For eight years of my life, I went to school dressed in a uniform. Polo shirts in shades of light blue and white paired with a navy and forest green tartan so thick it would have better served as a tablecloth. Hair was required to be natural colors, and you couldn’t wear makeup of any...

While in Whole Foods recently, I chuckled at the checkout lane sign for “Fewer Than 12 Items” rather than “less than.” How that would have pleased my dad. He is on my mind as the school year approaches, for he was my first and best teacher, as his mother was his. Though not a teacher...