EDUCATION IN BELIZE: FROM DISCIPLINE TO ENGAGEMENT

This past week I saw electronic media postings by educators who complained that, and seemed to know why, students today are failures.   As is usually the case, whenever anyone (parent or teacher) complains about students, whether today or a hundred years ago, the overwhelming reason always is: “they no longer (are allowed to) teach the way they used to”, in other words, “the best way to learn will always be the way that I learned”.  How very egocentric.  The postings also triggered many memories in me!  That very old school line of thinking had originally inspired me to write my first article (Education in Belize) back in October 2011: Wake Up and Smell the Coffee.  I wrote it in response to the community’s extremely negative response to my previous announcement, as Guidance Counselor, that San Pedro High School was replacing 2 weeks out-of-school suspension (vacation) with 2 weeks in-school suspension or ISS.  My articles on Education are now regularly posted online by other media sources, and in my personal Blog.  It’s time now for a 2 year anniversary follow-up.

I admit, though, how gratifying it is for me to see teachers/educators and parents now actively participating in and reacting to the Education process as practiced today in Belize.  No matter where we may fit on the broad spectrum of ways to teach/learn, whether old school, new school, or anywhere in between, it is ultimately most productive that we each regularly provide our input, express our opinions, and “act” on them!  The other alternative is to sit back and do nothing but continuously complain about students and/or schools. I wholeheartedly congratulate each parent and teacher/educator who voices his/her concerns and suggestions, and actively follows them up in an effort to try to improve the Education process in Belize.

First and foremost, I fully agree with old school teachers and parents: YES, discipline is an extremely necessary factor to keep the wheels of learning greased so they keep turning smoothly and successfully every day.  However, I disagree fully with the many punitive ways by which many old school people choose to define discipline.  Corporal punishment (whipping and lashing), screaming at, insulting, and belittling students in front of others may have been used as “discipline” in the past – perhaps may have even encouraged some students to study – but they are NOT going to work in the 21st Century to motivate any student to want to learn.  Actually, I prefer to use the term “structure” instead of “discipline” to describe the process that we can use to motivate students to want to learn.  Structure has nothing whatsoever to do with punishment.  On the other hand, most students think of discipline as forms of punishment.  To keep structure in the learning method requires/places responsibility on teacher/educator as well as on student.  Note: Certain youth from previous generations chose to take several years to travel the world as hippies “to find themselves”; others chose to follow a structured path of studies and/or work.  I do not pass judgment on anyone, but merely use this example to show the difference between structured learning, and non-structured learning.  There is also structured classroom learning and non-structured classroom learning.  Teachers, of course, always make the difference!

Today’s 21^st Century world is TOTALLY different from the world of previous generations, and from the world in which I, and most of today’s teachers/educators, grew up.  Why, then, can’t we learn to “break free” from the past and change or adapt old patterns/behaviors to match students' needs today, and enhance teaching and learning in today's world?

Many teachers, especially in Belize, openly disagree with my preferred methods of teaching and learning (for students), and often accuse me of unfairly siding with students instead of with teachers – as they claim I should.  For the record, I feel strongly that learning has nothing whatsoever to do with whose side you’re on, but rather, could be seen as a constant struggle to overcome and conquer the unknown (what we want/need to learn).  However, the environment around us, both physical and emotional, will always greatly influence, positively and negatively, our process of struggling to overcome and learn.  Here, also, I disagree greatly with many old school lines of thinking that claim that teachers and students should “make” their environment.

The 21^st Century world today is unlike any that ever existed before. So, why do we need to change/adapt our previously set habits and behaviors?  Take a look at the world around us today:  a large amount (majority?) of adults and young people are constantly stressed out. 

