Op/Ed

School begins again

A Column by Karen Henslee

     There are few times of the year that evoke such a strong sense of time passing than the beginning of a new school year.
     I’m sure we all remember our own excitement, anxiety, or fear of starting the new year.
     Who will be in our class? Will we have to sit next to the irritating talker who never shuts up (unless that’s us, of course)? Will we like the teacher? Will the cute guy (or girl) be in our class? What should we wear for the first day of school?
     So many questions, and for the first week, we jump out of bed, scarf down our breakfast and run out the door.
     And then the second week begins, along with the countdown to Christmas vacation.
That was grade school.
     Junior high and high school, though similar, presented different issues, but still dealt with peer pressure and social interaction.
     For me, there was then a hiatus between my graduation and sending our first child off to kindergarten.
     It was heart-wrenching to put my young five-year-old on the school bus for the first time. She was so innocent and I was, in essence, throwing her to the wolves.
     And, although I had taught her nearly everything she knew up until that point, I was painfully aware that after the first week of school, I would no longer be the smartest person in her life. After all, she now had an official “teacher”. Her questions would change from, “why?” to, “how do you know? That’s not what my teacher says.”
     Once school released for summer vacation, many parents offered up a cumulative groan, aware the phrase, “there’s nothing to do around here,” would be repeated over and over again throughout the next two and a half months.
     But I loved having them home again and all to myself. Short vacation trips to the river, or to the Oregon Coast are cherished memories.
     Of course there were days I needed relief from the bickering siblings can and will do. Add to the mix visiting cousins and friends; the heat and any unexpected excitement.
     With the passing of each school year, and the accumulation of yet another school photo, I watched as my daughters grew and matured into beautiful, intelligent young women. Their “why?” questions grew from simple subjects to deep, philosophical ones. And along with it came the painful awareness of how little I truly knew.
     As our summer, or what there was of it, draws to a close, and we look forward to the changing leaves and cooler nights, we need to remember that these are the days our children will carry with them into their adult years.
     As parents, we are responsible for raising the next generation of Americans, whether blue collar or high-tech, they will be the foundation of our communities, our state, and our country. We need to be aware of what is going on in their lives, who their friends are - to know we can talk to the teachers and administration if we have questions or comments.
     Parents need to be parents first, and friends later.