The first In-Home tutoring service in Jamaica.
Tuesday, 29 July 2014
Meet a Jamaican Homeschooler!!
We are indeed advocates for Homeschooling. Check out this blog post- Meet a Jamaican- Homeschooler. Our very own Jamellia 'Imani' Blythe.
http://didanashanta.com/2014/07/meet-a-jamaican-homeschooler-jamellia.html
Monday, 2 June 2014
Don't Kill Summer with Summer School
Why do we continue to send our children to some of these pointless Summer schools? Is it because the job culture have us as slaves? Of course we need to be able to provide for our children, but nothing beats quality time.
A lot of us send our children to Summer school not knowing what the heck they are going to do ( a lot like the after school extra lessons ). Here are a few tips to keep Summer alive!.
1. If your child has a low literacy and/or numeracy level, don't just send him/ her to Summer school. Find a Summer school that will focus on those areas, while incorporating some art and craft or technology. They will thank you for it.
2. Find a Summer school that is age appropriate. This is of particular importance to those parents who have children who are not being challenged at school. Yes he/ she might be able to manage grade 4 work, but at seven (7) years old he/ she needs to be around their age group. Not all children are able to manage those emotional pressures.
3. I really do think that Summer should be fun- so find a Summer school that has balance. "All work and no play makes Jack a dull boy and Jill a dull girl."
4. In all your spending remember it will be back to school soon. Forget the unnecessary purchase of pretty clothes to model at Summer school. Casual T-shirt and jeans are fine.
5. Take time- out to create memories. There are a lot of fun art and craft ideas on the internet to try at home with your children. Not everyone will be able to take their children to Disney World or Six Flags for the Summer, but that does not mean you will be left out. Be creative- go to the free beaches, rivers, parks, events and nothing is more fun than having a family barbeque right in your yard.
Summer is a time for enjoyment- don't over do it with two months of Summer school. Have fun while learning!!!!!
Imani
A lot of us send our children to Summer school not knowing what the heck they are going to do ( a lot like the after school extra lessons ). Here are a few tips to keep Summer alive!.
1. If your child has a low literacy and/or numeracy level, don't just send him/ her to Summer school. Find a Summer school that will focus on those areas, while incorporating some art and craft or technology. They will thank you for it.
2. Find a Summer school that is age appropriate. This is of particular importance to those parents who have children who are not being challenged at school. Yes he/ she might be able to manage grade 4 work, but at seven (7) years old he/ she needs to be around their age group. Not all children are able to manage those emotional pressures.
3. I really do think that Summer should be fun- so find a Summer school that has balance. "All work and no play makes Jack a dull boy and Jill a dull girl."
4. In all your spending remember it will be back to school soon. Forget the unnecessary purchase of pretty clothes to model at Summer school. Casual T-shirt and jeans are fine.
5. Take time- out to create memories. There are a lot of fun art and craft ideas on the internet to try at home with your children. Not everyone will be able to take their children to Disney World or Six Flags for the Summer, but that does not mean you will be left out. Be creative- go to the free beaches, rivers, parks, events and nothing is more fun than having a family barbeque right in your yard.
Summer is a time for enjoyment- don't over do it with two months of Summer school. Have fun while learning!!!!!
Imani
Tuesday, 18 February 2014
Black History Celebration
Black History Month-February, is also celebrated as Reggae month. It is quite a fitting time to celebrate Reggae month because our dear Bob Marley's earth-strong falls in the said month.
It is a time to reflect on how far we have come as a Black race- but why can't we celebrate our heritage on a daily basis? My son asked me this question as we engaged in our homeschool study of famous black people to celebrate Black History month, "mommy so why don't we have white history month." Oh no it is not a laughable matter; certainly it is a reasonable question for a child to ask.
I really had to think long and hard for that one, because racism and hate is something that I really do not want to pass on unknowingly. Here was my humble response. "Well Seth many blacks were used as slaves, both white and black people did some very unkind things, this is just our way of remembering what happened so it does not happen again."
