Column by Ralph Canty: Acting as village, we can build better Sumter through education

With graduation behind us, I pause to salute the Class of 2024. It is my prayer that each of you noticed the invisible sign at the end of the stage, which says, "No Parking." Commencement is indeed a time to celebrate one of the major accomplishments of a lifetime. But it should never be perceived as the ultimate. The word really means to launch, to go forward, to strive toward nobler goals, to achieve the unachieved and to be all that one can possibly be. May each of you experience victory in your pursuits of additional learning and in your careers in the military and the workforce.

Now that the Class of 2024 has successfully completed their high school career, it is time for us to focus our attention on the Class of 2025 and beyond. This daunting task is the greater assignment for our schools. It requires the commitment, talent and sacrifices of the entire village.

I understand that we can sometimes exaggerate about the "good times" of yesteryear. But some of those customs and traditions worked and need not be discarded. Among those that should be embraced is a shared responsibility between the home, church, school and the village in the rearing and education of our children.

I grew up in a community where there were very few college-trained individuals. While they were not, it did not lessen the appreciation for an education. They recognized that it was the passport to a better and more successful life. Hence, there was a yearning for better. They wanted their children to have opportunities that they were denied.

Subsequently, an integral bond was created between the home and the school. Even in a "separate but equal" system, parents expected teachers to produce scholars of their children, and the teachers honored that expectation. I think that I was in the fifth grade when I received my first new textbook. Tattered books and inadequate facilities did not daunt the teachers. On the other hand, the parents' major role was to maintain discipline. So, it didn't matter if they were at work at the mill, in someone's kitchen or at home; there was decorum in the schoolhouse. Because any other form of behavior was totally unacceptable. That partnership (home and school) coupled with influence of the church and the support of the community created legends of men and women who have contributed substantially to society. How unfortunate it is that our generation may not impart to life a more moral, compassionate and intellectual citizenry.

Is it hopeless? I dare not say it is. It is only hopeless if we dare not to change the present course. Our forebears may not have been highly educated, but they sure knew how to rear children, how to rear them in the fear and the admonition of the Lord, how to respect and live decent and dignified lives and how to tap resources they needed to assist them in their parental responsibilities. Passing legislation to put more guns on the street is not the answer. Babies having babies is not the answer. Underperforming schools is not the answer. Underachieving students is not the answer. Empty pews are not the answer. Neither are cold, insensitive and uncaring hearts.

We must not point the finger; we must assume responsibility. We must not react; we must act. We must not criticize; we must correct.

Solomon, who is credited with being one among the wisest, if not the wisest, to ever live, says, "… fools despise wisdom and instruction." Let us circle our wagons around our youth and provide them sentinels and systems, which will inspire them to succeed and to embrace instruction.

Frankly, what we do is not just for them; it is for us. We can ill afford for any to fall through the cracks or to fail. The failure of any becomes a responsibility for all. Success is never personal; it, too, is universal. The more successful the individual, the more successful we all are. If we want a thriving community, a robust economy, a sophisticated infrastructure, a healthy community, more jobs and opportunities, then we must ensure that more of our children succeed. A greater community is only possible through investment. It does not happen by waving a magic wand. A wonderful new Sumter awaits us as we invest in our schools and in our children and in each other. The sky is not the limit; let's reach beyond.

The Rev. Ralph Canty is chairman of Sumter School District's Board of Trustees.