• We do not get enough sleep at night.  There’s so very much to see and do in this Age of Advanced Technology that sleep is considered by many as a “waste of valuable time”.
• We lack proper nutrition and exercise.  Who has time to prepare home-cooked meals, eat them slowly, and exercise regularly when there’s so much else around us to see, hear, and do?
• A large amount of us are overweight today.  In our haste to eat any/everything, especially if it can be ready (fast food) in an instant, we have forgotten when to stop.
• We are today one of the most competitive societies ever on earth.  In our haste to always “be first” we rarely ever stop to “breathe”, and celebrate our smallest achievements.
• Advanced technology has made life so interesting for everyone now, that anything moving slower than “fast technology” is considered totally boring.  Might this be why youngsters today spend such an exaggerated time “sitting down” in front of screens instead of moving, exploring, and actively learning?
• Today's family structure and mechanics have totally changed from what they used to be.  Both parents usually work today, and many times youngsters are "on their own".

And the list can go on; but I feel that I have made my point.

In order to fully embrace and use discipline (structure) in today’s classroom, why not use the very things that are distracting students to more fully engage them in learning?  I recall how from January 1992 to June 1994 I used to take my high school classes outside the building on hot afternoons, and we would go under a shady tree to read, and have active discussions about the literature that we were reading and from which we were trying to learn (Literature).  My students accomplished so very much during those classes, and they always looked forward to having them.  They never seemed bored during those classes. Sadly, many teachers today insist that only good old-fashioned whipping, and/or drilling hours on end, along with some good “putting them in their place” is what will make students learn today.  My response: we cannot make anyone learn; but, we could find various ways to engage students, and keep motivating them to want to learn more and more.  Just because certain methods worked on/for you does not automatically mean they will work on all students today.  As I have mentioned in previous articles, we should all make every effort to keep our attitudes “flexible” if we are ever to adapt, change, and be able to grow and keep learning in today’s world.  (Only God need not ever change attitude -- there is but one!) 

One final reminder for teachers/educators: we easily break free of set habits, attitudes, behaviors, classroom management techniques, and set methods of teaching after we determine why we want to change – never because others may force us to change.  If, however, we insist on “doing the same thing over and over again”, don’t expect different results. 

Education in Belize: Breaking Free (Part II)

This past week I received very many emails and Facebook messages with readers’ comments regarding my thoughts on Belize’s September celebrations of Independence, and on its “Breaking Free”.  Since this topic resonated with many readers, especially Belizeans who shared their many thoughts on the subject with me, this week I offer more ideas along these lines.

To break oneself free of a habit or custom, whether it’s positive or negative, is by far much easier said than done.  Adapting to change is never easy for anyone, especially when he/she is set in his/her ways.  (To both my young adult sons, I humbly and publicly offer my “mea culpa”.)  Painful examples of peoples and countries throughout history that chose to break free of domineering rulers show that they went to great lengths, including fighting (civil) wars that incurred many deaths and great suffering, before being able to freely choose their very own path(s).  Moreover, people throughout the world who were once enslaved also had to fight and suffer greatly for long periods of time, both physically and emotionally, before finally gaining their emancipation and freedom. 

Breaking free of habits that have made us set in our ways requires the same powerful determination and inner strength to even start to change and move on with our lives.   Examples that come to mind are the continuous determination and hard work required daily of cigarette smokers, drug users, or alcoholics who want to “control” (end) their addictions or uncontrollable habits.  The original decision is usually made for health reasons.  Nevertheless, an addict’s long and difficult journey to change must begin with one very first step: wanting to be free of the addicted habit(s).  Without that powerful inner desire to want to change, no addict ever changes or controls (ends) the habit.  And, if someone else forces an addict to end the addiction, it’s almost guaranteed that the addict will eventually slide back into the addiction. 

Albert Einstein’s widely used description of insanity is, “doing the same thing over and over again, and expecting different results”.  This description is posted throughout various social media networks on an almost daily basis.  So, what does all this have to do with Education in Belize?  First of all, we are currently living in the 21^st Century, no longer in the 20^th.  It is only logical, then, that we should have Education systems today that can produce students who are capable of living and working productively in the 21^st Century.  If we do not have such systems, then it’s imperative that we create them!  Prime example: In today’s Belizean workplace, computers are NOT a luxury, but a necessity.  Do schools in Belize accept this?  Are they willing to prepare all students, starting from in Primary school, to work in a computer-dominated world?  One or two classes a week, only in high school, can never possibly be enough!  Moreover, we do not wait for several years after a student starts school to teach him/her to read and write.  We start from day one!

