Bishops' High School Prize Giving Speech

[I do not like giving speeches nor do I like listening to them usually, I prefer to have conversations with people. Nevertheless, I could not say no. This is perhaps the most difficult thing I have done in my life. In the evaluation, two current students and one old student said that it was 'okay'. this is not a verbatim of the speech, somethings changed 19 Feb, 2009}

.. Chairperson, Distinguished guests, staff members, students, parents, friends all
[In the Hindu tradition, I would like to acknowledge my teachers. To Mademoiselle Pearson, I say Je Suis tres hereux de vous voir". And I also acknowledge Mrs Crawford, who now we communicate on the maintenance of the only website on the history of chinese immigration in Guyana]

I am deeply honoured by the schools' invitation to participate in one of the most significant events in the school's annual calender.. When I told my mother , also an old student of the school,   that I had been asked to give this address, she asked.. "Don't they ask older and more experienced people to do that?"

Time has flown. It has been more than 20 years since I left Bishops. This stage brings back memories of trauma and excitement and nervousness. I stood on this stage to read the Gayatri Mantra and Twameva Mata for Assembly on a few  Hindu days. I have been on this stage to do the reading from the Daily Word when Vyfhuis House had to do assembly. In this Phagwah season, I remember playing the role of   Narsingh in the story of  Hiryanakashapu and Prahalad. I remember my failure to impress the judges in the first round of elocution with that poem 'Invictus'. My Headmistress, Mrs Alleyne had called me up in fifth form to stand on this stage because I was talking during General Assembly, and I stayed there for two hours.

Please rest assured , I have no intention of standing here for two hours.

I am conscious of the various audiences here and my responsibility to all of you. You are  students, parents, teachers,  friends of the Bishops High School. What I would like to do, is to share with you several conversations which I have witnessed about the school.   The conservation I have had with teachers recently have reflected the challenges in which the changes in society and family have posed in maintaining discipline and achieving work goals.

The parents I have met are anxious that Bishops continues to be a school of excellence and that their children can be exposed to a variety of ideas in their education system while being protected from the dangers which the evolving society faces. From old students of the school I bear in mind different reactions to the idea of my giving this presentation. One board member asked that I be constructive in this speech, rather than controversial;  I remembered a request from another  board member a long time ago  to make sure that I dress nicely, with a sense of occasion when I come to prize giving. 

Other stakeholders in this speech include my class mate who asked that I make sure that I get pictures to share on Facebook.

I am also aware that I have to speak to students. At the end of the first session during the Lower Sixth programme last year, one of the students said in her evaluation, that I looked like Mr Bean.  So I thought, one of the themes of this presentation could be" Mr Bean comes back to Bishops.. "

I asked a couple of other students what I should talk about. One girl said that anything I wanted, once I did not make it too long and  that I keep it interesting. Another student said, please, do not talk about problems, Prize Giving is an event for celebration and the students hear enough of problems. And he also said, please be funny, there will be too much seriousness during this event.

And so I have to manage all these expectations - to be innovative, constructive, interesting, dynamic, concise. And while doing all of these, I must look nice and be funny.

I now have a deeper appreciation what the Bishops High School has to endure as it fulfils all the expectations of all the people who are involved in it. 

I believe that Bishops High School has been innovative in how it manages those expectations.   I have been honoured to be a part of what Ms Joyce Sinclair had aptly termed Operation Contact back in 1997. Operation Contact is a programme of activities  which seeks to forge closer links between current and former students of the school. Dr Janice Jackson has been the catalyst of this programme and the other team members include  Ms Magda Pollard, Ms Joyce Sinclair, Justice Roxanne George and  Ms Hazel Friday Burrowes as the staff member who has been involved in the mentoring programme.

All reports of the activities in Operation Contact are available from the website of the old students association at http://www.bhsosa.org.gy.  These activities include the mentoring project and the Lower Sixth project.

 In 2002, as part of the mentoring project, some third form students wrote what they thought their ideal school would be like. One student wrote and I quote "My ideal school would not be a monotonous place.  There would also be regular PTA meetings, student meetings, teachers meetings etc.  The school surroundings would also be well kept, also each student would have thirty minutes of free time so that they can complete any work that the left unfinished.  In my ideal school each child would have an equal opportunity and no child would be discriminated.(against) "

while another student noted that "My ideal school would be like the one I am in, the Bishops High School".

