School Zone lights start blinking, kids in their backpacks walking down the roads, busses shepherding smiling children to their classes, all part of the first days of school. I loved school – it was the only place that I got consistency in my life. The bells rang at the same time. I knew I’d have a hot meal to eat. Friends to see. Sports to play. Things to learn.
None of this could be done without the amazing women and men who “suit up” every day and face the challenges of unruly kids, underfunded classrooms, and overbearing regulations. The classroom has changed drastically since I was a kid. Technology now plays a big part in education, and Enid schools are ahead of the curve of most districts. But with all the amenities that the kids do have, we are still struggling as a state to educate our kids. And it’s not because we don’t have people that care, we do, but those wonderful people in the classrooms are being asked to do too much, with too little.
Regardless of whether you have a child currently in school, I hope that you will appreciate the job these people do for our community. If you want to show your support, visit donorschoose.org and you can search schools by zip code. Most school districts (including Enid and Chisholm) also have an educational foundation you can donate to that helps classrooms. If you are not able to financially help, just tell a teacher how much you appreciate them. And last, but not least, tell your elected officials how much education means to you, and hold their feet to the fire for increasing education funding!
In the meantime, slow down in school zones, watch for kids and pray for A’s!