Specialists who teach computers must also “constantly” keep learning how to use new applications in order to be able to teach students how to use them.  New computer programs are introduced almost every year, if not more often, throughout the world.  However, based on Belize’s current economy (in the red), and on an overall dismal sense of public satisfaction throughout the country, are our schools preparing students/graduates to work, and succeed, in Belize’s computerized workplace today?  If they are not, what are they waiting for?  Also, how do our students and graduates today compare “in the realm of technology” with other students and graduates from throughout the developed and developing world?  Is the comparison positive or negative?

Above all else, in order to accept and adapt to current global change, school policymakers and educators in Belize cannot be forced to change; rather, they must first want to adapt to changes -- for the good and improvement of the country, if for no other reason.  Admittedly, that will never be easily achieved.  However, those of us (especially parents) who see the need for and want change must also be willing to keep presenting our expectations or demands with “great effort”.  As I do in all my articles, we must live that battle cry of “never giving up”.  Also, interested parents, employers, and each stakeholder in Belize’s successful future must keep abreast of, and participate in government, church, school, and Board meetings, and keep giving positive input to educators and policymakers to show them that even though genuine change cannot be forced on anyone, it is achievable and attainable.  Too many parents mistakenly believe that just because they demand change in school systems it must and will be granted.  In other words, whoever wants to see positive changes in Belize’s Education system, must be willing to work for it, and not give up when/if no changes are adapted. 

The key to be able to adapt to any positive change is to have a flexible “attitude”.  Therefore, before any 21^st Century change is made or welcomed into Belize’s Education system, previous and current attitudes need to be flexible or willing to be changed.  Example: Other than just investing more money each year in schools, policymakers (private, government, church, and Boards of Directors) should also be designing some form of flexible school improvement standards and accountability standards.  In keeping up with the times they must be willing to listen to others, have open minds, and when necessary, be willing to “try other ways to see which is better.”  School standards today in Belize are almost the same as they were in the 1960’s.  Those standards may have worked back then, but they certainly won’t today.  Who, though, will be brave and flexible enough to first “want” to adapt changes in school standards to meet Belize’s workforce needs today?

I vividly remember starting high school in 1965.  The older generation in those days constantly kept criticizing our younger generation for trying (and enjoying) the new fads such as dancing the twist, rock and roll, girls wearing mini skirts, boys having long hair etc.  Now that I am older I look back on those days and quietly smile!  However, I doubt that young Belizeans can possibly survive 50 years into the future to look back fondly, and say, “Oh the digital age; we remember when no one wanted to accept it 50 years ago.”  In other words, when we fall off a boat and into deep and rough seas, we don’t have the luxury of choosing whether to swim or not.  We must swim for dear life! So, when I insist that Belize break free from complacently adhering to former Colonial (Commonwealth) systems of Education, it’s not because I don’t like Colonials; rather, it’s because our Education systems today are not adequately providing our Youth with survival skills to live in this new digital and global world.  We must accept that Belize, our jewel, is no longer one of Huxley’s “ends of the earth”, and will only survive/succeed as a country by being a part of all things global.  Scouts motto:  Be Prepared!

Finally, as a proud Belizean parent, I remind all readers that no matter how very much we love our children, we raise them  “to eventually let them go”, not to hang on to them all the days of our lives.  Believe it or not, they too (like we did) will find and make a life of their own!  Belize, you are now an Independent country: let go of your parent’s ways and start finding your own way in life -- starting with how you choose to educate our Youth!

Education in Belize: Breaking Free!

September in Belize is a month for celebrations!  Many festivities lead up to Sept 10^th to commemorate the “Battle of St. George’s Caye”, a day that has been celebrated each year, and long before the country achieved self-governing status in the mid 1960’s and Independence in 1981.  Each September includes many talent competitions throughout Belize, then a festive Carnaval, then the nationwide celebrated Independence Day on Sept. 21^st  to top a full month of festivities.  In our many September celebrations throughout the country, we celebrate many forms of “breaking free”, whether from Colonial masters or from whatever may have once held us back -- as a country and as a people.  We even broke free from our former name, British Honduras, and have proudly made ourselves known throughout the entire world as: Belize.  Certainly, we have every right to celebrate all the changes and advancements in Belize today. 

