Back to school? More like back to the nightmare!: 27 back to school memes

María Cetra • Writer

Sep 16, 2026 2:00 PM EDT

Back to school, good or bad?

When I was a kid, I remember hating going back to school. But not on the first day. That used to be the only day when I was actually excited to go. I'm not sure if it was to get to see my friends and classmates again after the summer break, if it was just excitement to see if anything had changed, or just because I actually missed my daily routine during the school year. I know that I'm not the only one who felt that way on the first day, but I also know that some people had a hard time with the excitement turning into anxiety. It was normal to see one kid faint and another puke. Maybe one or two would cry, and one would fall asleep before the first hour ended.

I really have no clue what was in the air that first day of school that made all of us act weird. But I do think that, nevertheless, it still was an exciting day. And it maintained that kind of energy till one teacher had the bright idea of assigning homework on the first day. Why did they do that? Couldn't they just wait for a couple of days? At least till the second day would have been nice. But well, it still was a happy day after all. I do hope that the new generations are still feeling that thrilling sensation that can only be achieved by being a kid on their first day of school.

I remember that something that I loved about the first day was getting to talk about what I had done on vacation. Not because I had done anything particularly interesting, but because it seemed like everyone suddenly cared for what I had to say. It was a nice day after all. I'm not sure if that same sensation was transmitted on to teachers, parents, and school staff. But well, it's just another part of school, and the only way to avoid it is to finish your studies.