Train up your teenager

Documentary highlights education stakeholders in academic success

Schooled with insights and wisdom from two veteran highschool principals, Esther Tyson and Linton Weir, and a highschool grade coordinator, Diedre Dixon, Family and Faith Magazine has released its third documentary under the theme ‘Train up Your Teenager – the role of parents, teachers and students in academic success’.

Released on the magazine’s YouTube and social-media channels, the documentary, which is sponsored by the Jamaica Broilers Group, offered strong advice to teachers, parents, students, the community, and all other stakeholders in the quest to have better results at the end of the academic year.

Below are excerpts from the educators’ sage advice:

“I say to my students, there comes a time when you have to have tunnel vision. Make those healthy choices in terms of how you manage your body; you can’t be having friends who are going to keep you up at night talking about their boyfriend or girlfriends. You really need to be resting or studying.” – Esther Tyson

“When you see something (indiscipline) happening on the street, if you don’t feel like you can get involved, at least call the school. We get calls from random persons on the road about students who did something good or something bad. It’s very important for us to know what is happening out there, and so, that helps to influence what we do as teachers.” – Diedre Dixon

“Children that do exceptionally well are the children with parents that are totally involved ... . One of the things that our parents need to understand is that schools cannot and should not be treated as a day-care centre. Parents must understand that education is a relationship; it has to be a partnership.” – Linton Weir Family and Faith Magazine president and founder ShellyAnn Harris noted that her main takeaway from this third project was that parents need to maintain the same or even a greater level of interest and support in high school as they did in primary and preparatory school. “As parents, we spend significant time and resources to get our kids ready for GSAT (and now PEP), but in high school, there is a tendency to loosen your grip on the handle, so to speak. The educators made it very clear that this is a no-no. Our teenagers are not adults, and they need guidance and support all the way.

“I am also reminded that God uses people, especially teachers, to intervene in children’s lives, point them towards their destiny, and, indeed, help to train them up in the way they should go.”