In late May and early June, public high schools all over the United States graduate a class of students and send them out to make their way in the world.
Graduation is a moment to celebrate, to take pride in accomplishments and breathe a private sigh of relief at pitfalls avoided. Its a moment to look forward to a vast array of opportunities. Its a moment for students to rest on their laurels before they take their next big steps forward.
Its also a time for parents, educators and community members to ask themselves a difficult question: Did we do enough for these students?
Some readers will immediately say, Our taxes are too high already; dont ask for anything more for the schools!
Financial support is one part of the question, and voters may soon be asked to provide additional tax support to fix aging buildings and/or construct new ones.
Beyond paying their property taxes, did taxpayers stay involved and make sure the schools share of that money was used wisely? Did they give guidance about what was important? Did they volunteer? Or did they just complain?
Did teachers have the support, the environment and the materials they needed to serve students as well as possible? Has the district hired the best people for the job, and will it be able to retain them?
Did parents give their children the tools they needed to do well: motivation, time, quiet, books, an understanding of the value of education? Did they push too hard? Did they help too much? Did they equip their children to deal with the pressures they faced as teens and others theyll now face as adults?
2012 graduates face big challenges. College is expensive. Jobs are hard to come by. The world is changing very rapidly, and young people dont have nearly as much information as their parents and grandparents did to help them judge the potential trajectory of a career.
We wish a bright future for all of our students, and we hope weve played our part in preparing them for it.
