As the final weeks of June arrive in the calendar, Grade 12 students across the country find themselves in that strange realm between the panic to study for final exams, and the exhilaration of knowing graduation exercises are close and soon they will embark on the adventure which will be the rest of their lives.
Certainly school years are a time most look back on with some fondness, whether with the fresh eyes of the just about to graduate, or those of us decades removed from a textbook of any kind.
There are of course a few bumps through the day-to-day process from the first timid steps into a Kindergarten classroom, through 12 years of studying not just the three ‘Rs’ of reading, w’riting and a’rithmatic, but today a diverse array of subjects tailored to the education path of a varied student body.
But thanks to what are generally dedicated and caring teachers, most of us make it through if we were willing to apply ourselves somewhat to the tasks at hand.
In general terms our education system is supposed to help students not just cram textbooks of facts into their memories, but equally important give students the tools to learn.
In many ways the latter skill is the greatest asset students graduating can take with them to adulthood.
Education does not end with high school graduation.
It does not end with a diploma from a post-secondary institution either.
Today, with new technology emerging virtually every day, we all must be ready to learn new things on a near continuing basis.
Few careers have not changed dramatically over as little as the last decade, whether it is every changing laws for a lawyer to deal with, or the increased use of computers in farming, or in analyzing repairs needed for an automobile mechanic.
The basic skills which allow students to learn in school remain important throughout life.
As for our local area graduates, we wish them the best in whatever careers paths they chose, and hope they always remember to take the time to learn as they go through life.
