#BTColumn – Let’s ponder together

Disclaimer: The views and opinions expressed by this author are their own and do not represent the official position of the Barbados Today.

A couple of weeks ago, I politely said, “Good Morning” to a security guard who opened the door at a gas station to admit me and carry out the temperature and sanitising checks.
He carried himself in such a manner, and spoke with such courtesy and bearing, that as I waited for the cashier, I wanted to learn more about him. He had entered security after ‘time in the force’ (BDF).
He was so impressive, that I told this to my husband, who had been in the US Army for fifteen years. Our conversation turned to how senior officers assess the performance of those under them.
There are seven core values in the US Army: Loyalty, Duty, Respect, Selflessness in Service, Honour, Integrity and Personal Courage.

I have pondered on this quite considerably, not relative to the armed forces, but relative to the role- modelling of teachers as leaders, and on a personal level, of all those who work, or study, in a school environment.
Surely these are among the most important values that we should all consistently practise, in order to impact positive change in ourselves and our world? Additionally, in the NCOER (Non Commissioned Officer Evaluation Report), which is the foundation for promotion criteria, are: competence, sound judgement, accomplishing tasks, seeking self-improvement, mental toughness and endurance, displaying confidence and enthusiasm, instilling the spirit to achieve and win, setting the example, encouraging learning and growth, accountability and personal responsibility.

There are further sub-categories but you can be sure that personal ethos pretty much governs everything on a fundamental level, as does the initiative to ensure the criteria are met.
Schools focus on academic achievement but what use is a Grade 1, or a whole slew of them, if we turn out unprincipled or undisciplined alumni? If we used these military core values as the foundation for everything we practised in a school, our students would graduate as leaders on so many levels, imbued with the best principles of humanity.

So how do we do this? Forget changing curricula so that it is relevant to the future; we must adapt our focus to the bigger picture first – raising young people to be the best of humankind.
It may sound very antiquated, but that is exactly what the Classics taught in our parents’ generation. Let’s take away the target of eight CSEC subjects and replace one with a non-curriculum class of Philosophy, Ethics and Morals.

Let us use History, filled with examples of the best and worst of human choices, and give our students the opportunity to learn how and why to pursue the best values of ‘civilised societies’. Few students choose Literature, and it is undeniable that studying the work of great authors also achieves this.

In no subjects, other than History and Literature, do our students have the opportunity to examine a moral code, to define it, or to think so deeply, extrinsically and intrinsically, that they have no option but to face who they are, where their choices or experiences are leading them and how they should alter patterns of behaviour.

Our children are not taught to look far enough into their future. While this concerns me on a career level, I am far more apprehensive about school not focusing on character development, than I am about livelihoods.
Another of our self-made obstacles is our love for, and expectations of, immediacy. For decades we have all embraced the mindset of instant lawns as preferable to planting grass plugs and nurturing growth. We used to plant, harvest and sit and chat as a family when we shelled pigeon peas for Christmas. We bought less and lovingly made more with our hands.

We would give our children models to build, rather than buy them manufactured toys.We now are so accustomed to choosing to spend money, rather than time, on almost every level. We have imbued in our children the expectation of immediate gratification and enjoyed it ourselves.We have traded the pride of personal achievement for easy attainment. Just as we buy unconcernedly, we teach students how to remember, rather than how to think. In ignoring this skill, to ensure examination success, we have expanded curriculum.

Therefore, we have lost the time needed to teach values when a life-learning opportunity occurs. We have turned schools into factories of academic focus rather than incubators of robust, holistic learning. There is no time to encourage self-reflection or to instill or model values; no time to broaden perspectives or to mold character. Punishment does not change behaviour; only reflection can.

Some parents understand this and insist their children join Cadets or the Duke of Edinburgh Awards programme. Community service is rarely voluntary and students’ personal statements for university are increasingly uninspiring.The tragedy is, students do not even recognise how unimpressive they appear.

If parents or teachers had to score students based on the criteria of the NCOER, how would they score? How many would honestly warrant ‘promotion’? We must reflect on our role and responsibility in uncomfortably reaping what we have comfortably sown. Join me in pondering this thought.
Julia Hanschell can be contacted on smartstudying@gmail.com.