Kids don't go to school in the summer because when their great grandfathers and great grandmothers were school age, families needed them home on the farm to do chores that helped support the whole family. Even though mechanization removed the need for child labor on farms and ranches and even though most families left the nation's farms and ranches a couple of generations ago, school schedules still haven't changed. Extracurricular activities and part-time jobs haven't filled the gap for a lot of older kids. Time hangs heavy on them. In the meantime, schools blame parents for not producing better kids.
Parents shoulder the guilt and wonder why kids are so difficult to raise.
The same old system isn't doing anyone any favors. In the meantime, the Blaine County School District is searching for ways to give kids a better education. Teachers, parents and students huddled last week to brainstorm and come up with ideas. Parenting shouldn't be something learned only through some kind of secret osmosis. Better yet, require parenting courses for seniors in high school.