It is unfortunate, though, that Belize insists on remaining very disadvantaged as a young developing country, because since gaining Independence we adamantly refuse to break free from adhering to former/existing Colonial (Commonwealth) systems of Education throughout the country.  Yet, our Education policymakers (government and church) seem unable to understand why a majority of young Primary school students in Belize score so very lowly on annual Proficiency examinations, i.e. PSE, each year.  Until we break free of antiquated Colonial systems of Education we cannot adequately provide our Youth with survival skills to live in today’s new global and digital world!  What, pray tell, are we waiting for to WANT to break free of old systems of Education, and set our very own Belizean 21^st Century standards?  Money is certainly not an excuse because in Belize hundreds of millions of dollars are made and change hands each year.  Yet, Education still is not top priority among the many new government, church, and business projects each year.  (Am I the only educator who questions this?)  Moreover, there are many talented and professional (young) people living and working in Belize today!  The country now boasts more than one university, and each one produces highly proficient and professional graduates in ever-increasing numbers each year.  Yet, the majority of our Primary/Elementary school children are not reaching where they should be, literary wise, compared with the rest of the world.  Why?  It simply cannot be that all our young students are lazy!  Who, then, is?  (Learned Helplessness)

As an Independent nation today, Belize offers its young people more occupational, career, and educational options than at any other time before.  However, along with all the new opportunities available today, there exist far more problems in our society than we have ever seen before: ever-increasing daily crime, violence, drug abuse and peddling to all ages, poverty and unemployment, and an overall sense of hopelessness from thousands of people throughout the country.  Many of us struggle, day in and day out, to survive ever-increasing “hard times”.  Yet, during these very difficult times, the rich get richer, a middle class borders extinction, and life keeps getting harder and harder for the growing number of poor people with each new day.  As we press on through these seemingly insurmountable and Dickensian times, how are we helping our young people to truly “prepare” for life in the next 10 years?  Trying to educate them by using someone else’s standards simply is not good enough!  Neither can it show them how to lead meaningful and satisfying lives while they try to learn each day in school.

As of today, what public actions are being taken to try to lower Belize’s extremely high unemployment rate (especially among Secondary and Tertiary educated citizens) and widespread poverty?  How are we trying to stop gangs from openly and violently taking anything and everything they choose from hard-working Belizeans, many violent murders, and increasing closures of what once were successful business establishments?  We could address it all by first positively reforming our Education systems throughout the entire country!  It seems though, that we have all inexplicably chosen to accept our current pitiful and miserable, at times even violent, situations as being our uncontrollable destiny.  So, as of this September, what better and more improved Education is now available to our children that we can celebrate?

Old and new schools, whether in Belize or not, are not just buildings and institutions that provide many teachers and professional educators with jobs.  Schools provide and promote efficient Education for students, and prepare them to live and work in today’s world!  Better-prepared graduates and a better Belizean workforce also translate into a more robust Belizean economy.  Yet, an improved 21^st Century Education just is not top-priority in Belize today, nor has it become fully non-negotiable for everyone.  It certainly is not surprising, then, that several private (and expensive) and successful schools have emerged in Belize during the last 5 or 10 years.  Basically, private schools will always be accountable to parents who can afford to pay expensive monthly tuition, to no one else.  To whom, then, are public schools accountable today in Belize?

As a Belizean, I am quite serious when I say/write that our number one goal should be to provide a better Education to our children; it must be better than what we have provided since before we became Independent as a country.  However, any reform whatsoever in our present Education systems requires input from ALL stakeholders: parents, teachers, business community, government, church, and the entire nation.  Most importantly, we must all be serious about wanting to improve our students’ performance and educational outcomes.  I look forward to having so much more to celebrate next September.  Congratulations Belize!

