As another school year approaches, not every family is feeling excited.

For some, August brings the anticipation of new teachers, fresh opportunities, and the promise of another year of growth.

For others, it brings something very different.

A child who has already begun worrying about the first day.

Sunday evenings filled with anxiety.

Morning routines that feel more like negotiations than preparation.

Parents quietly wondering, “Will this year really be any different?”

If that sounds familiar, you are not alone.

Many families have come to believe that school is simply something students have to endure—that a certain amount of dread is normal, that learning is supposed to feel disconnected from a young person’s interests, and that the best parts of the day happen everywhere except the classroom.

I don’t believe that has to be true.

In fact, I believe school can be something students genuinely look forward to.

Certainly they should be excited to see friends, join teams, perform in the fall play, or reconnect with teachers who know them well. Those experiences matter. They are an important part of growing up.

But they shouldn’t be the only things students anticipate.

Students should look forward to the learning itself.

The purpose of education is not merely to transfer information. It is to cultivate curiosity, expand capacity, and help young people discover the satisfaction that comes from doing meaningful things well.

Students should be eager for the next science experiment, the next debate in history class, the next novel that changes how they see the world, or the next project that asks them to create something meaningful. They should anticipate the satisfaction of mastering a difficult concept, discovering a new talent, or accomplishing something they once thought was beyond them.

The best learning experiences leave students wanting more. They spark curiosity, invite creativity, and provide the deep satisfaction that comes from making progress. There is genuine joy in discovering something new, solving a difficult problem, building something with your own hands, or seeing the world differently than you did the day before.

Great schools don’t have to choose between joy and challenge. In fact, the most memorable learning experiences are almost always both. The projects students remember years later are rarely the easiest ones. They are the ones that ask students to think deeply, create boldly, collaborate meaningfully, and discover they are capable of more than they realized.

If students spend the day simply waiting for lunch, athletics, rehearsal, or the final bell, we should pause—not because those experiences aren’t valuable, but because they are only part of what school can offer.

The classroom itself should be a place students are excited to enter. It should be where questions are welcomed, ideas are explored, and growth is experienced. Students should leave class not only knowing more than they did an hour before, but believing more deeply in what they are capable of accomplishing.

That is one of education’s greatest gifts.

As parents, we naturally pay attention to grades, transcripts, and college admissions. Those things matter. But perhaps an even better question to ask as a new school year begins is this:

Is my child looking forward to learning?

Not simply to seeing friends.

Not simply to athletics.

Not simply to the activities that surround the school day.

Is my child excited to discover something new? To tackle meaningful challenges? To grow in both capacity and confidence?

Because high school should be more than four years to get through. It should be four years that awaken curiosity, develop competence, build confidence, and help young people discover who they are becoming.