Education has always fueled the American Dream.

Education has always fueled the American Dream.

Being educated meant having the knowledge, skills and capabilities to do meaningful and relevant work for a lifetime. Education also provided a telescope and microscope to examine our world and our place in it.

Going to school for most people was a joy, but we didn’t realize it until it was over. School often was a place of enlightenment and wonder. It was also where we made friends, shared goals and learned to work as a team.

We were never smarter or more focused than when we were in school. We could learn anything, from calculus to cooking. Yes, we would occasionally discover our shortcomings, like not being able to see a certain construction in geometry or not being able to bring back from memory a Latin conjugation, but for the most part, we did well. We learned things well enough to be able to stride confidently into our futures.

That is why the opening of a new school year carries such promise. It is also why parents need to encourage their children to look at school as an enchanted and safe kingdom in which they can grow and fulfill their dreams.

Education is still the engine of opportunity and the healer of nations and peoples. Welcome to the first day of school.