This ideal school according to the students is one in which there was mutual respect between students and teachers, and that the environment was clean. How then , do we move to making Bishops this ideal school?

I want to propose that we use the learnings of Operation Contact, to show how we could build on the relationships between us - students, parents, teachers, old students and other friends to build this ideal school.

Let us reflect first on what the students have been saying.

The Lower Sixth programme is one which started out in 1997 and developed into an annual project to prepare students for Leadership. During these sessions, the students use participatory exercises to explore understanding of self while reflecting on the role of the school and other factors which influence them. This project has been important for the old students since Lower Sixth gets  an opportunity to give feedback - both positive and negative on the school.

The 1999-2000 Lower Sixth form wrote this , when asked what Bishops means to them and we keep this on our website.
B  Believe in ourselves that we can achieve anything and be anyone we aspire to become
I   Inspire us to become leaders in our society and make a differences
S  Self-confidence and respect help us to achieve new heights
H  Honesty: be honest with ourselves and others
O Obedience for those in authority
P  Poise: always carry ourselves in a dignified manner and be proud of who we are
S'  Striving to be everything we possibly can and upholding the standards of the school

All of you who believe this is what Bishops means to you , say Bishops!

The students have expressed various concerns over the years about the school. Everything is okay they say, but they wish they could have school parties and a graduation prom. Students have welcomed the tradition, and the disciplined environment (when we are young we want to be rebellious but are happy for the order). Over the years, some have said they felt proud in the uniform, while some girls have wondered  why they could not have the option to wear trousers to school as the boys did. Some students had different views about different teachers. Some of the students who were new to the school felt excluded from the school, while others recognised the efforts made to integrate them into the school.  All of the students were happy about the various activities and the extended curricula though some have asked for more sports and games opportunities. Some students are also concerned  about when there are problems with discipline in the school. The innovation in the mentoring project was to use this exercise so that we could identify the issues which the mentors and others involved in the mentoring project could understand what the situation was.

I want to challenge the students here today, to continue to use the fora which are available to you, to continue to express your satisfaction with the school and to be able to identify the problems which you are dealing with and the solutions which you think you could work. You do not have to be asked to do that, and you would be surprised at how well your comments are received and if given constructively, your teachers, parents and other persons involved in the school will be able to form this ideal school.

How can the school help parents – apart from providing this thing called a good education?
The education system in Guyana has had to evolve to recognise that in providing a second home for children, care giving services have to be provided for children when that care is not at home. Even when there is academic excellence, we should not assume that all is well in the lives of those students.

I am grateful to Mrs Massiah, when way back in 1999 as Help & Shelter was developing its public education programme, she invited me to speak for a few minutes about Help & Shelter's work to the first form level parent meeting. That was an important step for Help & Shelter in that it was the first time any school in Guyana had asked us to address the parents on matters which were not academic and to share information about domestic violence and related matters which might disrupt family life.
Help and Shelter has continued to work through many schools and with the support of the Ministry of Education, schools have become places of learning, not only for students, but for parents as well.

So 10 years later, after that first interaction, I would like to share some of the thoughts I shared with the parents then.

First, check in with your selves. How are you coping with being a parent? How has the process of the your child's change to high school affected you? Parenting is one job which we do not get training for, what do you feel you would like to know? Would you want the school to support you in parenting skills?
Second, please communicate with your children - not only talk talk talk to them, but also listen.  We do not have a culture of listening to children here in Guyana, in fact people in power do not usually listen to those they have power over . It is difficult to listen, but we have to. 
Third, if you believe that it is okay to beat children as a form of discipline, then please consider in the  light of rising violence in the world and the intensity of violence in the world, to make homes safer place to resolve conflicts without violence.
If you believe that your children are bright enough to be in a school of excellence, then it means that your children should be capable of the reasoning and skills needed for non-violent engagement with you. If you are concerned about violence in the society, then please consider how you can change the violence in your own homes. These ideas are not alien to Bishops High School.
You will be joining a list of old students of this school - Bonita Harris, Magda Pollard, the late Agnes Jones, Beverley Harper, Evelyn Hamilton, former Head Prefect Terrence Simmons, Savitri Balbahadur, Krysta Bisnauth, Rolinda Kirton, Elfrieda Bissember, Leila Jagdeo, Andaiye, Karen DeSouza, Cynthia Massay, Rachel Hibbin, Shirley Melville to name a few.