Education in Belize: Enthusiasm! How long can/will it last?

A family member of mine recently commented to me how very enthusiastic his youngest son is to be returning to Primary (Elementary) school this week, after a long summer vacation away from school.  My first thought about that comment: How wonderful to see a young student enthusiastic about returning to school to continue disciplined learning!  My second thought: I wonder how long that enthusiasm will last…  My concluding thought:  What should we educators and parents keep doing to instill and maintain that enthusiasm for learning in all students, everyday all year long?

It is very sad that today Education and learning do not always conjure thoughts or feelings of enthusiasm in many students and/or parents.  However, we are living in a difficult and complicated age now in the 21^st Century, not in Utopia – whether we live in Belize, a Third World (underdeveloped) country, or in a developed country.  When the majority of working parents must think of Education (especially Secondary) for their children in terms of, “How will I be able to afford tuition, books, fees and all the many expenses just to register my child for a new school year?” there is not much room left for enthusiasm about learning.    How then, do we adults, parents or educators, feed our children with enthusiasm for school and learning, no matter at what level they may be studying, and keep it alive and robust all year long?

Politicians and policy makers of Education generally concentrate on budgets and costs per student; educators concentrate on using successful methods of teaching and on setting a proper and detailed curriculum to help students advance each school year; parents concentrate on making sure students attend school daily, and on finding ways to pay for their children’s education; students are encouraged to concentrate on disciplined learning.  However, the one goal that we all (politicians, educators, parents) share is to keep doing whatever it takes to make sure students enjoy something about being at school, especially in the classroom.  Parents, just as much as teachers who work with students daily in the classrooms, equally share this sacred responsibility!  Parents who show no interest whatsoever in their children’s “life at school” will instantly kill whatever enthusiasm a student may have for learning, and for being in a classroom to learn something new everyday. So, p l e a s e, I strongly encourage all parents, starting this very first week of school, to set the tone for your children and share in their enthusiasm for whatever they may learn in school everyday!  Keep in touch regularly with your children’s teachers, and stay abreast of their achievements (and their most difficult times) at school, and you will help much more than you may realize to keep that enthusiasm for learning alive and robust all year long in students!

There are always excuses; however, excuses will always be excuses -- nothing else!  Having been an educator since 1978, I have heard them all.  Parents:  I don’t have the time.  I must concentrate on making the money, and work my … off everyday to pay for his/her education.  I never went to school, so why am I expected to know what he/she is doing in school?  What more do you expect from me?  I am not God!  Teachers’ excuses may run along these lines:  It’s not my problem if he/she does not want to learn.  Let his parents worry about him/her; I am not the parent.  My job is to teach; that’s what I am being paid for – nothing else.  If his parents can’t handle him/her, how am I supposed to handle him/her? There’s only so much I can do, especially in such a large class.  Politicians:  We spend so much money on Education – more than any other Cabinet Ministry or Department!  What else are we supposed to do?  We cannot learn for them!  Stop blaming us, and thank us for all the money we spend on your children.  So then, if we all have so many other pressing responsibilities, who should be responsible for, or will ever have the time to instill a love of learning in our children?  Really though, after everything is said and done, whose problem is it?

There are entire volumes of books written today about the “difficult” student, and how he/she should be treated at school to best help him/her learn.  However, I believe strongly that long before any student ever reaches the stage of being “difficult”, or ever gets placed into that category for whatever reason, a genuine love and enthusiasm for learning from an early age would keep him/her inspired enough (fired enough) to like something/anything, no matter how small, about being in school.  Many students love sports, or participating in other extra curricular activities at school.  It would be great if we could somehow manage to spread whatever enthusiasm they may have in one area throughout all areas of their entire school career. Perhaps that's why students in vocational or trade schools often do well:  they enjoy what they do!   Hence, my loud and continued cries for ongoing reform in schools today so that students will be able to embrace and remain enthusiastic, no matter to what degree, about whatever they may be learning, or may be required to learn. 

