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By JOYANNA LOVE/ Senior Staff Writer

Chilton County Schools start a new year on Tuesday.

Undoubtedly, there are some students (and teachers for that matter) who are not ready to see the summer end. Other students are excited to reunite with classmates, meet new teachers and explore their new classrooms.

I am definitely glad that the days of tests and grades are behind me. However, as an education reporter, I am ready for students to be back, so I have more to write about.

The back-to-school emphasis this time of year should be a reminder to those of us whose days in a traditional classroom are behind us that learning should never stop.

Use this season as an opportunity to conscientiously learn something new. It might be a new language, reading a book about a country you have never been to or learning how to paint, garden or carve.

Learn about your community — attend board meetings, read The Clanton Advertiser and Peach Living, visit the library or local sites that may have upgraded since your last visit.

Studying something new can remind us non-students the struggle that some students may be facing this year with new and more challenging coursework.

Take time this next week to encourage the students in your life. Check in and see how their first day or week went.

Check on your teacher friends, too.

Some teachers will be taking the reins of a classroom for the first time this fall. Some will be starting the school year without colleagues, and perhaps mentors, that had been at their school for years. No matter their experience level each will be getting used to the dynamics of a new set of young minds.