Education is our right as a people and not a privilege, but I took the opportunity to point out the fact that blacks were not allowed to read and when they were given the ok to attend school- they could not go to schools with white children. Being in a family where inter-racial marriages are evident, of course I was bombarded with more questions. Sigh!
Probably in your mind I was dancing around the subject, but to a six year old who has an inquisitive and impressionable mind, will not hate people because they are perceived as the "white devil".
By all means celebrate. However, while we celebrate we as parents and educators must ensure that we do not pass on our own prejudices.
Have a High Flyer day!
Imani
It is a time to reflect on how far we have come as a Black race- but why can't we celebrate our heritage on a daily basis? My son asked me this question as we engaged in our homeschool study of famous black people to celebrate Black History month, "mommy so why don't we have white history month." Oh no it is not a laughable matter; certainly it is a reasonable question for a child to ask.
I really had to think long and hard for that one, because racism and hate is something that I really do not want to pass on unknowingly. Here was my humble response. "Well Seth many blacks were used as slaves, both white and black people did some very unkind things, this is just our way of remembering what happened so it does not happen again."
Education is our right as a people and not a privilege, but I took the opportunity to point out the fact that blacks were not allowed to read and when they were given the ok to attend school- they could not go to schools with white children. Being in a family where inter-racial marriages are evident, of course I was bombarded with more questions. Sigh!
Probably in your mind I was dancing around the subject, but to a six year old who has an inquisitive and impressionable mind, will not hate people because they are perceived as the "white devil".
By all means celebrate. However, while we celebrate we as parents and educators must ensure that we do not pass on our own prejudices.
Have a High Flyer day!
Imani
Tuesday, 28 January 2014
" Panic Semester"
" Panic Semester"
Happy New Year!! -better late than never. The new school year has been a rocky one for the education system in Jamaica. However, we must not loose hope.
We are into, what I like to call the "panic semester". After taking the day off work to attend report day to collect the first semester's report, some parents will now face the ugly reality that- this 'pickney' (child) is certainly not ready for exams.
For tutors, this is the peak season. Many parents will now find themselves pushing their child/ children like wheel borrows by way of hiring a private tutor.
The monster called Grade Six Achievement Test (GSAT) sits at the top of the list. These children have no life; extra lessons six days for the week and not to mention the Sunday sessions for the private tutor to come and work miracles.
Many of these children are so terrified of not securing a place in one of the top fifty schools, that they themselves will 'park' everything and go into overdrive. It is painful to watch, and we are sending the wrong messages to our future leaders.
Students who are at the high school level know that this semester is crunch time. Those who were just gliding along, with their nonchalant attitudes are suddenly awaken to the sad reality that, May June CXC exams are creeping up on them.
When panic sets in, the ingenuity of students 'kick' in. You know, that at this time of the year note books disappear, class attendance is at full capacity and oh! instead of gathering on the weekends for partying they are huddling at the library or school swotting what they can.
We as parents,guardians and educators, need to help inculcate a love for learning- instead of teaching them the band aid approaches.
Have a High Flyer day!!!!!!
Happy New Year!! -better late than never. The new school year has been a rocky one for the education system in Jamaica. However, we must not loose hope.
We are into, what I like to call the "panic semester". After taking the day off work to attend report day to collect the first semester's report, some parents will now face the ugly reality that- this 'pickney' (child) is certainly not ready for exams.
For tutors, this is the peak season. Many parents will now find themselves pushing their child/ children like wheel borrows by way of hiring a private tutor.
The monster called Grade Six Achievement Test (GSAT) sits at the top of the list. These children have no life; extra lessons six days for the week and not to mention the Sunday sessions for the private tutor to come and work miracles.
Many of these children are so terrified of not securing a place in one of the top fifty schools, that they themselves will 'park' everything and go into overdrive. It is painful to watch, and we are sending the wrong messages to our future leaders.
Students who are at the high school level know that this semester is crunch time. Those who were just gliding along, with their nonchalant attitudes are suddenly awaken to the sad reality that, May June CXC exams are creeping up on them.
When panic sets in, the ingenuity of students 'kick' in. You know, that at this time of the year note books disappear, class attendance is at full capacity and oh! instead of gathering on the weekends for partying they are huddling at the library or school swotting what they can.
