This is the first September that I will not be returning to school as a student. I am now on the other side of the desk as a teacher. It felt strange this year not to get ready for another year of university- picking classes, buying textbooks and stocking up on paper.
I remember the start of University four years ago. I was afraid to start university and not be in my tiny bubble of high school. I was lucky to be starting University with a few of my high school classmates and we stuck close together at the start, meeting for lunch and study dates in the library. I loved that we could eat in the library. I loved the freedom. My favorite part was spending my breaks in the art galleries all over campus. I could have stayed in them for hours.
In university I learned to take chances and risks-something that I rarely did in high school. I pursued passions and dreams of mine. I wrote for the University newspaper "The Sheaf" for a year and I took two art classes. I struggled in both tasks- but looking back I learned a lot about myself and who I was. Writing for the paper really got me back into writing on a regular basis and my painting and sculpture class helped me realize I had an artist in me.
Four years later, another September is upon me and I'm now afraid that I no longer have that University bubble to turn to. It is time for me to enter a new one---it brings new challenges and risks that I look forward to tackling. I'm excited to learn more about myself and the world around me. The reality is that even if you are no longer a "student" by definition does not mean that you stop learning. It is important to continue to learn everyday.
