When I went away to college, Western Kentucky University, I remember the day before classes started my freshman year. I walked up the hill and felt an excitement, an anticipation of what was to come. I did not know the changes I was about to encounter educationally and personally, but I knew in my bones that big changes were going to happen.

The beginning of the school year is always exciting. Whether starting third grade as a student or a teaching a graduate seminar for the 20th time – there is energy unique to the beginning of school. Of course there may be disappointment that summer is over, but the aliveness, the freshness of the beginning of school is undeniable.

What is it about returning to school that is energizing? To some extent it is the people, perhaps friends one has not seen in several months, or meeting new people with similar interests. Education is a social endeavor, and the best learning (perhaps the only learning) takes place through and with other people.

Another energizer to the beginning of school is the possibility of learning – learning something new, engaging new content. The philosopher Edmund Husserl reminds us that to the experiencer – everything not yet learned IS new. Even when learning concepts that billions of others have known before, the act of learning is entirely new for the learner. The fact that as you learn new things, you change who you are – you become more than you were before you learned the new things. If you really let that in – it goes beyond excitement…to awe!

As exciting as the beginning of school can be – there is another side of starting school. Not every student is excited to learn. Some fear social interactions or their teachers. Some may find school the only safe place they know – but not a place for learning. Students with learning disabilities, or simply different learning styles may be punished or criticized for not fitting in. Some of these students will receive A’s on all the tests – but fail the class because they did not turn in the homework. Others will be punished for not sitting quieting and working, because their minds are too busy to sit quietly. Some students are enduring immense stress at home, and the classroom may be the only place they feel safe enough to sleep.

The beginning of school is an opportunity to begin learning anew. Even if you are not in a formal educational program – there is something new that you can learn – what will it be? Perhaps you will take a class – see those I am offering for example. Perhaps you will begin learning more about yourself through therapy or counseling.

Here are a few questions I plan to ask myself, and I hope you will ask yourself, as we begin a new year of learning.

• How can I approach the new school year (or any new task) with zest for learning?
• How can I recognize that others learn in different ways?
• How can I seek to understand and appreciate these alien learners?
• What kind of new person do I hope to become as a result of what I learn?

Michael Winters is a Psychologist in Houston focusing on marriage counseling and therapy. Michael received his PhD from the University of Memphis and has been practicing since 1991.