RECENT RESULTS at the Alexandra School should be a source of pride for students, teachers, parents and indeed any Barbadian who is interested in the standard of education in this land.
That pride should not only be felt and shared over academic passes, however; for if it can be argued that an organization or institution is as strong as its leadership, then Alexandra’s principal Jeff Broomes deserves much of the credit for what is being achieved at this school in the north of the island.
And what the embattled Broomes has done this year is especially laudable in light of the opposition he got nationally and internally, not only via the Barbados Secondary Teachers’ Union but from some members of his staff, who had the power to make or break him and who seemed to have been the source of the almost year-long controversy that swirled around him.
Truthfully, I do not agree with Broomes on everything, while some who work with him daily complain about his management style, using words like “dictatorship” and even stronger language; but what cannot be disputed are the achievements of Alexandra students who love and respect their principal.
The overall CXC?pass rate of 82.09 per cent – the school’s highest pass rate in the last decade – is nothing to dismiss lightly, and is the result of students’ efforts, inspired by teachers and parents, and reinforced by the strength of a pragmatic leader who is not easily swayed by the modern fads that threaten to make discipline seem obsolete and potentially damage the psyche of impressionable young people.
Amid his concerns about Twitter and Facebook, and the ability of these networks to hurt and demoralise youths, and the rise in gang fights – fuelled, no doubt, by the glorifying of the “hood” and tribal violence, particularly among young Blacks, in movies and music – the no-nonsense Broomes is proud of his young charges.
“You students have done me proud and have done yourselves, your school and your parents even more proud,” he said at last Friday’s speech day while reporting on the Grade 1 passes that had improved by 15 per cent and the Grade 2 passes by a whopping 28 per cent.
The success of Katrina Edwards, who graduated with nine Grade 1 passes, including six distinctions, is the pinnacle of Alexandra’s success in 2010, a year in which Broomes was almost pilloried by opponents but got support from those who understood that discipline – not only in the classroom but among youths nationally and, equally importantly, among teachers who should set the example for their charges – has to be the only way forward for a proud nation.
In that regard, Broomes is one of three Barbadian principals who – in these times when the lines between right and wrong are becoming increasingly vague and everything
is “relative” – has drawn lines in the sand to say that the best way is discipline. The other two principals are Matthew Farley of the Garrison Secondary School and former Coleridge & Parry head Hallam King.
Each of these leaders of education in Barbados had to face tremendous opposition and probably earned themselves lifelong enemies, but remain among the last bastions of hope for what education in this developing nation should be.
I grew up in an era when principals and teachers took personal interests in students and were, in essence, your parents away from home. They disciplined, taught and even fed you; but after leaving school I realised that era was quickly ending.
Then, in my work life and to my delight, I heard and read of King, who gave two unforgettable speech day addresses, telling the nation in 1995: “These good results are a direct result of the hard work of the committed and unselfish teachers who teach them. I am pleased to report that this committed number represents 92 per cent . . . . We have less than a handful of teachers who are not pulling their weight and either need to be pulled up or pulled out.”
The following year he added: “It seems pointless and futile now to appeal to chief Ministry officials for assistance and requests for disciplinary action. There have [been] so many pleas made for years now . . . [but] the same reported persons remained in the system, strengthened by reliable union backing, so things simply get worse . . . [and] unions have been able to take full advantage of the system’s procrastinations and vacillations – and have created a haven for persons who should not be teaching children.”
Here was a man knocking and then battering hopelessly at a door that was firmly locked, shutting out his cries for discipline and excellence, resulting in his being lost to this tenuous asset we call education – the only road out of poverty, despair and failure for many Barbadians.
Then there’s Farley, whose attempts to enforce discipline via a dress code constantly draws the ire of – not teachers this time – but misguided parents who see absolutely no correlation between adherence to the dress code and the inculcation of order, dignity and excellence.
Sadly, the indignant opposition to Farley’s actions have shown up the wide reserve of folly in the minds of many parents who believe that being their children’s “friend” is a surefire way to success. Just give these kids whatever brand-name gear they want, throw in a few expensive smart phones for good measure, and all will be well!
Foolishness, to indirectly quote the Good Book, is bound up in the hearts of these children, and any perceived lack of discipline will be a recipe for more disaster.
Farley, Broomes and King know that school in the Barbadian context has to be more than certification and percentages; it should be an experience that helps to shape that child forever, so that when he or she has to make choices as an adult, those choices are based on principles rooted in discipline and a belief in the God who has been our people’s guide through the centuries.
Those three strident voices in the education arena continue to be ignored at our peril.
