It hits you at weird times — scrolling through old photos, passing by a park full of kids in uniforms, or hearing a bell ring somewhere in the distance. Suddenly, you realise you miss school. Not necessarily the homework or exams, but the world that came with it.

School has a rhythm you don’t understand until it’s over. Waking up early felt annoying at the time, but now there’s something comforting about the predictability — the same walk to class, the same group of friends waiting near the lockers, the same teachers who somehow knew when you were having a bad day.

You start to miss the in-between moments the most. The five-minute chats before class. The inside jokes that lasted for years. The way a whole classroom would collectively sigh when a teacher mentioned a surprise test. The rush to finish assignments in the library during lunch. Even the days that felt boring or frustrating now feel like they belonged to some bigger story.

Life after school becomes more independent, but also more scattered. People drift. Routines change. And suddenly the thing you once counted down to escape becomes something you want to step back into, even just for a day.

But missing school isn’t really about the building or the timetable. It’s about missing a time when life felt simpler, even if you didn’t realise it then. It’s about missing the friends you saw every day without effort, the structure that kept you grounded, and the sense that you were all growing up together.

It’s okay to feel nostalgic. Missing school means you had moments worth remembering — moments that shaped you. And even though you can’t go back, those memories stay warm, familiar, and yours forever.

Sara Theocharidis