I found myself in “the big box store” this past weekend and there were college kids everywhere. I then stopped by a fast-food place and they where there, too.
The public schools started last week and we have even begun playing high school football on Friday night.
Yes, this is the season when we set our mind on the education of our youth and get back into that predictable and comfortable routine of back-to-school.
First Day of First Grade
I remember my first day in first grade at Westside Elementary School in West Point.
Miss Kerr was my first-grade teacher. She never married, had salt-and-pepper hair and a paddle named “Buster.” Did I say Miss Kerr had a mustache? You see, I got to know Miss Kerr and Buster very well that first year.
I also remember many of the kids who were in my first grade class. Most still live in West Point. Some have gone on to be with the Lord.
Those days and that world seem so very long ago.
I had no idea what the next 12 years would mean in my life.
Moo U.
I also remember my first week at Mississippi State University.
The campus of Mississippi State was as big as the town where I grew up. I know I looked mighty green walking around with a map trying to find my classes.
The very first class I walked into was Interpersonal Communication on the top floor of Lee Hall.
There were about a dozen people in that class. I still remember most of their names.
I had no idea how much my life would change over the next four years.
The Next Generation
Sara and I raise four sons.
It was so exciting to watch them head off to first grade. Ingrams are social creatures and my boys knew people from church who were in their classes. They were excited, too.
Yes, Sara shed a tear as her babies walked out the door to get on the bus. I worried more about her than I did the boys.
But then there was college.
It concerned me much more when those young men loaded up their trucks and we moved them off to college.
When my sons lived under my roof I could monitor their safety and behavior. As a newspaperman who has covered too many dumb and tragic college calamities, I knew how quickly life can change with just one wrong decision.
I also knew I had done my best to raise them over the past 18 years. The next four would be a test of how well I had done in that class called fatherhood.
Importance of our Schools
I don’t think people in Senatobia and Tate County realize what our schools mean to this community.
People are moving here because of our schools. We start football this week and it is just one of those extracurricular events that builds community and defines that abstract term called “quality of life.”
The jobs in our K-12 schools and at Northwest are some of the better-paying jobs in this town and add much to our economy.
More importantly, the men and women who are the teachers and professors in this community are shaping minds and building character that will shape our society and our town for years to come.
We need to realize how fortunate we are to live in a community that has good schools. Maybe most importantly, being around young people infects older folks with the joy and wonder of youthful thinking.
It’s great that the kids are back in school.
Floyd Ingram is a 35-year newspaperman who is schooled by this community every day. Call him at 662-562-4144 if you want to help him with his education.