Finally, I want to make it quite clear (once more) that we cannot ever pressure anyone to be enthusiastic about learning.  That’s simply not possible.  However, whatever reform(s) in Education that we all work toward achieving, starting today and especially in Belize, must ensure that students always are encouraged to have/maintain some form of overall enthusiasm for learning – in disciplined and undisciplined ways, inside and outside of school.  We are now living in a digital and highly technological age.  Our challenges in learning today are NOT the same as those from yesteryear.  For those who insist on living in the past:  Wake up and smell the Sanka!  For those who are not afraid to face the present:  Wake up and smell the coffee!

 

Education in Belize: Are Graduates Prepared Today and Students Being Prepared for Tomorrow?

Our most precious resource, whether in Belize or anywhere else throughout the world, will always be our children!  The rapidly growing tourism industry in Belize boasts the Caribbean Sea and Barrier Reef, many Maya ruins, our diverse cultures living side by side, an exotic rain forest, and many other attractions, and is currently one of the top sources of revenue for our government.  Nevertheless, there is no guarantee whatsoever that tourism in Belize will always flourish or produce continuous revenue to the country.  Our sugar, timber, citrus, and other agricultural industries (perhaps oil?) may also be top money earners for the country; but these industries too may decline or crash at any time.   However, our children from yesterday, today and tomorrow have limitless potential to take a tiny country like Belize above and beyond anyone’s wildest dreams or expectations.  Yet, with this basic concept in mind, we are not investing in our children (yesterday and today), specifically, in their Education.  The percentage of time and money spent on/being invested in our children’s Education today, whether in Belize and throughout the Third World (underdeveloped and developing countries) is not anywhere near where it should be – nowhere even close to where it should be.  Why? 

No one entity in Belize, i.e. political party or church, is accountable and bears all the blame for this sad fact.  Politicians and Education policymakers are not the only ones we should question about this overwhelming “lack of investment”, specifically time and money, in our children!   Parents who simply don’t have any time to spend and dedicate on shaping and guiding their children’s Education, for whatever reason, and help them focus on disciplined learning are just as much to blame for the total lack of investment in our children today.  Yet, usually these are the very parents and Education policymakers, who expect (demand) that schools miraculously produce well-educated and intelligent graduates, despite the fact that there is no investment in students other than a small fixed and budgeted amount of money each year.  Moreover, tuition and fees for each student keep increasing each year!  Yet, salaries (for parents and educators) just never keep pace with all the increases in the annual cost of Education, especially Secondary and Tertiary.  How often, though, do we have to be reminded that politicians do not just fall from the sky to serve in “democratic” governments, i.e. Belize?  Each and every politician who serves in a democratic government is “freely” elected by a majority of the people.  Belize has long ceased to be a British colony, and since September 21, 1981 we fully rule ourselves as an independent nation.

Why, then, do we need to reform the Education process (schools) in Belize today?   I was educated in Belize starting in the 1957 through 1971, and completed the highest level of education attainable in Belize at the time: Sixth Form.  My education back then was my preparation for my future; but my future has already come to pass.  According to the laws of Belize, I am now in a retirement stage and cannot work in Education anymore, except perhaps perhaps with special permission from the authorities that be.  We should NOT, though, be educating our children in the 21^st Century the same way I was educated in the 1950’s/ 60’s!  Yet, that is exactly what we are doing today in Belize.  Where is/was the investment in the future of our children today, and our children from the last 30 years?   If our graduates today, and from the last 25 years, are not prepared to live and work in today’s Belize, it only follows that tomorrow’s students/graduates will face a similar, even worse, future.  This is the beginning of a new school year, and so politicians, church, and educators should know “where” Belize is headed with our students!  Do we/they know?

In Belize, Belizean citizens who now want/need to renew their passports must go through a maze of requirements, almost as if they were illegally living in their own country.  Why are there so many stringent requirements now to simply renew a passport?  Might it be that we fear a massive migration of our Youth somewhere else to seek a “better future”?  If our Youth today, and from the last 25 years, were totally prepared for today’s world in Belize, they would have no need to want to migrate, or seek a better life elsewhere.  Did we invest wisely in their future?  Are we investing wisely today in the future of our children now?  Or, are we all nonchalantly choosing to continue down the same path, and let tomorrow’s Belize worry about tomorrow’s Youth of Belize…  Education is not like a government bureaucracy, so when it comes to reforms in Education, they should not be carried out as slowly as possible!

