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By Mike Barnhardt
Enterprise Record

It’s not all rainbows and butterflies.
But what one member of the board of education saw while visiting every school in the county left her feeling good about Davie’s public education system.
“We got to see all of the struggles, the challenges, as well as all of the good things happening,” Marie Helms told fellow board members earlier this month.
Staff members were asked tough questions, and responded honestly, she said.
“So much of what happens in our public schools that you see in the news or on social media is either the really good or the really bad … like the bookends of what’s really going on in the schools. There’s so much going on that people don’t see. It’s just incredible what’s happening.”
She gave an example.
“At Cooleemee (elementary), they have every single child in that school listed, and what stood out to me is how they are viewing their students. Every student that walks into that door is every teacher’s student, and that is so special. It’s not that teachers have 28-30 kids of their own, every teacher has every child.”
She saw similar positive points in every school.
“The teachers are owning all of the kids and want what’s best for every kid.”
Helms was also impressed with the fact that individual schools can retain some autonomy, while still collaborating with each other. That doesn’t happen in a lot of places, she said.
“When we asked about behavior, I think every single school said they were good. That speaks to the staff and administrators and how Davie County is teaching kids how to act.”