Back-to-school reignites love of learning for all

Amid the frenzy of buying school supplies, deciphering kid pick-up and drop-off logistics, and calming new kindergartener nerves, I am finding “back-to-school” to be both overwhelming and energizing. It is a perfect time to reflect on my own relationship with learning.

The brainpower of children is astounding. My 5-year-old will learn to read this year, a true foundation for the rest of her life. My son’s seventh-grade schedule ranges from algebra to science to tech arts (I am not even sure what that is), and he will play soccer and continue to learn piano. I can barely remember the last place I put my glasses, let alone how to solve for X. (I hope he doesn’t need much math help from me this year.)

I turned 44 last month. That certainly isn’t old, but it likely isn’t young. My brain, well, it has seen better days. I had a jarring, recent bout with something called “temporary global amnesia” that basically had me not knowing what I was supposed to be doing for a half an hour. It was most likely an isolated event, but scary enough to make me take stock. My brain is my jam, as they say.

It isn’t like I don’t use it. My work presents demanding enough subject matter, but unless you are lucky enough to have a job that consistently expands your horizons and challenges what you think you know, the work place isn’t exactly Crossfit for your noggin. I think I am spending most of my neurons coordinating child care and sports schedules, balancing the household budget (not well), and trying to find my glasses. When was the last time I truly learned something new?

I thrived as a student. I was one of those annoying kids that loved school, loved homework. Later, I traveled the world and lived abroad to satiate my curiosities about history and culture. I used to be a voracious reader. I spent all summer hounding my son to read a book, but I didn’t find time to pick one up myself. I used to watch “Nova” and “Frontline.” Now I get excited if my kids are both asleep by 9:30 and I can watch the end of “Project Runway.” It’s more than a little sad. Parenthood, I confess, has set me adrift from my student-self.

Time to shake things up.

I can’t let my brain atrophy into a mush of reality TV, uninspiring stir-fry dinners, and games of Candyland. As my son so helpfully reminded me on my recent birthday, “Mom, you still have half your life left to live!” That’s a lot of learning time.

Opportunities abound to be a lifelong learner, and I don’t mean going back to school. This region is full of skilled craftspeople, musicians, artists, historians, and activists. There are lectures, museums, natural wonders everywhere, and a lot of it doesn’t cost a dime. I marvel at those in my circle of friends, most of them parents, who picked up an instrument late in life, mastered knitting or crochet, or learned to fix their own toilet. Places I can learn new skills, explore new ideas, challenge long-held beliefs — these are the classrooms I need to visit if I want to remain a vital, relevant person in the world.

So as I load the kids’ backpacks with new colored pencils and crisp notebooks, I am going to pack myself a virtual back-to-school backpack, too. For language arts, I will throw in a couple of books — one I have been dying to read, and one that is an old friend. For math I will try a new budget software program to eliminate the element of surprise my grocery expenses present each month. For science I will experiment with a few new recipes, and make applesauce from the apples currently falling from my tree. For P.E., I will hike a few trails I have yet to explore, and maybe try a new exercise class.

Extracurricular activities? Goodbye dinner-and-drinks date night. My husband is in for lectures, cool documentaries, and working on our golf swings.

This quest of mine to embrace new learning opportunities will take some time and effort. But if I admonish my children against excuses for doing their homework, I, too, shall spurn excuses. (But I may find a few new reasons not to do the laundry.)

Happy back-to-school to everyone!

This story was originally published September 7, 2015 at 5:24 AM with the headline "Back-to-school reignites love of learning for all."