"School days, school days, good ol' golden rule days. Reading and writing and 'rithmetic, taught to the tune of a hick'ry stick."
The "hick'ry stick" may be long gone from today's schools, but that doesn't mean we should neglect the renowned "golden rule" as school begins this week in Worthington and elsewhere across southwest Minnesota.
Actually, there's not just one specific rule to pinpoint when considering the success of today's students, whether they be starting kindergarten or entering their final year of high school. There are many factors inside our schools, and perhaps even more outside the classrooms, that can assist in determining a youth's level of achievement.
One specific "rule" that could serve as an ideal place to start, though, is simple: We -- whether we're parents of multiple kids in our school system or without any direct connection to it -- need to show we care.
Moms and dads, it should almost go without saying, have a responsibility to be aware of how much homework there is (and if it's getting done), who their kids are hanging around with during and after school, what they're looking at online and who and what they're texting ... the list can seem endless. For the rest of us, we can simply demonstrate support for students in our communities by attending a concert or game. Or, by volunteering in the schools somehow.
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We should all hope that today's students in our respective communities will be tomorrow's leaders in them. And because of that, it's up to us to help them along on that journey.
