Are you excited to go back to school this year? Is your heart jumping with joy when you glance at the stack of new school supplies quietly sitting unwrapped in the corner of your old desk or when your lungs inhale the smell of freshly printed paper from your new textbooks? Is your mind wondering about all the lessons you will learn? Are you tempted to peek behind the textbook’s cover and read a page or two? Are you thinking about your new teacher or perhaps new classmates? Are you eager to walk down the freshly polished school hallway, scenting the new paint on the walls and peeking behind the classroom doors decorated with pristine posters with images of distant planets or magical places much closer but you haven’t seen yet? I always am. I hope you are, too.
In the days before the first day of school, I like to find a quiet moment, close my eyes, and take a deep breath of the fresh September air. In the Pacific Northwest, this air is tinged with the moist scent of fallen maple leaves mixed with pinecones and a distant hint of salt and seaweeds. There is bittersweetness in this moment as I feel I have become one with nature, ready to let go of the summer fun and prepare for the fall of learning. The silver skies invite a moment of reflection and gratitude for the changing seasons and the new opportunity to learn and grow. Learning and growing can be unnerving no matter who or what age you are. It takes focus, perseverance, patience, and humility, among other things. Focusing despite distractions and persevering despite hardship takes more than just willpower. Being patient despite the rush and humble despite pride takes more than just restraint. It takes courage, self-care, and, perhaps most importantly, a tribe. A tribe that is there for you to support you through the learning and evolving process.
So, at the start of every school year, grateful, eager to embrace learning, and ready to let go of my fears, I ask myself three questions. Where do I find courage? How should I care for myself? And why do I need a tribe?
Courage is a peculiar thing for me and always has been. It is because, like many of us, I often find myself on a different page of the textbook my classmates are reading. Sometimes ahead, sometimes behind, it takes courage to claim your place in the book, your page, and your paragraph. We all learn at a different pace. It takes courage to acknowledge and accept that without shame and guilt. And I find it in small things like the early spring flowers pushing through the last frozen blanket of snow to show us the first green leaves of hope. Or the first tree sparrow returning from the South, ready to nest and grow a family again.
Self-care is a thing I learned over my years of schooling. Schoolwork often becomes demanding and piles on top of family or work responsibilities. No matter how well you plan, regardless of your discipline, you will reach your limits and find it hard to push beyond. It took me a while to learn that plowing through a long night causes more harm than good. I learned to pause, take a walk, or visit with a friend. I learned to be gentle and forgiving, let go of how a poor grade or feedback made me feel, and focus on what I learned.
Why a tribe? Well, learning, courage, and self-care are hard to foster in isolation. Perhaps some people can lock themselves alone in a room and learn or have no choice but to do it that way. But the rest of us need a tribe to thrive. I experienced all three options, and let me assure you, the best learning outcome is when you have a tribe! Your tribe is often small but consists of people who are either on the same learning path as you or have walked that path with courage and humility. Your tribe will support you, encourage and cheer you. Your tribe won’t judge, shame, or guilt you. Remember, plenty of stormy and murky waters will test your ship’s strengths, but every ship needs a safe harbor to coast and recharge for the journey ahead. That harbor fuels our courage and self-care; even big ships sink without it.
For this new school year, allow me to be part of your tribe. Come to my blog to relax, read inspiring stories, and get motivated in your learning journey.
Happy learning!
Dr. KJ Markeli
