Already summer is coming to a close and our children are returning back to school. Some students may be excited for their first day back to classes and some may not. Some young parents might be apprehensive about their child’s very first day of school. Whatever the case, they are all significant milestones in our lives.

Here at the Ho-Chunk Nation we take great interest in the education of our youth. We have many active parents on parent committees and many fine students excelling in school. So as our children return to school, I wish to encourage all parents and family members to actively participate in the education committees, get to know your children’s teachers, check in frequently, and most of all, keep those lines of communication open with your child and with the school. 

There are many advances in technology these days, but all that technology does not make up for one-on-one time. We are oral people and we have been taught to listen. So let us all remember to listen to one another.

A very important factor for our students and future leaders is to know the importance of our history and our language. The methods of life our people had may assist in making math and science easier to learn or all aspects of education fun. For our elders to know this was common knowledge in making every day survival easier. I wish our students of the Ho-Chunk Nation a fun-filled, exciting and safe school year of learning.