Originally published September 2009:

The school year is fully underway and once again I want to thank the hard working and dedicated staff of the Reed Custer Schools who make things all run so smoothly.  From bus drivers to cafeteria workers, aides, custodians, grounds keepers and our excellent professional staff of teachers we are blessed with people who care about our students and their future enough to do their best in all that comes their way. Remember to thank any of those fine people you meet during the day.

I must also mention the parents when it comes to support for our students.  No school district can do all that students need to grow into productive, happy and healthy adults ready to contribute to our world unless there is a whole community surrounding those students with care, respect and guidance. Parents are the centerpiece of that for our students and everyone who encounters young people in our community plays a role in shaping them and their future. All of your efforts to encourage and support young people is a benefit that will pay off for the whole community and reach beyond our borders to improve the world.

For many parents this has been and continues to be a very difficult time.  The economy has not been good to many hard working people struggling to raise young families. We know this is a terrible stress for so many of our families and we all hope that things will turn around soon to relieve that stress. While things are difficult, for whatever reason, we know as educators that young people will handle the stress better if they are included in the conversations about what is going on. Our natural tendency to protect our children from those hard issues builds even greater stress for them.  They know when adults around them are stressed and when they are kept in the dark it frightens them even more.  Open discussion without being too frightening about the difficulties will allow them to feel a part of the family and to understand what is going on. They may even feel they can be a part of the solution by not asking to get that new pair of jeans or to go out to eat sometimes.  Making that belt tightening a family project will allow them some control over their circumstances and teach them valuable lessons in how to deal with hard economic times that will inevitably strike during their adult lives also.

We urge everyone who comes into contact with young people to encourage and support them.  Be open with them about what is happening around them and share with them the process of finding solutions and meeting challenges. They will grow stronger, more capable and will feel a part of the family, the community and the world that surrounds them.  They are worth every moment you spend with them and your time and effort will be rewarded.