People, not programmes make the difference

EDITOR: We have heard it said that “money makes the mail run,” but is that so? Whether it is care giving, agriculture, steel band or teaching, the people behind the operations make the enterprise successful.

With financial and physical resources from her dozen children, most of whom were abroad, my ageing mother was surrounded with five paid “caregivers.” Yet her room smelled of faeces, her diet was monotonous and bed sores plagued her. The workers each cooked their own food every day with the liberty to obtain their needs from the local shops, while they cooked one blended soup that they kept in the freezer, warming up a portion every day for mother.

Her salvation came when she came to my house to spend a weekend. She had insisted on remaining in her own house but being bedridden she had no choice. That was my opportunity to learn care giving. I took to it enthusiastically on the insistence of my wife. Bathing in the bathroom with running water, toilet training on time, feeding on time, and frequent excursions in the wheelchair as taught by the local nurses made up our daily routine. Although bedridden, she was not a shut-in. The blender was a useful instrument as mother ate all the variety of healthy and tasty foods we prepared. I never felt tired and was able to get much done before the care givers arrived as I left for work. Their work was mainly companionship.

Union Island thrived under the capable hands of resident Agricultural Officer, Lloyd Browne. Since then, attempts are being made through haphazard workshops, but it will take the tethering of the animals on the loose and a resident Agricultural Officer to restore production.

The UISS Steel Band is now dormant because no effort was made to accommodate an arranger. We could not get Vinlec to make a school friendly work schedule for the late Owen Prescod. All this meant that he would be made available consistently on the same afternoons every week. Silas Mulzac should have been given a shift as watchman and the responsibility of grounds man; but that could not be accommodated. For a period, he volunteered after his construction work but that did not last since he received no stipend after the change of administration. This occurred although the steel band had sufficient funds from the previous participation in Junior Panorama. The arranger is the most significant figure in the success of the steel band because he has the capability of adapting the music to the ability of the players.

At school, among all the stakeholders, the teacher is the most significant influence on student performance. 2016 was a record-breaking year for Math at UISS with Ms. Leah McNichols as teacher, and Dr. Anthony Stewart as acting Principal. About 16 students, more than one-half of the graduating class passed with acceptable grades. Using cooperative learning, I was able to demonstrate that the quality of the teaching greatly impacts student learning despite the ability grouping of students. That year (2007 or 2008) there were 22 grade two’s and 1 grade three spread throughout the two Integrated Science classes separated according to ability. This is evidence against separating students according to ability.

All these situations support the idea that people are significant even more than programmes and resources in the success of many of our endeavours.

Anthony G. Stewart, PhD