I want to share the words of parent from Sophia, Pastor Karen Moore after she participated in one of the parenting sessions Help & Shelter conducted. She was very frank about her unwillingness to remove violence from her home and that she would face rebellion if she removed the rod. She was surprised  that her fears of loss of power were baseless, and she told us that her children do not respect her any less because she is not beating them.
I also have to share to examples from this school, of  fathers, in a time when there are resounding calls for men to be actively involved in their children's lives. One is of a father who is upset that his daughter is upset at something which happened in school. His daughter tells him everything. He is honest, as a father, about the fears about not being able to protect his child at all times and that he cannot create a world which is safe for her and in which she could express herself freely without fear of retaliation.

 The other example I have.. It is early evening, at the corner of Charlotte and Camp Street. There is a father and his son, a fourth form Bishops student in uniform. The son is slightly taller than the father as sometimes happens. The father has his hand on his son's shoulders and is holding his son's school bag as they walk home. The son does not shrug off his father's hand from his shoulders. I meet them and we talk about this school.

In 2006, at a parents workshop in the mentoring programme, some of the students wrote this about parents, and I want to also share this with you.

PARENTS

Parents are loving, Parents are kind
A Parent is sometimes hard to find
Sometimes they can pay you no mind
When they have no time.

Parents sometimes make you life a misery
Especially when they get crazy
When they start to lecture
I would need a pillow protector

I thank God for them everyday
Because you’ve got to live with them anyway

So we have thought about the school being a place for students, and for parents, what about the teachers?
The teachers are faced with a task not only of delivering a curriculum, but of managing students from diverse backgrounds and family situations. The teachers are further challenged by the emerging social issues, where some students are without critical family support and where there are behavioural problems which could be disrupted. How do we support the teachers in their ongoing learning – as we do students and parents?  In a recent email exchange with an old student who is an educator. (who incidentally disagrees with me  on some important social justice issues). She noted the following about teacher training in Guyana.
"..I wanted to share with you that it is becoming more and more necessary to make it mandatory for teachers to upgrade their skills on a regular basis. Too many persons in the teaching profession are so insulated by limited financial means that they lack the skills and exposure to deal with the dynamism of a global world. This has to become a concern of government and other corporate players, and instead of criticising, it is necessary to strategise for the best quality instruction to be delivered in the classroom "

I want to propose that again we should welcome the identification of learning needs from the teachers in the school. The Old Students Association has a diverse range of skills in a range of areas, and I want to commit to the teachers that any request you have for any kind of information or knowledge will be met.  The dynamism of the global world requires change in all of us.  I want to urge the teachers , if in your own self development, to think perhaps of having your students evaluate you! In all of our work during Operation Contact, we the facilitators have been evaluated by the students and this has helped us to improve the delivery of the programme.

The Sunday Chronicle of 15 February, had an article written by an AGri Science teacher Samantha Bipat,  said this "I have acquired knowledge and skills by socialising with students, and they have been my tour guides in finding creeks, rapids, falls and caves. My students have equipped me with the essential jungle survival tricks and tips, and have contributed significantly towards making my stay at Paramakatoi interesting. As a result, we have grown to establish an exceptional symbiotic relationship that is mutually beneficial."

Can we – parents, students, old students -  then commit to building a mutually beneficial relationships which are based on shared understanding and common goals ?

Change is not easy, but the Bishops High School has embraced change time and time again. Long after I finished my CXCs, I continue to learn and be educated by interacting with the school.  I want to go back to the third form class of 2002 / 2003 to share what one of of the boys wrote then , and I believe there is something for all of us in his words.

"Some days you feel like the whole world is just being really mean to you but you have to find that silver lining, the bright side of the situation even when things seem dull and you do not have a friend to talk to, you need God to help you wit all the pressure and fatigue and stress of being an adolescent in third form.  Your not too young but then again not too old your just right in the middle, making choices and trying to be proud of yourself at what you have accomplished so far and try harder in the future because I (you) are the future and it all rests on (your) shoulders."

Thanks .