Back-to-school is always a special time at Scholastic, but this year it’s extra special for me because I’m heading back to school too! I’ll be back in the classroom to earn my master’s degree part-time.
It’s been a few years since I was a student, so I’ve been feeling the back-to-school jitters. To calm my nerves, I turned to an old friend who has always been there to help me get through a tough situation. And much like myself, his story begins with starting a new school.
Of course, I’m talking about Harry Potter himself. Pulling my copy of Harry Potter and the Sorcerer’s Stone off the shelf instantly reminded me of the magic of school. While I won’t be attending Hogwarts or learning about charms, it made me as excited as Hermione to dive back into textbooks. I decided to fully embrace the wizarding experience in getting ready for going back to school.
The magic really revved up when I was reading Harry Potter on the train on my way to orientation. While no spell could make NJ Transit feel like the Hogwarts Express, I felt like I was on the train with Harry and Ron. Reading about chocolate frogs and a missing toad almost had me convinced that as train turned the corner Hogwarts would appear.
On campus, I made sure to stop into the bookstore like I was in Diagon Alley and scope out my new house colors to sport at quidd—er—football games. As I walked to class, I could almost imagine Hagrid walking by with a magical creature or Professor McGonagall telling me to hurry along.
By the time I arrived in class it was as if I took a sip of Felix Felicis because my back to school nerves were completely gone! Even if Professor Snape walked through the door and told me to turn to page 394, I was ready. The reality of not being at Hogwarts sank in when class began, but I was just as excited to learn in my actual course.
I don’t even need a divination class to see that I’m going to have a wonderful experience throughout my graduate program as long as Voldemort doesn’t decide to attack. And even when a class is as tough Defense against the Dark Arts, I’ll have Harry Potter right beside me to remind me that I’ll get through it.
