Less is never more

Much has been said about the shortened school week in this valley recently. Encampment has been historically opposed, although omnipotent school board members have again chosen to turn a blind eye and deaf ear to their Encampment constituents.

The shortened week became more of a reality than ever before when my three grandsons came home after school to tell me their version of it. Their young minds could not grasp why they would be required to go to school less. They talked about how this did not make any sense to them. These young men and their older sisters have been taught since they were toddlers to work hard. The harder you work, the more successful this ranch and your life will be. This is a life lesson we live and teach our grandchildren every single day on the ranch. You work hard and you succeed, period.

As I struggled to explain why the school board would require less from students in order to succeed, the look of confusion on their faces was difficult to watch. Several scenarios crossed my mind. Should I talk about the star athletes that practice more, not less, or perhaps the heads of Microsoft and Apple, because this generation is about electronics and social media. None of that was new to them however, as I searched my thoughts to try and explain why the school board made this decision. On the ranch our grandchildren see the reality of hard work, life and death and most of all, perseverance-so as always, I spoke the truth to them. That truth is, less is never more, hard work does pay off and although they are elected by the public, elected officials forget they are public servants. I also told them that until this decision is overturned, we will abide by it because that in and of itself is also a life lesson.

Tammy Barkhurst