Growing up, most people heard the phrase “children should be seen and not heard.” It’s a statement most every adult says or thinks when a child shares their opinion.

And while no adult wants to hear the opinion of children when it pertains to things that they may have little to no understanding, children observe what goes on around them and form opinions just like those of us who have been alive for decades.

We may not take much heed in a young person’s thinking concerning our choice in vehicles, otherwise we may be driving a dump truck to the grocery store. It may hold a lot more groceries than any SUV, but it is still impractical.

However, children can have worthwhile opinions about a number of things in their lives.

It could be the quality of the food they receive at school, the length of time they get for physical activity in between classes, television programs they are exposed to at the baby sitter’s house and how well their bicycle operates.

By actually hearing young people out when they talk about things they know about, we can fix them long before they become major issues.

That’s why I think Pearl River County School District’s implementation of a student body representative was a great idea. This student attends Board of Trustees meetings, provides an update of what’s going on around campus, and listens to the decisions the Board makes.

And, when an issue does arise, he/she will be the first to let the Board know before the matter leads to something more severe.