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No parent left behind
Jean Lowrie-Chin
Monday, May 14, 2007
There was radiant discernment on the face of the inner-city mother. She had just completed a parenting course and was relating to us the difference it had made in her home. "My son wanted a pair of brand-name sneakers, and because of my training, I was able to show him the importance of budgeting," she told us.
Jean Lowrie-Chin
Earlier this year, this column celebrated the work of the Citizens' Security and Justice Programme in various communities. Now the people in Fletcher's Land search the streets to ensure that every child is safely at home after 9:00 pm.
So while I understand why our overworked teachers are urging parents to "take control at home", the truth is that many parents are not exactly sure how to do this. We will have to plan and implement a nationwide initiative - ensuring that no parent is left behind.
The privileged take a lot for granted - when the French were storming the Bastille shouting, "We want bread", the effete Marie Antoinette wondered why they just didn't eat cake instead. I remember a disadvantaged young man who received a grant to attend a top high school. He was delighted at the prospect, but kept arriving for classes at all odd hours of the morning until his sponsor discovered that he had very little concept of time.
He came from a home where there was no routine - hard to imagine - but he had to learn how to read a watch and relate it to his day's activities.
Trust me, the Observer report of the teachers' appeal has not been read by most of the parents being addressed, because many of them are illiterate. It means that even as we are working to improve the school system, the Lifelong Learning Programme (formerly JAMAL) should be on full throttle.
We in the media should take a hard look at the images we are pushing at these poor parents. Are we sending messages that the hair extensions, flashy jewellery and sculpted nails take priority over little Johnny's books? Scholarship winners have come to accept that their many years of study get minimal mention, compared to the model on the runway after a few months of coaching and near-starvation.
A parenting workshop in Grants Pen sponsored by USAID and the Stella Maris Foundation
So I would suggest a wider appeal not only to the parents who must certainly take up their responsibility, but also to the more privileged among us and those who have control over the outreach budgets and media, particularly the broadcast media.
There is also a snobbery in certain circles that is as backward as it is silly. We have seen churches where the humble folk remain at the back, and heard the foolish s************************ing at PTA meetings when some parents are not as articulate as others. It is time we grow up and reach out to people outside of our cosy little circles. Where would some of us be, if a pastor, a teacher, neighbour did not reach out to our humble families?
Similarly, there are many individuals who have not had the privilege of a genuine Christian upbringing. Devoid of faith in their own God-given abilities, these desperadoes become easy prey to scheming politicians. The results of a Don Anderson survey for the EOJ published last week are shocking. When asked if they would accept payment in cash or kind for their vote, the report stated, "Twenty-five per cent would accept a direct monetary award, 17 per cent gifts and 15 per cent something else."
Therefore, 57 per cent of those asked admitted that they would engage in corrupt practices. If you are not one of those, not only should you thank a principled parent, but also the teachers and caregivers who made you educated enough, secure enough, morally and psychologically well-adjusted to know that a bribe is simply, incontrovertibly wrong.
And whom do politicians hope to impress when rivals are labelled with negative biblical names? It must be the illiterate voters, and they must have done their calculations because they seem to figure that it is the semi-educated majority that will fall for these irreverent mind games. They may be in for a surprise - Jamaicans may not be well-educated but they are certainly not stupid. The insults may turn out to be verbal boomerangs that could hit harder on the rebound.
Teachers, employers, church leaders, media - we need you to nurture the parents among you, encourage them to see their children not as an obstacle, but as an inspiration to a promising career.
We should encourage the development of our parks and green spaces for parents to spend meaningful time with their children. Recently, we saw families relaxing on the grass at Hope Gardens, enjoying the Jamaica Military Band and other top entertainment at the newly refurbished bandstand (thanks to the Digicel Foundation). There is so much value in a simple family exercise where parents switch off the television, gather up their children, make a few sandwiches, grab a blanket and head for the great outdoors.
Psychologists remind us that children need our time more than the faddish toys that they ask for. Most religious teachings uphold honesty, generosity, cleanliness and respect. Adults look back on those boring church days and realise that even as they were fidgeting in their seats, the word of God was making a lasting impression on their consciousness, especially if they could get the right answers about religion from a caring parent. These days, we are seeing more and more children being sent off to church without parent or guardian.
In her creditable budget speech, Prime Minister Simpson Miller reminded us that Jamaicans should live as family. But first we have to help heal the individuals at risk. It is not only the children who need our attention, it is also their parents, handicapped by their circumstances and disregarded by an insular society.
Happy birthday Lloyd B!