Finally, I want to make it quite clear that I am NOT trying to pressure anyone to reform Education in Belize.  I am merely trying to point out to all Belizean adults, specifically Education policymakers, parents and educators, that this age old saying/proverb will always be true:  We reap what we sow.  This truth, of course, applies not only to our Education Systems in Belize but to every other aspect of life in Belize.

Education in Belize: Getting Back on Track for a New School Year!

No adult, especially a professional, likes to be told over and over what to do, or be reminded of it.  In my previous Guidance Counseling Blog, I wholeheartedly applaud and encourage the many teachers in Belize who, of their own accord, are now working enthusiastically to spread the spark of the new movement for much-needed school reform throughout our jewel of a country.  We parents admire each of you, teachers in Belize, for recommitting yourselves to the Education process, and for making every effort to strengthen your daily commitments to help your many students learn!  In this month’s Blog, I have neither messages nor reminders to shout from my soap box, but merely wish to offer a few helpful hints to students and teachers as they begin the countdown to another good and productive school year.

Summer vacations, for students at all levels throughout Primary and Secondary schools in Belize, are almost over.   For most of the students who have been on 2 months vacation, getting back on track and into a regular school routine will not be easy; neither will it automatically happen from one day to the next.  Nevertheless, many psychologists strongly recommend that, in order to maintain good physical and mental health, we should all maintain some form of daily routine.  So, for now, let’s not concern ourselves with whether Belize is a Nation at Risk, or with trying to find out who is responsible or accountable for this year’s very low PSE proficiency scores.  Instead, let’s make every effort to help our students and teachers try to get back into a school routine, and be totally ready for the new 2013/2014 school year that’s about to start.

Getting back into routine after a long vacation can be almost as daunting and challenging as trying to put a 1,000 piece puzzle together!  However, to complete the puzzle we can start simply with the outside border, four corner pieces first, then we complete all four sides or edges – one piece at a time; then, slowly but surely, we work to put the inside of the puzzle fully together.  By matching colors and shapes we are guided to where each piece of the puzzle needs to go.  To get back into a school routine, after being on a vacation with very little routine, we should start slowly, before school even starts, and try to put the school routine back, “one piece at a time”.  The border (straight edges) of the puzzle can be compared to our time at school everyday – that schedule is always fairly constant, with few changes everyday, and will fall into place quickly.  Our time away from school (especially when we have deadlines and limited time to complete homework) is what is much harder to commit to a routine; that commitment can be compared to completing or putting together the inside of the giant puzzle.  As with all routines, though, after the first, second and third hesitant (slow) steps, the other steps will follow easier; likewise, (school) routines get set one day at a time.  Trying to match the inside puzzle pieces of like colors and shapes can be compared to setting aside specific times to complete homework everyday, i.e. right after supper/tea everyday.  Trying to put together a puzzle, while watching T.V., conversing, talking on the(cell) phone etc. is never successful.  Likewise, if we try to complete homework assignments while concentrating on many other activities we will not be successful.  Homework will require total concentration and focus!  How about, starting today, try to complete one small chore every night before going to bed?  Now is the time for students to get back on firm footing, not during the turbulent first weeks of school, when they will have to deal with new teachers, new classes, and perhaps new schools.

Physically, parents could also help to steer students back into a school routine by starting from now to make every effort to re-establish the family’s normal eating habits, i.e. serve/eat breakfast, lunch (which we refer to as dinner in Belize), and supper (also called tea in Belize) at regular times everyday.   Moreover, in order to wake up “rested and ready for school” everyday, students should get a full night’s sleep, not just 2 or 3 hours.  From today onward, students could start to practice going to sleep each night at regular bedtimes in order to get a full night’s sleep, Mondays to Fridays.  In this area, parents could help younger students by making sure that they get back into that routine.  Likewise, keeping healthy sleeping habits also applies to teachers and school administrators. 

