Great things happen in our schools every single day. And despite what people at every level will try to tell you, public schools are remarkable places of learning. All that is really lacking is the funding to make them the premiere institutions of learning they can be.
Even with limited resources, however, it’s hard to deny that good things are happening. Whether big breakthroughs or small seeds that will later blossom, our teachers and students move us forward.
Over the course of the last couple weeks, with schools closed and everyone home for the holidays, it has given us time to reflect on local schools and the benefits they bring to Sampson County as a whole. Are they perfect? No. Do they have strides to make in terms of performance, across-the-board achievement and salary? Arguably they do. But we have much to be proud of when it comes to our schools, too, including the men and women who do their best to move our young people forward.
Since Covid, much has changed across the public education landscape, including less understanding of the need for students to be in a classroom five days a week, actively learning and growing. Also changed is the level of support public schools get from those who make the laws and those who put lawmakers into their powerful seats.
But one thing has not changed: without teachers, we would be lost. And without education, the future, and people, become far more narrow.
Education, and thus those who receive it, shapes the future of our communities, this country and the world.
As we start a new year, a new semester, a new quarter, it is our hope that we see successes, specifically and collectively, across our school systems — in Clinton City Schools, in Sampson County Schools and, also, within our private schools.
It starts with teachers.
Teachers are the ones who guide us, who mentor us, who educate us and prepare us for the future. Their love and passion for what they do sets off light bulbs in young pupils, and serves as the catalyst for learning within — and far beyond — the classroom.
Good teachers seek to make a positive impact and ultimately share in the success of those they teach, utilizing a gamut of approaches to instill that wisdom in their students.
The men and women who stand in front of classrooms across the county attempt to reach each and every person who looks back at them, regardless of their aptitude, background, means or circumstances. It is their mission to carry that student forward, helping them to achieve something that first seems so out of reach, until it isn’t — whether it’s learning to read and how to structure a sentence, or solving a math equation and cracking a word problem.
Just as every teacher has a varied approach and style, every student is different. Great teachers can modify a lesson plan as needed to reach a struggling student, pushing forward until that light bulb is illuminated. Their position is weighty, their influence on others great.
A good teacher can make an indelible impact, one that produces lifelong memories and lessons that are passed along. Learning never stops, nor does teaching. One teacher can truly change someone’s life, their outlook, their understanding and, in turn, the world.
We’ve all heard some form of the proverbial wisdom about giving a man a fish and feeding him for a day, but that teaching a man to fish would feed him for a lifetime. True success is derived from great teaching that plants seeds for further success.
We are fortunate that these words could describe what happens in classrooms across the county, in our two public school systems as well as within the walls of our handful of private institutions.
Whatever the obstacles — and odds — teachers play an instrumental part in shaping the character, caliber and content of those who have, and will soon, make an impact on their communities and the lives of others.
As we move into the second half of the 2025-26 school year, let’s recommit ourselves to supporting our schools and its teachers. Just as positive re-enforcement works to grow successful students, lauding educators for the work they do shows them we appreciate their efforts and understand how those efforts help to grow a successful future for us all.