THE GOSHEN NEWS
—
On Thursday, students at Bethany Christian left their summer break behind and returned to the classroom. Today, students in Goshen Community Schools do the same. Next week students at Fairfield, Wa-Nee, Wawasee, Westview, Concord and Middlebury schools will begin the 2010-11 school year.
There is an excitement, a freshness even, that accompanies the first day of school. The buildings smell clean from the summer polish. The desks have all been wiped down. New text books have been taken from their boxes. New teachers have organized their rooms for the first time and veteran teachers ready themselves for a new batch of young faces. At Concord Community Schools the finishing touches are even being put on a new intermediate school for fifth- and sixth-graders.
Some students are reluctant to go back while others can’t wait, even laying out their new first-day-of-school outfit the night before. But the greatest thing about the first day of school is that each student is given the gift of a clean slate, and they can choose what will be done with it. If they take that clean slate seriously each year, they will have much success.
We hope that each student understands how important their education is to their future wellbeing, and we hope that they grasp how hard their teachers are working for them. The stakes of taking advantage of a good education are higher now than ever. The days of going straight from high school into the workforce are dwindling as manufacturing jobs disappear. And colleges and universities are in a position to be more selective than ever before. So, every school year counts. Every assignment matters. Every test or quiz is important.
Parents must also remember that the road to quality education starts well before their children ever step foot in a classroom. It starts with love and encouragement. It starts with constant positive interaction and vocabulary building. It starts with reading to children as often as possible. Children who receive these things during the first five years of their life are much, much more likely to succeed in school, and life, than those who don’t.
Education is the gateway to world and should be taken seriously by teachers, parents and students. With hard work and commitment, it can be a great school year for everyone.
