Start of school year a time to get excited
Schools throughout the High Plains Journal region are beginning their school years with great anticipation by teachers and high expectations and a bit of angst by students and their parents.
Even the harshest curmudgeons understand an education is the key to success, a gift that does keep on giving.
Educators have taken the brunt of criticism over student performance and yet performance depends on a stable home life, which is often found in a rural area.
School districts in many states, including Kansas and Oklahoma, have faced tight budgets. Public schools need tax dollars to pay their bills, attract staff and hopefully build an enrollment base. The formula is similar to a farm or business although educational outcomes are more difficult to measure.
Parochial schools are not exempt. Parents of those students are hit up to increase their family giving. Parishioners at host churches receive a regular message to “give more.”
The beauty of education is found in a timeless equation—the relationship between teachers and kids with positive reinforcement from parents is the key to success. That equation has been torn and tattered over time with a teacher’s time stretched beyond what is reasonable.
Education, at times, is at odds with rank-and-file citizens. All one has to do is look at the defunct bipartisan federally approved No Child Left Behind program that promised to improve schools and better student performance. Instead NCLB forced administrators and teachers to “teach students for tests” rather than experience the beauty of “the laboratory of learning” that offers much more meaning to students, parents and a community.
Today’s rural schools continue to face unprecedented challenges—from declining enrollment to attracting qualified teachers to ensuring students have a safe atmosphere.
Schools are the fabric of the community and as many leaders have said when a school closes it is a devastating blow to a town and drives away families, the lifeblood of the future.
As the school year unfolds, my hope is that students and their parents will continue to have a safe place to learn, they have will have dedicated teachers, administrators and coaches, and be willing to accept discipline when it is necessary.
More opportunities await students than ever before when they complete their formal K-12 education. Yet it will be a more complicated world, one that will rely on more technology and interpersonal skills will be a must.
In addition, FFA programs are one of many examples found in rural-based communities provide students with an opportunity to peek into their future to prepare them for life beyond high school.
The ticket to success starts with a good now when a new school year means a new beginning. The stakes have never been higher or more rewarding for those who are willing to take advantage of resources that all of us know is something we pay forward and that is the gift to the next generation.
Everyone has a role.
