Another school year begins. Like all moms, Amrita Madabushi and her kids get ready to have a wonderful year ahead.

For parents of 50 million kids in USA, August is an important month; it’s all about “back to school”, the last bit of vacations, school supply checklist, clothes, before and after care, school bus, after-school activities and of course the mixed feelings of happiness and sadness that the start of school year brings.
With both kids going to elementary school, last year was quite interesting. Right before the week school opens, there is an important Thursday when we get to know the kids’ teacher and class mates. I learned from my little boy entering kindergarten that it hardly matters who is your teacher or classmates. 

However what I understood from my daughter was that when you are in 4th grade, it’s a huge deal. Ok, so there we were, on Thursday evening of last year, in a slightly nervous/ excited mode checking my daughter’s class assignment to see if she got any of her favorites. Not the teacher she wished for. And no familiar friends on that list. Oh No! It was a “sad” moment for her for sure.

At home that evening, we tried to make her feel good and showed her things from a different perspective.  To not have any one from her old friend circle was quite ok, she will make new friends. And to have the teacher she did not know was ok too, a teacher is after all a teacher, you respect them, they empower you with knowledge, that is how it works.

Days, months and the entire school year passed. I am just glad when I think of the last school year for both of them. My daughter had an awesome experience over the entire period of her 4th grade, making new friends, meeting old friends over recess & playdates, increasing her friend circle, yay!  As she came to know her teacher, she realized how amazing it was to have that particular teacher and by the end of school year, she was so absolutely thankful for that. 


Yesterday was Thursday again, the one before the beginning of next school year. And regardless of whose class they go to and with whom; here’s wishing that it is great for them as well as all the kids, for making new friends, for learning and for giving their best in an another fun successful new year as they go “back to school”.