Above all else, students of all ages (in Belize and throughout the world) need constant motivation, not only to complete their daily homework and/or class projects or reports, but to want to keep learning everyday, and not just “give up” when they feel they cannot handle anymore schoolwork.  Of course, while students are in school, Mondays to Fridays, teachers and other professional educators are charged with taking on the daunting responsibility of providing their students with constant motivation.  However, when students are not in school, who/what motivates them?  Parents, whether you have a formal academic education or not, you can definitely try to provide your children with the motivation to want to “keep learning” everyday.  You can set the example for your children, especially the younger ones, to accept, confront, and overcome challenges.  Young students will readily emulate parents who always try to plan ahead, who practice daily routines such as eating together and at regular times, who go to sleep at regular times, and who don’t give up at the first difficult challenge that may come their way. 

May this new school year be a good, successful, and productive one for all teachers and students in Belize!

Belize: Embracing Change in Education

Recently, I referred to the United States of America’s report, “A Nation at Risk”, published over 30 years ago by that country’s Education Department to urge an overhaul of how and what their young people were being taught in schools.  In June of this year, Belize’s Education Department released a Report of the 2013 PSE Results of Proficiency Examinations for Primary School students.  The Results showed Primary school students in Belize lagging far behind where they should be in Education, especially in areas of Reading (English) and Math. Both Reports were “wake-up calls” for each country.  In my previous Blog for July of this year I further encourage Education policymakers in Belize to examine non-British and non-Caribbean models of 21^st Century successful schools and successful students, for example, Finland.  

I am thrilled to note that educators (teachers) in Belize, with fighting armor on, now seem poised in a genuine “let us embrace change” mode.  Church and government policymakers of Education in Belize may not want to consider changing how and what young Belizeans should be learning; nevertheless, many teachers (as witnessed through increasing daily posts on social media Internet networks) now seem ready to address the need to strengthen and revitalize Belize’s Education system -- by accepting and embracing change!  These brave educators/teachers in Belize appear ready to “take the first steps” on the very long and difficult journey to change, improve, and strengthen our school systems throughout the country. 

I wholeheartedly applaud, encourage, and endorse each and every teacher in Belize who today is embracing technology to be able to communicate with the many other educators throughout (and beyond) our jewel.  Technology to the Rescue!  Many teachers appear quite willing and ready now to take some challenging initiatives that so desperately need to be taken from within our Education systems -- from the classroom to the staff room   Each day, more and more teachers in Belize continue to communicate openly through the social media network on the internet: Facebook, Chat rooms, and Education Reform sites.  Throughout these sites, many teachers (my heroes!) are now openly expressing and explaining their many individual and urgent needs in the classroom that so many other Education stakeholders continue to ignore.  Many of these teachers are also now making public their own ideas and suggestions for improving schools, trying new teaching methods in the classrooms, and introducing new methods of learning.  I fully and enthusiastically salute the teachers in Belize who, perhaps unknowingly, are showing the world the powerful truth behind that age-old adage: “Never say never!”   Without a doubt, thousands of our young students throughout Belize will benefit from the many actions that our teachers have commenced to experiment and introduce on the much-needed journey of change in Belize’s Education systems.

Some teachers have even openly expressed a desire to want to create an Education Symposium in Belize to address topics including:

• Foundation, principles, and importance of using a curriculum (curriculum development),
• Results (on teachers and students) of political interference,
• Opportunities (lack of) for adequate teacher training (Primary and Secondary schools),
• Meeting the urgent needs of local businesses, i.e. fully training and preparing students to be ready to enter the workplace,
• Specific Education topics relevant to Belize 

 I see this new movement as fully headed in one direction only:  success for teachers, for students, and for the entire nation.  I certainly and wholeheartedly encourage the many Primary and Secondary school teachers in Belize who are working enthusiastically to keep spreading the spark of their new movement for much-needed school reform throughout our jewel.