Gift of learning: First day of school signals another chance to teach lesson

A new school year means another chance for a fresh start.

It is one more opportunity for parents, teachers, mentors and others to share the secret that so many of us know, but some have forgotten.

It is our chance once again to remind the county's young people about the value of staying in school -- and learning.

There is a commercial running now about education. It is a political ad, but its message is a powerful one.

"The great equalizer" -- that's what the narrator calls education. And that statement is absolutely 100 percent true.

There are thousands of examples of ordinary people from ordinary circumstances who used books and an education to do great things.

And there are many, many stories of people from humble circumstances who took advantage of the chance to learn to create better lives for themselves and their children.

It really is that simple.

Learning is a life skill that will be used over and over again. And it is a lesson best first learned in the classroom.

It is our job to share that wisdom with the next generation.

It will give them wings.

Published in Editorials on August 25, 2014 11:08 AM