The Brief: Memes illustrate various expectations and experiences for an unprecedented start to the 2020-2021 school year.

DEEP DIVE
Throughout the United States and around the world, the school year is starting for students from pre-K to post-grad. As some schools re-open in-person and others are going partially or fully online, back to school memes for the 2020-2021 school year reflect the variety of experiences that students, teachers, parents, and staff are preparing for during a pandemic.
Back to school memes cover everything from mask mandates to Zoom classes to disinfectant procedures to the chaos of some districts’ plans to reopen. While some memes on the subject are bleak, they serve as a way for people to vent about their experiences returning to school online and IRL.
The subreddit r/teenagers features many memes from young people about their experiences starting up the new school year.
A confused Jonathan Swan meme:
Our actual back to school plan for this year when we get to go back from teenagers
As per usual, The Simpsons provided relevant material for characterizing the present moment:
Back to school from memes
Kids going back to school in September being like from TheSimpsons
Public school teachers next month: pic.twitter.com/Y05bvaNIm7
— Jeremy West (@JeremyWest) July 15, 2020
You’ve heard of Zoom University, now get ready for Bitmoji classrooms.
It’s back to school, so MEME TIME!! pic.twitter.com/Mrfu4X5mlD
— Angel Cesar Carmona (@AngelCesarCarm1) August 10, 2020
Every teacher right now looking at their district’s back-to-school plan pic.twitter.com/VDbYVlajSm
— Your Sub Tomorrow (@SubTomorrow) August 10, 2020
Unsurprisingly, there’s more than one clown meme about going back to school.
Me going back to school knowing we’ll go all online and still have to pay full tuition: pic.twitter.com/QlbZuLhPxO
— Sokrasey Austin Prim (@PrimAustin) August 10, 2020
we really thought we were just getting a extra week of spring break and now it’s august pic.twitter.com/QiVP1kmPEr
— chiquita (@stephmarierios) August 2, 2020
Some students are trying to make the best of a bad situation…
Perk of online classes: you can pin the video of your crush and look at them for the whole class without anyone knowing
— Rosa K-D (@rosa_radrazz) August 7, 2020
My daughter on in-person learning:
"They couldn't keep the bathrooms clean; how are they going to disinfect the whole school daily?"
— Stacey Hopkins (@staceyhopkinsga) July 22, 2020
I want to go back to school but I'm so so scared to go back to school pic.twitter.com/wmtgTgZ3EP
— Gigi (@Gigintonic_) August 10, 2020





How schools would reopen if Frog TikTok was in charge…
@froggertfresh