Graduands getting good food for thought

It’s graduation time and apart from the lengthy ceremonies which run way too long, I must say that so far the students making that critical transition from primary to secondary school are getting good food for thought.

 

Class four pupils who sat the Barbados Secondary Schools’ Entrance Examination, commonly referred to as the Common Entrance Exam, are being told, and rightly so, that their journey is now beginning. They are being told that they should not for one moment believe that they have reached their final destination, but they should recognise that they now have to meet some crossroads in this journey called life, at which they will have to make some critical, life-altering decisions. 

 

Students have been getting an earful about the important transition and what they need to do or avoid to be successful in their new school environments. Many are being reminded that whatever school they attend, they will have to buckle down and do some work if they want to get to the next graduation ceremony with a smile on their face.

 

Most keynote speakers do not leave the stage without cautioning students about avoiding bad company, the block culture, negative circles and friends, and they often hear of the need to drop bad behaviour in favour of good discipline. 

 

Principals of primary schools lend their voices to the call for students to be studious, diligent and persistent and they often remind the students that the pursuit of excellence should take centre stage in all their academic endeavours. 

 

Sometimes, however, I wonder how much of this ‘good food for thought’ is taken in by students and how much is lost. As I sit and watch the faces of the young ones, some of them seem to tune out when the speeches are too long or seemingly not interesting enough. I find that speakers who are more engaging and who talk to the students in a more direct and up-front manner, rather than giving speeches above their heads, hold students’ attention best. 

 

I believe that the young ones, who have short attention spans, should be given good advice in a concise fashion and it should be delivered in a manner that will not only 

grab their attention, but will be easy to remember. All of this ‘speechifying’ must be to the benefit of the students and their parents and keynote speakers as well as principals ought to remember that.

 

Nonetheless, we can only hope and pray that something positive sticks. We all know that it is a whole new environment when you get to secondary school. We know also that those who have good parental support and a wholesome teaching and learning environment, once diligent and determined to succeed, will have the best outcomes. It is therefore vital that parents take to heart many of the positive messages being delivered at these graduation ceremonies. Whether it is developing a better time management plan, a plan of discipline, a homework schedule etc., parents need to make a determination of what they will take away from these ceremonies and implement in secondary schools  for better student performance and outcomes. 

 

Parents need to make a critical evaluation as well to see what areas of improvements can be made  to aid their child/children in excelling even further at the secondary level, 

and the time to do this is now.

 

Let me meanwhile take this time to wish all students who are graduating all the best at their new schools. May parents work with teachers and teachers work with parents for the best outcomes.