Good education begins at home

If it's Rodeo week in Sikeston, the start of school must be right around the corner. My oldest daughter reminded me this week of a letter I had written to her on her first day of school. So I glanced back at that long-ago message and was struck by the similarities after 30 years.

It's far too simplistic to tout the importance of education. If you don't know by now how important an education is for your future then you just haven't been paying attention.

Yet the sad reality is that education has changed so much through the years and, in many instances, that change has not necessarily been for the best.

Today's teachers are expected to be both educators and nannies. They are forced to spend far too much of that precious time teaching basic skills that should come from the home.

In short, far too many parents are sending their precious cargo to school with limited skills on how to share, how to interact with others, how to accept discipline and how to listen and learn. It is abundantly obvious that no basic training has occurred in the home environment, thus teachers must start from scratch on teaching these skills long before the ABCs come into play.

And increasingly, when students fail to grasp basic skills, the parents point the finger of blame at the teachers when, in fact, they should examine their own actions for their child's results.

Preparing children for school involves so much more than a trip to Wal-Mart for school supplies. That preparation should also include the importance of respect and cooperation. Unfortunately that is often lacking.

The promise of a better tomorrow through education is a tad bit more complex in today's society as well. I won't tarnish this brief column with the aspect of politics but the reality is that the promise of that better tomorrow seems far more distant today than in the past. I'll just leave it at that.

Much of the success of the school year is dependent on the quality and calibre of student who enters this amazing journey. If there is no emphasis on education and learning at home, then the challenge for the schools is nearly impossible.

The education journey about to begin for youngsters in this area should be the first step toward their success in life. Sadly for some, the ground work of preparation will make that challenge for both the student and the teacher so much more difficult.