Teachers are already back in the classrooms. A new school is about to open on Red Pump Road at the north end of Bel Air. And across the river in Cecil County, where classes were supposed to have started Wednesday, there's already been an official day off, not for snow, but for the earthquake.
Sharpen those pencils, fire up those computers and start the countdown to Christmas Vacation: For most kids in Harford County, school starts Monday.
For students, it's a clean slate, with each class holding the possibility of a good grade — provided the work is done. Mostly, though, it's an opportunity to learn a lot, in class about the subject matter, and out of class about human nature, friendship and camaraderie.
Just as important, it's also a time of year when those of us who drive need to be especially careful. Kids will be waiting at bus stops and walking along roadways, crossing cavalierly against the lights and generally making it harder to drive. They shouldn't, but they will. On top of that, days are getting shorter and it won't be long before all this is going on in a dimly-lit environment.
Careful driving to avoid hitting kids who might not be attentive around traffic is something we should all be doing. It's a terrible tragedy when someone of school age is struck by a car. Let's aim to make this is a school year when that doesn't happen.