Newspaper Page Text
August 3, 2022
Page 7A
^Reporter
JUST THE WAY IT IS by Sloan Oliver
As school returns, thoughts on education
M onroe County
(MC) schools
are back in
session. I
always remember the first
day of school
with both
excitement and
trepidation.
School meant
the end of
summer. And
growing
up in the
country
of north
ern Illinois (grade school)
and Wisconsin (high
school), I loved the sum
mers - hunting, fishing,
swimming off the dock,
rowing the boat across the
lake (no life jackets for us
daring 10-year olds), play
ing baseball, building forts,
learning to golf, flashlight
tag, horseback riding, etc.
The new school year always
began the day after Labor
Day. It was exciting and fun
to see friends again but it
meant another nine long
months of classroom and
homework. As children,
the school year dictated our
lives. Funny, decades later
and no kids in the school
system, the school year still
dictates much of society. I
still ask if it’s a school night
or if schools are out on a
break. Perhaps it’s because
school is the singular expe
rience common to every
one in America.
is another reason all of us
must be concerned about
the school system. Schools
affect property values. The
better the school district,
the more desirable it is
to live in that commu
nity. People want to live
where schools are good.
The reverse is true
where schools are bad.
Nowhere is that more
evident than here
in Monroe County
with Bibb County
as our neighbors.
IF YOU live in Bibb, and
want your children to get a
good education, it’ll cost an
extra $15K/year to send your
child to a private school.
Yes, Bibb has decent public
schools where a child can
get a good education. The
problem is, in Bibb schools,
the vast majority of families
don’t place an emphasis on
education. So, what hap
pens? Because there’s no
emphasis on education, the
kids learn that education
isn’t important. (Oh, how
wrong they are.) That leads
to increased dropout rates
or to children being herded
through the education
turnstile. OTOH, you could
move to Monroe County,
pay more for a house, pay
less in property taxes (thanks
to Plant Scherer), and send
your child to MC schools
where education is empha
sized by the entire commu
nity.
YOU DON’T have kids/
grandkids in school; there
fore, school is no concern of
yours? Ha, think again. What
happens in schools affects all
of us - if for no other reason
than what children learn and
are taught will eventually
become what society thinks
and practices. For example,
teach kids that America is a
racist nation (and always has
been) and we get a genera
tion of adults who refuse to
defend the nation because
they were taught to hate
America. Or teach children
the critical race nonsense
and we get a generation of
white children feeling guilty
about their skin color and
black children told they can’t
accomplish anything (so
why bother) because they’re
victims. Such teaching is ut
ter nonsense and why what
happens in schools is impor
tant. Therefore, everyone in
MC is a stakeholder in our
schools and in our children’s
education.
SIMPLE ECONOMICS
DOES MC really have bet
ter schools than surrounding
counties? Yes. According to
schooldigger.com the MC
School District is ranked 21st
in Georgia, out of 198 school
districts. (Schooldigger ranks
Bibb schools at #178.) Then,
according to niche.com MC
Schools are ranked #14, just
after Calhoun and ahead
of Lowndes County. Also,
according to the GA Dept,
of Education for the 2021-
2022 Georgia Milestones
assessments, MC students
exceeded the state average
in all 19 areas tested. And
MC Schools led all central
Georgia school districts
which includes Bibb, Craw
ford, Houston, Jasper, Jones,
Monroe, Peach, and Twiggs
counties. Dr. Mike Hickman,
MC School Superintendent,
said “the continued success
of our students on the Geor
gia Milestones assessment
is a testament to the work
our teachers and leaders are
doing each day to ensure the
curriculum, assessment, and
instruction are aligned and
monitored at all grade levels.
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Our teachers’ preparation
and development of lessons
that are engaging, rigorous,
and relevant are really paying
dividends for our students.”
APPARENTLY, MC
students agree. At niche,
com, a student wrote, “As a
senior, I’ve spent 9 years at
Mary Persons. The teach
ers are extremely caring.
Their work goes beyond a
classroom. They treat you
as if you were one of their
own kids. They get to know
each and every one of their
students.” Another student
wrote, “This school (refer
ring to Mary Persons) is very
nice and seems to actually
care about the students. The
staff there shows a genuine
effort to push the students
to graduate. They give out
so much help to each and
every student. One thing I
particularly don’t like is that
it’s a little too much on the
stricter side of things.” (Ha,
most adults are happy that
MP is “on the stricter side of
things.”) Yet another student
wrote, ‘All good. The school
academics are constantly
growing. They continue
to grow their AP and dual
enrollment programs, which
prepare students for college,
with college based classes.”
REGARDING THAT
last student’s comment, our
granddaughter graduated
from Mary Persons with
45 college credits by taking
advance placement and dual
enrollment classes. That
saved her at least $30,000 on
her college degree.
SUCH RESULTS couldn’t
happen without parents,
students, and the entire
community placing an em
phasis on education. When
our grandchildren were at
Mary Persons, whenever
we met any of their friends,
we always asked about their
grades. We wanted our
grandkids, and their friends,
to know that education
(and grades) is important.
I’m sure we are no differ
ent than all other parents/
grandparents in the county
- who together emphasize
the importance of a good
education so that by the time
our kids reach high school,
they know that education is
important.
FINAL THOUGHT:
Education is important
to the entire community.
Were all stakeholders in
the process. That process
begins with parents placing
an emphasis on learning and
preparing their children for
school. Next, teachers and
coaches are critical to insure
kids learn how to read, write,
think, analyze, and play
together - basically prepare
them for the world at large.
Administrators and school
board must filter society’s
B.S. (keep political nonsense
out of schools), and give
teachers and coaches the
tools and environment to
succeed. Finally, voters must
stay aware of what’s happen
ing in the schools.
A retired Army officer,
Sloan Oliver ofBolingbroke is
a columnist for the Reporter.
Email him at sloanoliver@
earthlink.net.
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