I-man I asked a question below

[Assasin]

I need an answer.

Do you think if Ben, or Don1 for that matter went to Denham town, or tony Spaulding high, they would try to convince us that it was the "The best" school in Jamaica?

[Don1]

Hmmm.... very good question that Sass

If Denham Town provided much of the intellectual & operational leadership for Jamaica's political independence, national institutions, financial system, business, international relations etc.... with significant contributions in 21st Century innovation in education, sport, music and culture .... Given Jamaica's patchy results overall, I probably would say Denham Town is clearly the best of a pretty bad lot of schools generally

wooiieee mi fervet

[Rudi]

Where is Tony Spaulding High again? Is that where the torture chambers in Jungle are located?

[Islandman]

I do not think so. It is kind of a paradoxical question because if they went to those schools they probably would not be the confident Ben and Don1 that we know when it comes to Jamaican school discussions.

Think about it, have you ever heard someone who went to a new secondary school bragging that it was the best school in their parish much less Jamaica?

[Assasin]

A few do. I know a few people from Buff Bay who think the world about the school. People who succeed always think that the environment they grew up in give them the best chance to succeed. I think most people on the forum think their high school is the best or "one of the best" even when it maybe proven not to be.

The way how Ben and Don1 argue this point, I am convince they wouldn't easy up. Are you saying they wouldn't be bright enough if they were place New Secondary schools?

[Islandman]

I have heard people who attended the non-traditional schools giving praises on what it did for them personally but I have never seen any in a rum bar beating up their chest and bragging about their school being the best at anything.

The "good school" argument is often a code for saying "I am somebody" in Jamaican social circles. This is what I believe HL was getting at. True, sometimes it is just a friendly sports rivalry thing , but there is often something more there that we sometimes may not even be fully conscious of.

The woman are less vocal with it but it is there as well.


The non-big school people in an argument will more say something like, "Me neva go nuh big school still but....."

[Islandman]

To give a specific example, a few months ago some ladies who were on the girls track team at Morant Bay High in the 70s were telling me that when some girls were recruited from Seaforth and Yallas Secondary for the team they treated them like outcasts, made them feel different and now they felt so guilty about it.

These girls lived in the same communities, the difference was that some passed Common Entrance to the "good school" in the parish and these others only came there because they could run fast. That is the kind of thing I am talking about. These were school girls who probably didn't know much better at the time but unfortunately some people never let it go long after school days are behind them.

[Don1]

whe bright affi duh wid anyting??

[HL]

You know Islandman, I lift my hat to you.

"That's all I have to say about that"
--Forrest Gump

[Assasin]

Let me say this first. Don1 and Ben are proud of their school for the right reasons. I will go further and tell you we are a very territorial set of people. Yeah the men especially in the states split amongst high school. I have met so many people and after their name they mention their school without been asked.

I use to run a soccer club in NY, a very good team made up of Jamaicans, Africans, Haitians, Trini and some Irish players. It was sponsored by a Jamaican group which I was a part of. The men were just would often tell me and my team of volunteer that "we nuh know ball" and tell us that ball played a which school in what year or in what community. One of the thing I did was to get college coach to recruit Caribbean youth through scholarship and financial aid. The bigman them never want the youth them play as they wanted to show off their "masters' skill. It is always about school or the past, so I understand.

I even look on some people facebook page and while I know they are doing well, I see they list "good school" when I knew they may not even have been to high school. I have seen pretty successful people making excuse for the school they went to hence "but........." you speak of.

There is a whole complexity and "boasiness" that comes with school names.

[Islandman]

Think about this, why were the new secondary schools not allowed to play in Manning/DCup , Sunlight/Headley and participate in Champs?

Can you think of a reason other than to make them feel second class?

[Don1]

Sass the back and forth on this subject of school ties is merely tradition.... basically good natured banter between a few rival schools going back 100 years. Yes a few schools that have recently come to prominence have insinuated themselves into the tradition

I can understand how graduates of schools that are not part of the tradition may feel slighted (or otherwise misconstrue the intent). This is an undesirable outcome but the aim of the banter is generally to put down the old rival school.... not third party schools.

I know that some insecure folks may use school ties as a social filter i.e. a tool of unfair discrimination or disrespect.... and in class conscious Jamaica that can be devastating. Mi bun dat behavior... strait

My personal interest and demonstrated work in education is to bring progress to ALL schools regardless of what they are or who attends.. This is why I've personally engaged and consulted with over 30 schools of all kinds since 2009 re starting STEM programs .... and not merely my alma mater. Consequently I have no apologies to anyone re my school related banter

The tradition of rivalry and yappin about school ties cyaan stap... memba mi tole yuh

[Islandman]

... a few schools that have recently come to prominence have insinuated themselves in the tradition

Nah call nuh name? LOL!

[Don1]

lol

[Mosiah]

Tilla reminds me at least every 2 months that I made some remark about him attending STETHS while I attended the good school on the hill, something to that effect. While I can't remember ever making such remarks (being too well raised, and schooled, to do such things), I always remind him that one of the brightest persons I know transferred from STETHS to MC. Not only was he a genius in the sciences, but he was a midfield general who helped our school tremendously in the daCosta Cup competition. Couldn't pass English to save his life, but so what!

Now clearly, not every STETHS student was a genius, but neither was every Munro boy. My father, an engineering genius of world recognition attended KTHS. It would have been silly of me to look down on a technical school just because.

I have reminded this forum on a few occasions of the proper beating we got from Maggoty High School in the debate competition. I can still see the smug and arrogant attitude of the Munro debaters when I happened to ask them which school they were up against. Btw, the name Maggoty does not help any!

The truth is our Common Entrance exams, now the GSAT, place us in certain schools according to our abilities at that moment in time. People develop differently, with strengths and weaknesses in areas that can never be adequately assessed by any exam.

Again, our focus as a nation must be to raise the level of the underachieving schools to levels where, if placed there by the GSAT exam, you still stand an excellent chance of competing with good school students. Sending the poorest students to certain schools is a recipe for disaster.