Of all the decisions my parents made on my behalf, one of the best was sending me to public school.

I grew up in a small town with a small school system. There were three elementary schools, a middle school and a high school. My graduating class had roughly 140 kids in it, but it was still a diverse mix of students from every walk of life.

But for our district, it didn’t matter who you were or where you came from – those teachers worked hard to give us opportunities and unique educational experiences. There was a support structure for kids of all needs and abilities, and there was an array of selections for class choices. It was, in many ways, a Choose Your Own Adventure experience, and they pushed hard to help us succeed.

As a parent, when it came time to enroll our child in school, we weighed all the options, talked to educators and explored school campuses all over Yuma.

Ultimately, we too opted for a public school education – and it’s a decision for which I have zero regrets.

I love the fact that my child has been surrounded by an amazing mix of students from different socio-economic backgrounds, which is one of the best ways possible to prepare for the real world.

And we’ve been fortunate to attend schools in Yuma where the teachers and the administration truly care about their students. We’ve watched time and time again as teachers went above and beyond to help their students learn, and it’s just amazing.

The teachers work hard here – and they push the students to do the same.

And my goodness, the choices for classes at the public schools here are pretty amazing, too.

I looked at a course description guide for the Yuma Union High School District this week, and noticed there were over 20 Advanced Placement class options available. There are a variety of Career and Technical Educational programs, from nursing to law and public safety, preparing kids in high school for future careers. Students can take guitar, dance, ceramics and photography, just to name a few of the dozens of elective courses available.

We hear a lot of negativity about public schools, but I don’t think a handful of negative situations are truly reflective of every single public school out there.

Education is also what you put into it, as a student, as a parent, as a family and as an educator. And I think across Yuma County, our public school educators are giving it 100%.

This week, Feb. 26-March 3, is National Public Schools Week, with the intention of celebrating public schools.

In Yuma County, there are 55 public schools, which support more than 30,000 students a year, according to the Yuma County School Superintendent’s Office.

To all those educators – the teachers, the support staff, the administrators, etc. – thank you for all that you do. You make a difference every single day, and I appreciate your hard work and your efforts!

And, readers, if you have a public school teacher who made a difference for you – please let us know. Send in a Letter to the Editor at letters@yumasun.com.