The calendar has turned to August once again. For many of you it means the school year is right around the corner.
Over in Kingston, school starts a week from today on Thursday, Aug.
8. Meanwhile in Madill, classrooms welcome students back on Thursday, Aug. 15.
In the blink of an eye, we’ll be ready to see the Class of 2020 take the stage and head off into their futures.
Here at The Madill Record we know firsthand how fast time can fly. Many of you may not know, but all of our staff are parents if not grandparents.
That means we (like many of you) have watched our children sprout up before our eyes. It also means we have all gone through many of the same changes and struggles today’s students face.
Such insights informed our decisions when it came to the content of this year’s Back to School special section.
Here at The Madill Record, we know everyone who participates in our education faces unique challenges.
Much is demanded not just of students and teachers, but also parents.
We wanted to touch on topics that would be relevant to our readers.
Among the items you’ll find are interviews with the superintendents of both Madill Public Schools and Kingston Public Schools about the progress each district has made in new construction projects. These stories are on pages 4C and 18C respectively.
As you likely have seen, Marshall County is growing. This is not solely evident in new businesses moving in or an upgrade to the county jail.
Instead, a short drive to our county’s school sites will show you that a lot is going on.
New construction, new programs (9C) and classes (8C) and even new band directors mean a lot of changes are afoot.
And while change is always challenging, it is a big part of not only our modern society, but also our classrooms.
Our team spoke with a local teacher (on page 10C) and a group of local students (11C) about how technology such as smartphones and Chromebooks impact both the classroom and study habits.
And here at The Madill Record, we are no strangers to change.
This year we’re embracing change in an effort to do something different for you the readers.
Before we leave you to explore this week’s issue and our special section, we’d like to offer some words of encouragement to those who make our schools such an important part of our community.
First, to the all of the students in Marshall County, please know that we wish you the best this year. We know that everyone will be telling you to work hard and putting all kinds of pressure on you.
Please know that your parents, teachers, coaches and the adults like us only tell you to clean your room and get up on time for the bus because we care for you. Those of us “old people” never mean to ignore your point of view or feelings. Rather, we’ve each experienced enough failure ourselves to know where the trouble spots lie and we’d like to help you avoid them.
Next, to teachers, support staff and administrators, we say, may the odds be in your favor. We hope your patience isn’t overly tested and you are clear in communicating with the young minds you mold every day.
We hope you are treated with respect and dignity by students and parents alike. Know you have allies at both The Madill Record and many other local businesses that rely on you to start training our future workforce not just to hold jobs, but to be capable adults who positively impact our community.
Lastly, and most definitely not least, to the parents we say we appreciate you. Thanks for sharing your kids with us and the world at large.
As parents ourselves, we know the swell of pride that each accomplishment this time of year brings. Conversely, we know the heartache when our own children disappoint us. We ask that you show them the same grace that so many have also shown you. After all, this is their first go through life and the mistakes they make are often a result of not knowing any better.
We leave you with some parting words of wisdom courtesy of the late great John Hughes and his creation, Ferris Bueller: Life moves pretty fast. If you don’t stop and look around once in a while, you could miss it.