Hallowed Ground

How many people acknowledge schools as organic life forms? Kids breathe life into the mortar and bricks, lawns and desks. It is the skeletal structure for the heart and intellect of those walking its halls, and they count on it.

Schools are an intermediate step to independence. Parents ease children faithfully into the schools, believing in the process, understanding the inherent risks of releasing their grasp. Like a mother bird nudging her chicks toward the edge of the nest, we are readying our children for flight. We know exploring the world educationally and socially is key to their success. We know they can't fly without wings and yet it is no less of a struggle to let go.

Some think schools are a microcosm of the world, but it's more than that. It's an alternate universe, a place where life extends beyond what children know at home. Here they are also known, protected and challenged to explore ideas and be groomed for life.

This is hallowed ground. The relationships and experiences developed in schools are every bit as significant as those at home. Schools take seriously their responsibility in creating an environment of safety and tolerance but they can't do it alone.

When little ones skip off to school, we fret over who they meet, what they learn, and if they are safe. Years pass and parents settle into the routine, skipping more open houses and academic events in middle and high school and relinquishing the chance to know who and what influences their children the most.

There's not much I like about Hillary Clinton but one thing she said is very true: it takes a village to raise a child. Leaving the raising of anyone's child to someone else is foolish. But when a family stands alongside school officials, bus drivers, teachers, ministers, community leaders, friends and neighbors, you've got yourself a winning team.