Editorial Roundup: Alabama

Recent editorials from Alabama newspapers:

May 27

The Times-News on Gov. Kay Ivey’s decision to allow some team athletic activities to resume:

In her latest amendment to the safer-at-home order on Thursday, May 21, Alabama Gov. Kay Ivey announced athletic activities can resume for team sports starting at 5 p.m. on Friday, May 22.

“Youth sports and other athletic events are going to be allowed on a gradual basis starting when this health order takes effect tomorrow night,” State Health Officer Dr. Scott Harris said in the press conference. “There will be practices, conditioning and drills for youth sports.”

Originally, the Alabama High School Athletic Association said June 8 was their planned date to allow high schools to resume summer workouts and conditioning, but shortly after Ivey’s press conference, they too said high school athletics in the state can resume on June 1.

This is another in a list of optimistic signs that life as we once knew it is on its way back. Sports were one of the first activities to be restricted when the COVID-19 crisis unraveled in the United States and one of the biggest questions to date on when and how it should return.

Some sports have returned without fans in attendance such as NASCAR and Ultimate Fighting Championship (UFC), while others are trying to figure out the best way to bring back their respective sports.

College football will see the beginning of summer workouts in June as well and that may very well open the floodgates for the National Football League, Major League Baseball and the other major sports leagues.

For most student-athletes, this is usually the me of the season they dread, workouts in the intense heat while their friends are at home relaxing in the air condition. This year though, summer workouts might mean a little more and be a welcome change from what they have become accustomed to.

We have watched this COIVD-19 crisis from many different angles at this newspaper and the return of high school sports was one of a few question marks we had in moving out of this pandemic.

We are happy to see the light at the end of the tunnel and hope the beginning of summer workouts means we get to stand on the sidelines again on Friday nights in the fall.

Online: https://www.valleytimes-news.com

May 27

The Times Daily on how the coronavirus pandemic could lead to educational innovation:

Alabama Community College Chancellor Jimmy Baker believes there’s opportunity hidden in the challenges of the coronavirus pandemic, and he’s determined to improve the educational experience offered in the 24 schools in his system.

“I see this as a major time to make a major play in improving the community colleges across the state,” Baker said recently.

But the push to improvement can’t focus on brick and mortar projects, Baker emphasized to the presidents of those 24 community colleges. Instead, money must be spent on addressing the educational issues the pandemic has exposed.

“I’m supportive of good buildings,” Baker said, “but I want to address the issue of good education programs first.”

Specifically, that emphasis is likely to focus on improved online educational programs.

COVID-19 has forced educational leaders at all levels to rethink the learning experience. When classrooms were shuttered in mid-March, colleges and universities, as well as primary and secondary schools, were forced to convert their classes to online formats.

The shift has been a challenge for both students and teachers as they struggled to adapt to remote learning and communication.

The technological challenges amplified the ongoing problem of inadequate internet access in rural areas.

This area captured the attention of state lawmakers, who at one point proposed using some of the state’s federal relief funds for a massive effort to improve broadband access in rural counties. That effort failed to materialize, but it will continue to be a topic of discussion.

Students and parents have raised viable concerns about the value of hastily thrown together online courses vs. classroom instruction. Those offerings will need to improve if they are to garner widespread support from users.

Also, some students have struggled to focus on their schoolwork in a less controlled environment, which is perhaps the greatest challenge of a move to online learning.

These issues, and more, are the points Baker wants his system leaders to focus on as they prepare for the start of a new year that will, without question, be very different than those of the past.

The challenges are many, but Baker is right. COVID-19 has provided educators an opportunity to enhance existing methods of learning, or create new ones, that enable online education to become an integral component of the educational experience.

Online: https://www.timesdaily.com

May 23

The Cullman Times on sending off the Class of 2020:

To the Class of 2020: Congratulations! We are proud of your accomplishments and excited for what your future holds.

Your parents, teachers, guidance counselors, coaches, principals and community have set you up for success. The quality of education in Cullman County is top-notch; you’re ready for whatever challenges come at you next.

We should warn you, though: at some point, you’re going to fail. There is no shame in that. Everyone at some point experiences failure. It is not the failure that defines you; it’s how you react to that failure. How you pick yourself up afterwards and what you learn from the experience and take with you going forward.

This is where one of the biggest lessons in life comes in, the lesson you have already experienced this year, and that’s the importance of resiliency. This graduating class, above all others, has had to learn about resiliency, the ability to bounce back from adversity and make new plans when previous ones fall short.

For a while, it didn’t look like graduates would have the opportunity to walk the stage and receive the public acknowledgment you deserve. We saw your disappointment, your wish to have that bit of “normal” for your senior year. And yet we also saw you accept it with grace and optimism.

It is a lesson that will be repeated throughout your life, because that’s just the way life is. But each opportunity to demonstrate your resiliency is another opportunity to amaze yourself with your strength and fortitude. You’ve got this; we’ve seen you demonstrate it already and know you can handle whatever curveballs or disruptions come your way.

We’re excited to get to celebrate you with graduation ceremonies that acknowledge the work you’ve done and the people who helped you get so far. But even if we couldn’t have had these in-person ceremonies, we celebrate you.

We wish you well going into this next exciting phase of your life. If your next step is college, technical school, the workforce, the military or wherever your path leads you, know that you’re not alone. Your community - the friends, family, teachers, mentors - who walked this far with you are always going to be here for you. Never be too afraid or prideful to ask them for help or advice along the way. Sometimes, the smartest thing a person can do is admit their own ignorance, and seek out the wisdom of others.

Never stop learning or being curious. Lifelong learning is its own reward and we experience a much fuller life when we continue to feed our brains and our souls with new information and experiences.

Travel; go out into the world. Experience new places and meet new people. Enrich yourself with knowledge and friendships.

Then, come home. Many of you are leaving Cullman for a while. But please, come back. Your community needs your ideas, your enthusiasm, your love of this community to help it continue to grow and thrive. You are our greatest renewable resource.

The next generation of graduates will one day be looking up to you as their role models. We know they won’t be disappointed.

Godspeed.

Online: https://www.cullmantimes.com