The importance of your child's education

EdPaRT committee members Marie Torosian and Elaine Meeks (courtesy photo)

What does education mean to you? In the last century education often meant children left home and were forced to attend boarding schools. But in the 21st Century, that is no longer the case and what your child learns has a lot to do with how you as their parent or guardian, role model the importance of education.

As the EdPaRT committee continues to gather input from all of the reservation communities beginning next week, people are encouraged to think about education with the following:

EdPaRT committee members Jeanne Christopher and Leslie Caye (courtesy photo)

Education is a holistic, lifelong, multi-generational process that starts with quality pre-natal care and continues with efforts to insure physically and mentally healthy children to build the foundation for the future.

Education involves all learning environments including the home, school, community, plus the spiritual, cultural and natural worlds. Education requires the whole community to teach, mentor and guide the child.

Education is measured in part as achieving growth academically, intellectually, socially, culturally, physically and spiritually.

EdPaRT committee members Andy Holmlund and Molly Billedeaux (courtesy photo)

Education requires the community and family to establish goals and expectations early and to reinforce them continuously.

Beginning this coming Wednesday, September 22, in Arlee, at the Community Center, the EdPaRT committee will host its first of eight meetings, which will focus on gathering community input.

Each community meeting will begin with dinner served at 5:30pm, followed by EdPaRT's presentation. Parents, students, community members, elders, and guardians are encouraged to come and "chew the fat" with the group on what education means to you.