Thank God it’s Friday
Share
Thank God it’s Friday
https://www.tes.com/magazine/archive/thank-god-its-friday-323
Tuesday Happy Grove was founded in 1898 by American Quakers and has survived on a combination of faith, local initiative and foreign aid.
Driving in from my hotel, I offer a lift to a girl from the school, who has obviously missed her bus. Within seconds, five others jump into the car - three students, one fisherman and a banana man, complete with machete.
WednesdaY Some things have changed. The school has more than doubled in size this year - the roll is nearly 1,500. The textbooks are better and more relevant and the school now has phones, multi-channel television and the radio after 6pm. Almost all the staff are Jamaican and there is a greater acceptance of Patois.
Thursday Then and now most of the students come from a background of plantation employees, banana workers, fishermen and those who do “a bit of dis and bit of dat”. All the buildings where we used to teach are still standing, but very worn. New buildings have been pushed up to cope with extra demands but things have not been helped by two hurricanes in just over 10 years.
Friday I leave encouraged. The students seem confident and mature even if they face a difficult future. Today’s paper announces that the number of murders last year was more than 1,500. Sitting round with former students and looking at old class photos, “gone to America” almost becomes a litany as we identify the faces. As I leave, the fisherman I picked up on Tuesday grasps my hand. “Peace and love, Teacher,” he says. Amen to that.
John Kirkaldy is an associate lecturer with the Open University
You've reached your limit of free articles this month. Subscribe for £1 per month for three months and get: