By Kate Curell

It’s hot outside. Hotter than doughnut grease, as the PR department likes to say. And as the dog-days of summer wrap up, I can’t help smiling. Don’t get me wrong – I like the summer. But I really dig the fall.

In the movie “You’ve Got Mail,” Tom Hanks’ character talks about sending a bouquet of newly sharpened pencils because the fall reminds him of going back to school. Plus, he really likes New York in the fall. The leaves changes colors, the weather cools down and there even seems to be a different smell in the air.

We’re getting ready to send out the newest issues of Career College Central and KEY magazines and I’m starting to get that feeling that fall is just around the corner. Working in publications gives me the chance to write about going back to school, instead of actually having to do it myself. In fact, this is the first fall in 18 years that I won’t be attending school. And now, I get to help others prepare for their futures, or for the futures of their students.

Every once in awhile, I have dreams that I forgot to turn in my final project, or that I slept through an exam. I read for pleasure now, about things I’m particularly interested in. I still love to learn, and I’ll never forget the feeling of taking the last final before the start of Christmas break.

I guess my point is that even though I’m not in school anymore, I’m never going to forget what it’s like to be a student, and I think fall will always remind me of backpacks and notebooks. In my job, though, this isn’t a bad thing. If I always remember what it feels like to be a student, I’ll understand what a student wants or needs in an education – and I’ll be able to write my articles to benefit the students and the schools.

So, the feeling you have about fall, Mr. Hanks, is mutual. You send me a bouquet of pencils, and I’ll send you a fresh batch of college-ruled notebook paper – and copies of the latest Career College Central and KEY magazines, of course.