Greeson: Smith, Hamilton County ready to start school; are you?

Forget the autumnal equinox or the temperature; for a lot of us, summer ended this morning.

Hamilton County schools resumed classes.

Jay Greeson

Today everyone is back in the saddle, including the staff and students at the sparkling new East Brainerd Elementary School.

Hamilton County Schools Superintendent Rick Smith said an increased focus on safety will be apparent as kids and parents get back into the swing this week.

For Smith, like most of the dedicated folks under his command, the job of educating all of our children is never more than a thought or three away, whether they are in session, out of it or year-round employees.

The biggest change for the system deals this year with safety. Almost a third of the 76 public schools in Hamilton County have been equipped with a full array of safety cameras, a project Smith hopes will be completed within the next year.

There will be more than 43,000 students in the Hamilton County public schools this year, and Smith knows that he and his staff face stiff challenges.

But he says he hopes all of us connected to the school system will help.

"Do the best you can to work with your teachers and your schools," Smith said. "Let's work together on whatever issue comes. It really is a partnership."

Here are a few more suggestions for parents:

' Embrace the daily routine. Try to set up an hour-by-hour program for little Emma or Aiden to follow, and mold it to maximize the basic needs of sleep, nourishment and preparation.

"Make sure it's a priority to make sure they get the kind of the rest (the children) need," Smith said of his No. 1 piece of advice to parents. "There's obviously a different routine between a school routine and summer routine. For the kids, this is their job, and getting comfortable meeting those expectations is the kind of thing we really try to [work toward]."

' Pick an activity or area of interest at your child's school and volunteer. Getting involved is beneficial for everyone: you, your child and the school. Plus, all schools are faced with a mandate of doing more with less. An extra pair of hands, or an extra story-time reader, or an extra set of eyes when needed are more valuable now than ever.

' Work to know your kids' teachers on a first-name basis. "Relationships, relationships, relationships," Smith stressed, echoing the importance of teamwork the same way a Realtor would focus on location.

When situations arise - and they will because as much as teachers and administrators strive for perfection, we live in an imperfect world - it's always easier to work with people you know.

' Don't be afraid of setbacks. We all want the best for our kids. But dealing with defeat is a great life lesson for anyone, regardless when it comes. In fact, lining the runway of every one of your child's activities with pillows and blankets may secure a safe landing. But it will also guarantee harsher disappointment down the road.

Unless your child goes out for the chain saw-juggling squad, just let things unfold naturally. Having a setback or two in classwork or sports is not going to be the end of the world.

In fact, learning to cope with disappointment could be the most durable lesson your child learns all year.

"We want everything to be perfect," Smith said, with the inevitable 'but' hanging in the balance.

"But, we know there will be things come up. This is a process, and this is just the beginning."

Contact Jay Greeson at jgreeson@timesfreepress.com and follow him on Twitter at @jgreesontfp.