worries and strengthen our bond in one go?

Another important thing is this: they should understand that it is not about grades but about the learning process itself. They shouldn’t fear failure but see it as a learning step. No wonder we’re having difficulties getting anything into their brains without identifying their learning styles; we should make sure they understand what that is and how to use it to make learning easier and more enjoyable, if we break it down we get four of them: visual learners who absorb information better by watching a demonstration or draw it down, auditory ones who remember better by listening to the lecture, and why not record themselves reading the material then listen to it later. We also have the reading/writing learners who depend on text, those are our flashcards and summary heroes. Last but not least kinesthetic learners; who’d rather perform a physical activity or engage in an experience rather than study from a textbook, does this philosophical question ring any bell: science or experience? Anyway, that’s not our focus when it comes to learning, we have to determine the HOW and the WHY before embarking on the WHAT.

There are tons of study hacks available nowadays to help students navigate their back-to-school journey. As they hop onto a new level of education, the challenges they face can be overcome with determination and the right support system in place. Each one of us, no matter how old or what stage of life we are in, needs a sprinkle of motivation every now and then. We must not forget that learning is necessary to perform any kind of activity, it is something we cannot simply grow old off as it is needed to show us the right way in life. Nowadays, resources and technologies offer us time-saving tools, we can learn from others’ experiences and research in the blink of an eye and incorporate it into our own lives. And like the old saying : “Learning is a process that begins from a mother's womb and ends in one's tomb”. It IS never too late for a change, let's start now.