To the moms and dads and grandparents and relatives and friends and all the other members of The Village It Takes, please know you’re still important.
But this message isn’t (totally) for you.
This one’s for our younger readers, the ones about to walk through the doors of Brown, Glover, Village, Charter, Vets, MHS, Tower, Epstein Hillel, Devereux — or maybe their own house. The ones who are sad that summer is over, excited to start something new, and mostly wondering who they’ll sit next to at lunch. If you’re reading this online, send your student a link. If you’re reading this in the paper, hand it to your kid and explain what a newspaper is.
So, here’s the tough news: School is hard. It’s supposed to be hard. It’s supposed to challenge you and make you think and grow and change.
It’s also supposed to be fun and full of friends and moments you’ll talk about a long time from now.
In case you’re feeling like it’s different for you than it was for your parents, you’re right, it is. AI and social media are changing the landscape faster than your teachers, your parents or anyone else knows what to do about it. Your teachers are still figuring out what counts as help and what counts as cheating when it comes to AI. Phone policies seemingly change by the week. Social media is connecting you to people across the world (yay!) but also amplifying arguments and negativity and the bad “isms” more than ever (boo!). Your parents are dealing with these same issues at work. You’re not the only guinea pigs for new technology.
What you might not realize is that you will be the leaders on this stuff before you know it. To a (frighteningly) large extent, you already understand these tools better than most of the adults trying to write the rules for them.
So if your parents seem confused about a new app, or nervous about AI or unsure how to help with a project that involves technology they don’t understand, you can be the one who explains it. You don’t have to have all the answers. But your voice matters, so use it. Talk to your parents, your teachers, anyone who is willing to share ideas. Good leaders are good listeners.
And when (not if, when) it feels like too much, it’s OK to ask a teacher, a parent, a coach, an older sibling, “Wait, can you explain that to me?”
It’s OK to need a minute some days. That’s not a sign that anything is wrong with you. Scientists at Caltech found that your brain can only really think about one thing at about 10 bits per second, while your eyes and ears are feeding it billions of bits every second. Most of that gets thrown out just so you can function.
So, if it feels like too much sometimes, that’s because it is. Our brains aren’t built to keep up with this level of frenzy. Remember to close your computer, put your phone down and just… sit.
Mr. Rogers used to say that when he was a kid and saw something scary in the news, his mother would tell him, “Look for the helpers. You will always find people who are helping.”
That’s still true here. Your teachers are here because they want to help you. So are your neighbors, your coaches, your librarians, your family. You don’t have to go looking far.
This is a big year to be a student. AI, phones and everything else changes by the day, and you have to navigate it alongside everyone else. There’s no textbook for this, and nobody’s saying you should have it figured out.
Here’s a thing worth remembering, though: You don’t always know what someone else is carrying, and they don’t always know what you’re carrying either. That’s where kindness comes in.
There’s a line you might know from the book “Wonder.” “When given the choice between being right or being kind, choose kind.” Your job this year is to show up, try your best and choose kindness.
So, welcome back. Have a good first week. Don’t be afraid to ask questions. Explain the app to your dad when he’s stuck. Do it slowly, like he’s a golden retriever.
Whatever this year throws at you, in a classroom or on a phone screen or in a headline, there are a lot of people in this town rooting for you to make it through in one piece, and to have some fun while you’re at it.
We’re glad you’re here.
