With the start of a new school year, thousands of students around Dallas County are returning to classes to learn valuable lessons.

Some students will complain and pout at the very thought of spending hours out of their day shifting from room to room to listen to lectures and do various assignments, but the lessons they learn today are becoming more important with each passing day in terms of determining their place in today’s society.

The onus is on the student to make sure he or she is prepared for the various tests and assignments in order to ensure that they’re able to make good grades, and more importantly, gain the knowledge necessary to excel in the classroom and in life as a whole.

However, we, from the parents, to the teachers all the way down to the community members, are also key in the success of our students.

It’s important that we emphasize to each child the importance of a good education and the importance of knowledge in paving the way for each and every one of their futures.

It’s crucial to tell them why it’s important for them to take a few hours of their time to study their lesson and show them positive role model’s who have excelled in the realm of education and found success in life that not only benefits them, but also their family and their community.

We need to continue to provide tutors and mentors for children that will encourage them to excel.

This is all of our responsibility because we all have a stake in the children of today who will shape our community in the future when they become the leaders of tomorrow.