During my childhood, it was around this time of year that an advert would start appearing on television for a well-known stationery supplier, which filled me with dread. The ad celebrated the looming return of school with the song It’s the Most Wonderful Time of the Year.

As the tune played, a gleeful father filled his trolley with items for his two children, who trailed behind, morose at the reality of returning to the classroom. I can still recall the visceral hatred I had for this advert, revelling as it did in the end of our summer holiday and the freedom it represented.

I suspect it elicited a similar feeling from teachers (if not quite as strong, perhaps), for whom it served as a reminder that their six weeks of rest, relaxation and good intentions to make the most of summer were also coming to an end and the alarm clock would soon need setting.

We’ve reached that point again now, with adverts appearing regularly to offer great deals on back-to-school items, making one thing clear: the return is imminent.

So, take the following sentence as a call to action. Whatever you wanted to achieve with your summer holidays, now is the time: start that book; get those bike tyres pumped; fire up that yoga video; text that friend; organise that activity.

But just before you leap up to do all those things, I suggest first enjoying the magazine in your hands: a cover feature bursting with ideas for boosting subject knowledge and uncovering new resources; a thought-provoking article on how we can teach lifelong skills; and an especially powerful My Best Teacher podcast interview with Ade Adepitan on the huge impact his teachers had on his life.

For example, he recalls how a primary teacher’s act of making a special float for his legs helped him learn to swim and achieve his width and length swimming badges - something he says is “one of the proudest moments of my life”.

Later, he remembers how his school funded his place on a trip to the countryside where he saw acres of greenery and countless trees for the first time, describing it as “the best trip I’ve ever been on”.

For me, it is these sorts of stories that have stood out in the My Best Teacher podcast - the moments when teachers have gone above and beyond, and in doing so, created positive memories that last a lifetime.

Sadly, the past two years have meant many such moments will have been lost to the pandemic, with education experienced through screens or in socially distanced classrooms, and with the chance for extracurricular activities greatly reduced.

No doubt positive memories will have been created, but it’s no substitute for the real school experience: dynamic classrooms, thought-provoking assemblies, discursive lessons, kind words, encouraging feedback, inspiring field trips, swimming lessons and so much more. That’s what going back to school should be sold as: not cheap deals on stationery or parents pleased to be free of their offspring once more.

What’s more, as recent world events have shown with a numbing bleakness, the chance to educate or be educated is a freedom still not enjoyed by all - and it can be taken away in the most brutal fashion.

As such, while it may still be a stretch to call going back to school the most wonderful time of the year, we should recognise that, this year more than ever, students and teachers being able to return to the classroom is a privilege we should never take for granted.

For now, though, there is still a week to go of the holidays, the sun is out (I’m being optimistic) and the alarm clock can remain dormant for a little while longer.

@DanWorth

This article originally appeared in the 20 August 2021 issue under the headline “As back-to-school day looms, let’s appreciate what it represents”