BATON ROUGE — Back to school is a special day for East Baton Rouge Parish Mayor-President Sid Edwards, having spent multiple decades as a teacher and coach at Istrouma High School.

Continuing his One-on-One conversations with 2une In's John Pastorek, Edwards commemorated the return of students.

"Even though I'm not going back to school for the first time in forty years — I'm in my own special school of itself, City Hall — it's a new beginning," the mayor said.

Edwards looked back to his coaching days, a time when he said the most important thing is to fill the minds and souls of children that may be empty "with the right stuff."

"What I was speaking of there is not defining myself by wins and losses," Edwards said.

He added that he wants students returning to class on Thursday to take advantage of the opportunity to learn.

"This is your ticket. If you're in a bad situation, it's your way out. If you're in a really good situation, this is a chance to enhance your future," Edwards said.