Our school years take up a significant proportion of our lives. Your relationship with school and education is important in understanding the significance of dreams about school.
For some, a school is a place of safety, a place of happy memories. It is a place where they learned new things and developed their interests.
For others, school means anxiety. It suggests fear, isolation, and embarrassment. School may have been somewhere they felt worried, stressed, or excluded.
It’s essential to keep your feelings and impressions about school in mind as you continue to read. Some interpretations will depend greatly on your thoughts and feelings about school.
After all, dreams use images and motifs as a sort of shorthand. They’re able to fit a lot of information into a series of images because we can interpret that shorthand based on our life experiences.
Overview
Broadly speaking, if your dream takes place in school, it means one of two things.
Firstly, it could suggest that you need to or are in the process of learning something. It could be a spiritual, emotional, social, or physical, lesson. This will depend on other factors within the dream.
Secondly, a dream about school could be a sign of inadequacies or anxieties surfacing. It could point to childhood anxieties or more recent anxieties about performance and ability.
These are both vastly different interpretations and which one applies to your dream depends on two things.
Firstly your own experiences of school, and secondly the other motifs in your dream.
Where in the school?
Buildings or Rooms
Let’s first look at the setting for your dream before we look at any motifs or the people populating your dream.
You might dream of a particular building or room in the school. This could help you narrow down the meaning of your dream.
Auditorium
This could suggest that you need to listen and learn from someone. Try to think about who was in the auditorium, who was speaking to you? They might be the person you need to link up with.
If you were giving a talk or speech in the auditorium it might suggest that you have something to share with those around you.
Of course, if you have one of those stress-inducing dreams where you’re in the middle of the auditorium sans clothes, that suggests that you’re more focused on inadequacies or anxieties than learning.
Classroom
The classroom is a place of growth and learning. A dream that mostly takes place in a classroom indicates that you are or need to be learning something important.
If you are teaching or presenting in a classroom, it suggests that the lesson you need to learn is a personal one.
If you are looking for a classroom, it could represent a search for knowledge that is happening in your life. You might not be aware of this search in your waking life so pay close attention to the other motifs. This can help you unearth the search.
Gym
Dreaming about the school gymnasium could indicate that you need to put your learning into action. It suggests a call to action.
If you’re taking a gym class, it could suggest that your dream is linked to performance. If you’re doing well, it could indicate that you are happy with your professional or personal performance.
If you’re struggling with the class, it might suggest that you are feeling inadequate or worried about performance in your professional or personal life.
Library
Dreaming about the school library, or any library for that matter suggests a sense of reviewing your knowledge and understanding.
If you’re searching for a book to no avail, it could indicate a lack of something. Pay close attention to the book you were searching for to clarify this meaning.
Objects and Events
What’s around you and what’s happening in your dream are vitally important. They can help us clarify the broader meanings of our dream.
Backpack
If your backpack is a prominent feature of your dream it may represent all those worries, responsibilities, and fears that you carry around with you.
If the backpack is really heavy, you might want to think about lightening the load.
Desk
To be sat at your desk suggests that you are looking for some stability as you explore new lessons and ideas.
If you’re at someone else’s desk it suggests that you don’t have a lot of faith in your ideas or experiences.
Conversely, being sat at the teacher’s desk suggests that you have the skills and information to help others grow.
You should also take into account the state of your desk. A cluttered, messy desk suggests that you need to declutter the mind. Take some time to evaluate your priorities and streamline some things.
Exams
If you’re sitting exams or waiting for exam results then your dream is almost definitely linked to anxiety and stress.
Generally, dreams about exams suggest that you are insecure or worried about not meeting other people’s expectations. After all, exams are externally assessed.
If you are receiving exam results, try to remember who gave you the results. It could indicate the person you are trying to impress in the waking world.
Graduation
Graduation is a celebration of your successes. It marks a turning point between two parts of your life.
If you’re attending a graduation ceremony in your dream, it might mean that you are ready to move on to the next chapter of your life. It suggests that you are ready and willing to move on.
If you’re not able to graduate whether because of a lack of credits or units, it suggests that something is holding you back. Something is stopping you from moving forward in life.
If you’re late for graduation or you miss the ceremony, it could suggest that you are the issue. You are the thing that holds you back. Perhaps you’re not ready to move on or let go.
Pen
A pen is an instrument of expression. If you are holding or using a pen in your dream it suggests an urge to express yourself.
Pencil
A pencil is also an instrument of expression but it does not have a permanent lasting impact like a pen.
If you are using a pencil in your dream, it could be that you are unsure or hesitant about what you are creating or writing.
Using a pencil also suggests a degree of flexibility. It could be encouraging you to be open to change or new ideas.
People
The people that populate your dreams can indicate the people in your waking life that are important or useful to you at this time.
Sometimes our dreams are filled with people we don’t know. In these cases, it’s important to look at the role they occupy.
Teacher
If you dream of one of your teachers, you’ll need to think about your relationship with that teacher.
If it was a warm, supportive teacher it could suggest that you are seeking guidance or advice.
It doesn’t mean that you need to seek out that teacher in your waking life. It’s more about replicating the warmth and support you got from them.
You should turn to someone who offers a similar kind of support and ask for their advice.
A supportive and kind teacher figure in your dream could also suggest that you are searching for a supportive or kind relationship in your waking life.
It could be that you need a friend, a partner, or a family member to reassure you while you follow your learning path.
A strict or mean teacher suggests that you are being harsh on yourself. It suggests that you are berating yourself unduly. Try to be kinder and more compassionate to yourself in your waking life.
If you dream that you are the teacher, it could suggest that you have a thirst to prove your knowledge or skills. It may also suggest that you want to share your experience with others.
Student
If you dream that you are a student, it generally means that you feel like you need guidance and support.
It suggests that you have some learning experience ahead of you that makes you feel nervous or worried.
If you are surrounded by students but are not a student yourself, it could suggest that you feel overqualified. Perhaps you’re feeling stifled at work or you feel bothered by mundane issues at home.
Old Friends
Dreaming of school friends doesn’t necessarily mean that you need to get back in touch with them. It could suggest that you have unresolved feelings about that person.
It might also suggest that you are longing for the days when friendships were easier or more fun. This could be a nudge telling you to be more childlike and have more fun.
Final Thoughts
Our school years are complex. They are a time of incredible social, emotional, and academic learning.
To revisit your school days in your dreams suggest that you are about to enter another period of learning and development.
Take note of the class you attend, the people you meet, the teachers you interact with. They can all help narrow down your dream meaning.