We as parents,guardians and educators, need to help inculcate a love for learning- instead of teaching them the band aid approaches.
Have a High Flyer day!!!!!!
Thursday, 27 June 2013
Inspiration from Dustin Brown : German-Jamaican Tennis Player
We are inspired!
High Flyer is a Jamaican tutoring service,
the first of its kind in the country! Like Brown we had to get outside
assistance ( outside of Jamaica) to get us started. It is never easy to source funding for anything be it sport or education. We are the premier tutor
management service in Jamaica. There was no registered business
that deployed tutors in- home or wherever the services were needed. If you
needed a tutor
who would you call? How did you find a competent tutor?- my point exactly!
Similar to Brown the visionary behind High Flyer wears locks
( she thinks the word dread is offensive). Wearing locks is scoffed at by many, but your hair style does
not take away from your mastery- Brown showed us that.
Despite one's challenges there are ways to your final destination. For High Flyer the Ministry will not give us a stamp of approval unless we rent a fancy place and incur unwarranted overhead cost. Having a visible office to do business , having a competent trained educator who is registered with the ministry, having a licence to legally conduct business and having trained tutors who are producing exceptional results are not enough reasons. Their archaic rules prohibits them from endorsing us even though- let me not say. High Flyer means an overachiever, we do not accept, promote or practice mediocrity- need I say more.
Limitations did not hold Dustin back, and for High Flyer it will be no different.
Have a High Flyer Day!!!!!!
Wednesday, 26 June 2013
Teaching Dilemma in Jamaica
With the current state of teachers in Jamaica, I am happy that I had taken the leap of becoming an Educational Entrepreneur. Teaching like many jobs will have to change. It is no longer a safe job, with a sure pension.
There are approximately 50000 more spaces needed for students in the education system, but the government does not have the money to build the schools. Frankly speaking if those very schools are built they will become white elephants in the very near future.
Unemployed teachers and those who are in teachers college need to stop thinking about the classroom setting and start thinking about online and other modes of teaching. Teachers will now see themselves venturing into a new profession called tutoring.
There will always be persons to teach, but the questions that arise are: Who will these persons be? Where will they need the service; and are you able to deliver that service effectively?
There are approximately 50000 more spaces needed for students in the education system, but the government does not have the money to build the schools. Frankly speaking if those very schools are built they will become white elephants in the very near future.
Unemployed teachers and those who are in teachers college need to stop thinking about the classroom setting and start thinking about online and other modes of teaching. Teachers will now see themselves venturing into a new profession called tutoring.
There will always be persons to teach, but the questions that arise are: Who will these persons be? Where will they need the service; and are you able to deliver that service effectively?
Tuesday, 25 June 2013
Homeschooling Meeting
Jamaica has seen an increase in the number of persons who are homeschooling their children. I guess the Ministry of Education has been taking note of such trend and has decided to converse with us. On May 22nd the first Home-school meeting was held at the Ministry of Education. Luckily for me I am homeschooling at a time when information is right at my finger tips.
I must say that it went well and I was able to meet- for the first time almost twenty other persons who have taken on the task of educating their own child/children. In a third world country such as mine, HS is considered as something that the more affluent people do. Of course when the former Prime Minister Andrew Holness decided to homeschool his children ( obviously not by himself) this mindset was further perpetuated.
The persons I met were not very wealthy people, I am certainly not in the top 10 wealthy families in Jamaica, but we all had something in common. As parents, we all believe that learning does not have to take place in an overcrowded classroom in a system that limits or shall I say, under-utilize the cognitive abilities of our children.
Children should have the freedom to learn, not told what to learn and at what age to learn it. I can see where the ministry did make an effort to accommodate us. We even got charts- age appropriate - for our children. This in itself was a laughable matter. " So are you telling me that I am unable to get a time tables chart, just because he is 5 years old and according to the ministry they should be adding with their fingers at that age." I eventually got the charts, that were appropriate for the level he is at and not the age he is at. Sigh!
Have a High Flyer day!!!
Have a High Flyer day!!!
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