Birthday blessings to Lloyd B Smith the media marvel of the Worst, who celebrates a milestone birthday this week.
lowriechin@aim.com
Jean Lowrie-Chin
Monday, May 14, 2007
There was radiant discernment on the face of the inner-city mother. She had just completed a parenting course and was relating to us the difference it had made in her home. "My son wanted a pair of brand-name sneakers, and because of my training, I was able to show him the importance of budgeting," she told us.
Jean Lowrie-Chin Earlier this year, this column celebrated the work of the Citizens' Security and Justice Programme in various communities. Now the people in Fletcher's Land search the streets to ensure that every child is safely at home after 9:00 pm.
So while I understand why our overworked teachers are urging parents to "take control at home", the truth is that many parents are not exactly sure how to do this. We will have to plan and implement a nationwide initiative - ensuring that no parent is left behind.
The privileged take a lot for granted - when the French were storming the Bastille shouting, "We want bread", the effete Marie Antoinette wondered why they just didn't eat cake instead. I remember a disadvantaged young man who received a grant to attend a top high school. He was delighted at the prospect, but kept arriving for classes at all odd hours of the morning until his sponsor discovered that he had very little concept of time.
He came from a home where there was no routine - hard to imagine - but he had to learn how to read a watch and relate it to his day's activities.
Trust me, the Observer report of the teachers' appeal has not been read by most of the parents being addressed, because many of them are illiterate. It means that even as we are working to improve the school system, the Lifelong Learning Programme (formerly JAMAL) should be on full throttle.
We in the media should take a hard look at the images we are pushing at these poor parents. Are we sending messages that the hair extensions, flashy jewellery and sculpted nails take priority over little Johnny's books? Scholarship winners have come to accept that their many years of study get minimal mention, compared to the model on the runway after a few months of coaching and near-starvation.
A parenting workshop in Grants Pen sponsored by USAID and the Stella Maris Foundation So I would suggest a wider appeal not only to the parents who must certainly take up their responsibility, but also to the more privileged among us and those who have control over the outreach budgets and media, particularly the broadcast media.
There is also a snobbery in certain circles that is as backward as it is silly. We have seen churches where the humble folk remain at the back, and heard the foolish s************************ing at PTA meetings when some parents are not as articulate as others. It is time we grow up and reach out to people outside of our cosy little circles. Where would some of us be, if a pastor, a teacher, neighbour did not reach out to our humble families?
Similarly, there are many individuals who have not had the privilege of a genuine Christian upbringing. Devoid of faith in their own God-given abilities, these desperadoes become easy prey to scheming politicians. The results of a Don Anderson survey for the EOJ published last week are shocking. When asked if they would accept payment in cash or kind for their vote, the report stated, "Twenty-five per cent would accept a direct monetary award, 17 per cent gifts and 15 per cent something else."
Therefore, 57 per cent of those asked admitted that they would engage in corrupt practices. If you are not one of those, not only should you thank a principled parent, but also the teachers and caregivers who made you educated enough, secure enough, morally and psychologically well-adjusted to know that a bribe is simply, incontrovertibly wrong.
And whom do politicians hope to impress when rivals are labelled with negative biblical names? It must be the illiterate voters, and they must have done their calculations because they seem to figure that it is the semi-educated majority that will fall for these irreverent mind games. They may be in for a surprise - Jamaicans may not be well-educated but they are certainly not stupid. The insults may turn out to be verbal boomerangs that could hit harder on the rebound.
Teachers, employers, church leaders, media - we need you to nurture the parents among you, encourage them to see their children not as an obstacle, but as an inspiration to a promising career.
We should encourage the development of our parks and green spaces for parents to spend meaningful time with their children. Recently, we saw families relaxing on the grass at Hope Gardens, enjoying the Jamaica Military Band and other top entertainment at the newly refurbished bandstand (thanks to the Digicel Foundation). There is so much value in a simple family exercise where parents switch off the television, gather up their children, make a few sandwiches, grab a blanket and head for the great outdoors.
Psychologists remind us that children need our time more than the faddish toys that they ask for. Most religious teachings uphold honesty, generosity, cleanliness and respect. Adults look back on those boring church days and realise that even as they were fidgeting in their seats, the word of God was making a lasting impression on their consciousness, especially if they could get the right answers about religion from a caring parent. These days, we are seeing more and more children being sent off to church without parent or guardian.
In her creditable budget speech, Prime Minister Simpson Miller reminded us that Jamaicans should live as family. But first we have to help heal the individuals at risk. It is not only the children who need our attention, it is also their parents, handicapped by their circumstances and disregarded by an insular society.
Happy birthday Lloyd B!
Birthday blessings to Lloyd B Smith the media marvel of the Worst, who celebrates a milestone birthday this week.
lowriechin@aim.com
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