NAACP to host town hall Monday night

My first year of teaching began 52 years ago at Clinton High School, then located on Fayetteville Street, the current location of Sunset Elementary. Teaching back then was more about hands-on learning, learning by doing and creative learning, absent the pressure to “teach to the test.” “Was old school so bad?”

Then, the key to learning was having the student the center of learning. We knew the value of keeping our students on task and engaged in learning. “Old school” was big on getting students more active in their learning. “Old school” teachers expected much more from their students. Teachers were expected to discipline their students, and they had the support of the parents, with both the teacher and the parent on the same page of discipline and refusing to tolerate much foolishness. With dedicated parents, education today can be markedly improved.

It is based on that notion that the Sampson County NAACP will be hosting an Education Town Hall and Parent Engagement Initiative on Monday night at First Baptist Church of Clinton, beginning at 6 p.m. What better time than at the end of the school year is it for parents, teachers, school leaders and our community stakeholders to come together and weigh in on ways to improve the State of Education in Sampson County.

“No education, no future.” It can’t be any plainer than that. And this mantra starts in the home, with parents instilling in their children and youth the importance of education to their futures. Parents, this message has to be drilled home over and over, letting our young people know that they must never settle for “just getting by.”

To be sure, it’s all about helping children have a better future, and every parent should want to do more to help provide their children with the necessary conditions for a good education. Parents, you must be the key player in your children’s education as being a better parent will make teachers more effective.

Additionally, the research has found that when a child knows parents and teachers are regularly working together, the child will see that education is a high priority, requiring commitment and effort. Our children and youth must come to realize there is no magic or easy shortcut to acquiring the knowledge and skills that will largely determine where they end up in life.

Unfortunately, too many of our youth, taking those shortcuts to “success” are ending up on dead end streets. So, parents and other student advocates, let’s encourage our children to dream big and to have the fortitude to reach them, removing obstacles to drive, determination and a willingness to work hard.

Parents, please make a special effort to attend the Sampson County NAACP Education Town Hall on Monday night so we can all reflect on the vital role of parental involvement in driving academic achievement and student success. Let’s remember, we are stronger together.