As the new school year starts for Beaufort County Schools students Monday, it brings with it a new set of challenges, successes, failures and questions.

Teachers are mostly excited to get started — and so are the students — but having some nerves in the face of change is normal.

One thing should remain the same, however: support for the teachers at home.

This wasn’t the case in years past, but nowadays, teachers are being saddled with more and more responsibilities. Discipline, lessons of right and wrong, comfort and caring — all of these are facets of teaching a student.

If the expectations for teachers rise, so should the expectations of support from home. To make a lasting impact on a student, a teacher needs a parent/guardian to reinforce that impact.

Take, for example, a homework assignment. A teacher can only do so much when it comes to a student unwilling to do homework. The teacher’s jurisdiction stops at reprimand, disciplinary consequences or giving a failing grade. The student needs a parent to step in and reinforce negative consequences at home. Take away electronics, limit time with friends and stay on top of what a student is doing — in most cases, before too long, those homework assignments will start to be turned in.

If a teacher tries to implement changes in the classroom, but those changes are then disregarded at home, a stalemate results.

Teachers are charged with helping a student grow, and they want the best for that student. They need — and deserve — parents’ support in this matter. The winner here will undoubtedly be the student.

Parents trust the schools with their children during the school day, and this trust should extend both ways after the school bell rings. It should always be a team effort. At the end of the day, the child is of utmost importance.