Parents Urged to Teach Proper Values at Home

Clarendon educator Floris Meikle, has called on parents to ensure that children learn proper values and get a good educational start at home, before they enter the school system.
Mrs. Meikle, who was speaking at the annual school leaving exercise of the Holy Cross Basic School held recently at the Holy Cross Catholic Church in Asia, Manchester, argued that when children are trained properly at home, the task of teachers in the development of their educational goals is made easier.
“If children are trained properly at home, which should be the first school, the formal educational system would only need to reinforce what has been taught at home, and the teachers would be able to spend more time on the academics instead of engaging in tiresome efforts to makeover some of our children,” she stated.
“Teach them the good principles so that when they see the bad, they would know that it’s not good for them,” she added.
Mrs. Meikle, who is the former principal of the Frankfield Primary and Infant School, pointed out that great challenges and sacrifices are involved in rearing children, and parents have to play their part fully.
“If we as adults live responsibly, the children will catch on, but if we tell them how to behave and our actions say something else, they are going to be just like us; destructive and indisciplined. Unless homes become homes again where love for country and community is taught, all that the Government and the police do in the area of discipline will be naught,” she told the gathering.
Meanwhile, principal of Holy Cross Basic School, Adelza Smith reported that the school, which started in 1996 with 14 students, has done well over the past year.
“We now have 80 students enrolled and valuable support has come from the church, the community and Jamalco. I plead with all parents to pay close attention to their children’s school attendance. We have found that the children, who have better attendance, excel over those whose attendance is irregular,” Ms. Smith informed.