Start of school year a time of excitement
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.
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 numbers are not insignificant. In Kansas, half of the state’s $16 billion budget is used to fund K-12 education.
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.”
Formal education is more than just dollars and budgets. Past generations offer much wisdom and insight. Students in one-room schoolhouses forged a nucleus of teamwork. Today’s modern schools build on that legacy.
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. For example, many of those best relationships are forged in FFA programs and vocational courses found in schools, both in rural and urban settings, where teachers can work and challenge their students to think beyond the classroom setting. It should come as no surprise that when professionals are asked to name some of their most influential programs that have benefited them the most, FFA is surely at or near the top.
FFA provides a student with more than just an opportunity to learn about production agriculture but also how to interact in the agribusiness world. Even those who put their blue coats away many years ago have more than a nostalgic view about what the program did to prepare them for life’s adventure. Schools remain a great melting pot for equal opportunity. After all, education never ends with a diploma.
That is one reason why citizens need to work together as the educational system is the fabric of the community. As many leaders have said, preserving a school is what keeps a town alive and holds onto families, which is the lifeblood of the future.
As the school year unfolds, our hope is 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.
The ticket to success starts with a good education and a new school year means a new beginning. The stakes have never been higher or more rewarding for those willing to take advantage of resources that all of us know is something we pay forward and is a gift to future generations.
Everyone has a vital role.
Dave Bergmeier can be reached at 620-227-1822 or [email protected].
