By Staff
The city and county school boards are working on their budgets, the bands and football players have been in camp this week and "Back to School" sales are all over the television and newspapers.
It's that time.
I know there are plenty of students who can't wait to be back with their friends. The whole community is looking forward to the start of football season and all the fall activities that come with it.
Many students will enjoy just being in school again. They look forward to going to class, being involved in clubs and teams, knowing that they are now at that next stepping stone -- one grade higher, one year older.
Despite my enthusiasm for those kids who will be excited to get back to school, I can't help thinking of the ones who don't look forward to it. And I don't mean the inevitable mourning of lazy summer days that all kids feel to some degree -- I'm thinking of the kids who don't enjoy school because they have learning problems or because they are not involved and don't feel like there is a place for them in the schools.
I'm reminded of the Kids Count meeting I attended a few weeks ago and the notion that it's all of our responsibility to create a community -- including schools -- where even children with the toughest circumstances can excel.
I know from what I've seen at both the Brewton City Schools and Escambia County Schools that the faculty are talented and dedicated. The academics offered from kindergarten through high school are varied and well-taught enough to capture any student in some way.
As I've said a few times in columns past, these small school systems are uniquely nurturing and inclusive in the number of extracurricular activities that are available to a relatively small enrollment. Fewer students also means a more personal interaction with teachers and administration -- those with the greatest power to be sure every child feels embraced by their school experiences.
While there are many students who excel in all academics and are involved throughout the school, every child deserves to have at least one class or activity that they look forward to and feel at home with.
I'm sure that lifting up those kids who fall behind or are left out is on the minds of teachers and administrators every day.
With the careful attention of those adults within the school systems, I don't doubt that all of East Brewton's and Brewton's children can have the experience of looking forward to school this year.
brewtonstandard.com.