The elementary and middle schools in Arizona were back in session this week.

Compared to my 1960s’ experience as a crew-cut kid of the St. Louis suburbs, it feels awfully early to return to the classroom. In those days, the first day of school arrived right after Labor Day.

Maybe I was atypical, but I was ready for school to start. I craved the structure and creative possibilities. Learning new things, reconnecting with classmates, and meeting my teacher propelled me into an annual, educational orbit.

I give my parents credit for promoting the importance and fun aspects of school. They made sure I slept enough every night and ate some sort of breakfast every morning (even when I resisted), before I caught the bus at the corner of South Yorkshire Drive and Laclede Station Road.

They also did their part to prompt me about homework assignments, attend parent-teacher conferences, and encourage good grades.

The rest was up to me.

As I write this, it all sounds rather innocent, systematic, and idyllic. It was far from perfect, but definitely safer and less complicated. There were fewer distractions. Fewer problems. Fewer troublemakers. Fewer threats.

In that era, it felt like teachers, parents, community leaders, and kids were rowing in the same direction in the same boat.

Of course, there were conflicts, but generally I observed adults behaving with a modicum of mutual respect.

Certainly, that isn’t the case in 2022 in the United States of America.

I’m not giving up. I know there are excellent parents and teachers out there–guiding the adults of tomorrow, working to shield them from harm.

However, our educational institutions have frayed under societal pressures. Too often, we forget that our impressionable children and grandchildren are watching. We forget that they need guide rails, consistency, advocates, nurturing, and discipline to grow.

As we send our youngsters off to school again, we must teach them the truth–that science, math, history, literature, and the arts really do matter.

We must distinguish facts from lies. We must open their minds to the possibilities of life, so that they will develop the critical thinking skills they will need to function effectively in this ever-complicated world.