The educators in Beaufort County have proved time and again their dedication to the students.

Most recently, Washington High School has set up two pantries with the help of Bright Futures Beaufort County to provide food and hygiene products for students in need.

The pantries have garnered national attention, but Principal Misty Walker has been adamant about what is most important: providing these students with their basic needs, not the media attention.

Before the North Carolina General Assembly passed its budget for this fiscal year, the fate of teaching assistant jobs was in limbo. Many gathered to speak with local legislators to ask for funding and discuss just what it means to be a teaching assistant.

They were fighting for their jobs, but one main thread stood out in every argument: what about the children? Yes, the assistants had a good chance of losing their jobs, but their big concern was how the students would fair without them.

Teaching assistants are not babysitters, they said. They help with teaching the class, discipline, tying shoes, wiping noses and everything in between. How could the children be successful without that extra support in the classroom?

These are just two of many examples of how educators in Beaufort County put the students first.

In a Tier 1 county, not all of the schools have shiny tiled floors and new paint, but the quality of education has been of the utmost importance to these educators. It is imperative that this be the case — always and no matter what.

Lucky for Beaufort County, this ideal is no joke to its educators. It’s what makes them come to work every day.

Students are the future of America, and deserve the best of education. Beaufort County educators have made this their mission. And that’s something of which to be proud.