Many students have returned to school after 1.5 years outside of the physical classroom, and some will be starting soon after Labor Day. As parents cipher through their schools and classes Back-to-School supplies list, it would be remiss of me not to highlight the non-traditional checklist that is oftentimes overlooked and put on the backburner…
Category: Primary School
School is over (for the academic year), now what?
As the school year comes to an end for many of our kids, school is also ending for parents, which creates the need for a new family routine. It is time to figure out what your kids will be doing for the summer. This post will outline a couple of recommendations as we all aspire…
Protect, Not Politicize, Black Hair: this Saga Needs to End
As I casually scrolled through my IG and Facebook social media, I saw sporadic posts alluding to what from the outside looking in, was a hair kerfuffle, yet again. As someone who is deliberate about keeping a pulse on what is going on in Barbados, I did my cursory Whatsapp messaging to get more on-the-ground…
Our children & youth: wraparound them.
WHEW. There is a LOT to process right now in Barbados and in the world. Death. Pandemic. Suicide. Abuse. Safety. Mental Health. Racism. Youth in crisis. So much to wade through, while still keeping our heads up in a seemingly indefinite global social, political, and health upheaval. This post has been long coming as there…
Part I: Raising and/or working with youth ages 11-14 years
When I tell people that I prefer working with middle or high school students, high school preferred, they usually get this confused look on their face that in summation begs the age old question of…why? To which I would respond- why not? Having worked with secondary aged and college level students for over a decade…
Co-parenting when parenting was not the end-goal and/or when a relationship dissolves
A recent national tragedy in Barbados, which will not be rehashed, has prompted this posting. Though reactive, the goal is to provide parents with some of the tools needed to successfully co-parent, beyond the at times muck and mire of contentious relationships between the Mum and Dad. First, the relationship between the child and their…
Nip the Violence
In the first 6 months of this year, Barbados has had over 30 deaths due to shooting violence. For a country that has less than 300,000 people, and that is generally known for having a pretty cool, calm, collected, and safe vibe, these statistics are a lot to digest and staggering, especially as a Bajan….
The Teacher : Student Limit
Students had a major end of school year celebratory event where all of the students attended an assembly with lots of prizes and performances planned- it was an event that the average student would not want to miss out on. Due to one students’ ongoing behavior challenges however, let’s call her “Diamond,” she was not…
Parental Perversion: Condoning the Rape of Minors
Recently, Minister of People Empowerment and Elder Affairs, Cynthia Forde, spoke out about the perverse nature of men that prey on minors and impregnate them. She also highlighted the unfortunate trend of mothers of the pregnant minors who are encouraging their child not to divulge the name of the man that impregnates them, because they…
The Power of the Village
I recently attended a County-wide culminating event that recognized the power of the village- family, friends, mentors, schools, support services, community-based organizations, non-profits, policy-makers, government entities, corporate partners, board members, Principals, Teachers, grandparents, brothers, sisters, etc.- and the positive impact that can be had on the growth and development of a child and youth, when…