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Editorial - The importance of educating as a community

With Labour Day in the books, it's time for students to head back to school. It is typically a time when many parents sit back with a cup of coffee and exhale slowly, having managed to maneuver through another summer holiday with active children.
education

With Labour Day in the books, it's time for students to head back to school.

It is typically a time when many parents sit back with a cup of coffee and exhale slowly, having managed to maneuver through another summer holiday with active children.

But now is time for families to get back into the education routine.

We all know our teachers play an important role in creating future good citizens. Few jobs are more important than helping youngsters develop the skills they will need in the fast-changing world in which we live. The classroom is not just about learning to read and write; it is about having the confidence to change with the world as you grow.

There is, of course, more to teaching children than sitting them in a class room from September until June.

An African proverb states: "It takes a village to raise a child”. The proverb simply means it takes an entire community of different people interacting with children in order for a child to grow in a safe environment, an environment with varied experiences.

Simply put, education is not just the responsibility of the teacher, either.

Education is a community responsibility with a wide variety of people contributing to the enlightenment of our youth.

The parent’s role can never be over-looked, nor can its importance to the core of what a child will become be underestimated. Much of who we are as adults, core values such as tolerance, understanding, acceptance, kindness, and a range of other elements of our inner being, are learned from parents, and our extended family (siblings, grandparents, aunts, and uncles).

But the influences of education are not isolated to the family home and the school, either.

We enroll our children in a range of activities; cadet corps, Scouts, dance, boys and girls club, and sports teams to broaden their interests. In the process, group leaders, sport coaches, and others play a role in education.

Sports, as an example, is where the ideas of teamwork, hard work, practice, and dedication are continually reinforced.

It is something we as a community should always remember because being a positive influence on youth sets a foundation for our community and country in the future.

And so another year of educating our youth starts as we build toward our future.