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Take an interest in education
Welcome to motherhood
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When it comes to parenting, there’s a fine line between active participation and overinvolvement. That said, I am of the believe that moms and dads should take an interest in what their children are doing, from infancy into adulthood.
That’s why I was so pleased to hear about the Liberty County School System’s plan for its first Title I Parent Involvement Conference. Education is an especially important aspect for families to invest a lot of time and effort in.
Parents who refuse to take active roles in their children’s education aren’t doing anyone any favors. Students who are not taught to value education will not take advantage of the opportunities schools afford them. No amount of administrative encouragement, optimism, coercion, threats or even discipline will make these children take their academic responsibilities seriously.
Unfortunately, in this day and age, educators often are held solely accountable when a student is performing poorly or failing to meet expectations. That simply is not fair.
It doesn’t matter how much a teacher cares, how qualified he or she is, how many hours they spending helping students or how enthusiastic they are about the learning process. As long as parents don’t put an emphasis on education and demand excellence and dedication from their children, students will follow suit. Students will continue to shirk their responsibilities. They will continue to fail. They will continue to drop out of school. They will continue to not care.
Thankfully, the Liberty County School System’s graduation rate has been on the rise for the past few years, and that certainly is no fluke. It’s the result of educators, administrators and families working together for the betterment of our children and our community. After all, an educated community is a strong community. It means a better workforce, a better economy and, subsequently, more regional growth.
The school my daughter attends accommodates children from age 1 through eighth grade. I like knowing she’ll be with the same class of kids for about 14 years. They’ll grow together, learn together, experience life together and, hopefully, form lasting bonds and solid friendships.
Even though Reese is a couple years away from pre-kindergarten, my family recently attended her school’s pre-K open house so we could check out the classrooms, meet her future teachers and get a little information on the curriculum. It’s never too early to take an interest and an active role in your child’s education.
I’d like to think that many of the parents in Liberty County share my sentiment. By the time this column publishes, the parent-involvement conference will be over. However, as I write this, it hasn’t happened yet. I’m confident that attendance at the conference will be impressive.
It seems to me that a good bit of planning went into the event, from discussion topics to the keynote speaker to the provided child care, no detail was overlooked. I hope many families took advantage of the opportunity to become instrumental in their children’s academic success.

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