All are precious in his sight!

I am not a fan of the 11+ also known as the Common Entrance Examination, yet I do not know what other fair way is there to ensure the smooth movement of children from primary to secondary level. Why fair , you may ask.  Well, without the 11+ , Miss Jones’ (who works in the market) daughter may not have  the same chance of attending Harrison College (HC) or Queens College (QC) as Justice Moore's son.  Some may be naïve enough to suggest that we can learn anywhere, (that's disputable) yet if this was 100% correct, we wouldn’t have the hierarchy of schools which we now have.  After all, the quality of education at HC would be the same as any other secondary school. 

My problem also with this 11+ is that we put so much pressure on children at this young age.  Our entire primary education is centered around one thing and that is the sitting of the 11+ examination.  My experiences thus far tell me that home schooling is the way to go for my child (if I get one). I know that teachers say the parents need to play their part. However, what happens when you have a parent/guardian who is playing their part and a school that seems to want to put a spanner in the spokes?

Why is it accepted if a child is working ahead of his age group but unacceptable when one is working a year behind their age group?  Isn’t it to the benefit of the child if they work a year behind in order to grasp the necessary concepts?

Why is it that, even though there is a provision made for children to defer the 11+ by one year, you still find a situation where a school (principal/class teacher) will want to fight a parent tooth and nail for the child to not get that deferral?(especially when we consider that the child is not “bad behaved”. 

Consider a situation where a parent wants a deferral for the child, believes that the child will benefit greatly, if they defer the sitting of the 11+ exam by a year and where the child is not a trouble maker. Consider then the principal of the school telling that parent “he ain't getting no deferral” and a teacher giving the child the message “tell your parent dem don’t run this school”.   It is interesting to note that at that boys' school in Christ Church, not one child was given a deferral.  Is it possible that teachers just want the children out of the school, never mind that there are some who would greatly benefit from a year’s deferral?!

Consider a child who, after getting the deferral (not an easy feat) has now done the 11+, and whose results show the tremendous progress he has made (70 English, 55Maths, C Composition). There are children in this child’s same year, who still cannot read, who would have done the exam. These are children whose parents will never think to ask for a deferral in class 4 or to keep the child back in an earlier class. These children will go onto secondary school and with our system being the way it is, instead of 10 at one school who cannot read we will have 100 some such children entering first form. My heart cries out for these children.

Our teachers and parents need to be responsible and realize that these are our children, to whom we give a disservice when we show no interest and allow them to fall by the wayside.  My opinion however, is that teaching is not simply a job. It is one where the individual should have great care and respect for those whom they teach. To simply come to work, write 'sums' on the board and adopt an 'if yuh learn or not, I  still getting pay" attitude, is not enough.

 Remember...ALL  are precious in his sight

(not only those destined for HC)

Roll On

They come in all shapes, sizes and scents. We generally use the word deodorant to describe them both however, the truth is, there is a major difference between antiperspirants and deodorants. Antiperspirants are as their name describes. When you roll those bad boys under your armpits, the aluminum based chemicals block your pores and stop you from sweating.  Now since sweating is a GOOD thing i.e it helps to cool the body as well as release minimal amounts of toxins, why would ANYONE not want to sweat.

The question has been asked whether there is a link between breast cancer and the aluminum in the antiperspirants. Many studies have been conducted and the bottom line is that there is no evidence to suggest that antiperspirants breast cancer. A study has been done that shows that the aluminum found in antiperspirants has been shown to cause DNA mutation, which could cause uncontrolled cell growth, which causes cancer.  The American cancer Society and the national Cancer Institute refute these claims and the study results have been difficult to reproduce.  Interestingly enough in 2004 the FDA (Food and Drug Administration, required that antiperspirants be labeled, giving caution to persons with kidney disease.

So after all my research I've decided to make the switch from antiperspirant to natural deodorant (deodorants mask or destroy unpleasant odors). Why? Well, I figure that anything whose purpose is to stop my body from working the way it should can't be all that good and as the breast cancer debate continues, I'd rather take this small little step in prevention.

Every single brand/type of antiperspirant I've used has always left some kind of residue under my arms giving me hell to  remove when in the shower. My arms are smooth and clean with this new deodorant. 


Thus far, my Naturally Fresh Deodorant has been working like a charm. 

It's 100% pure and natural, contains no harmful aluminum or parabens and is made with pharmaceutical grade mineral salts. If it's exceptionally hot outside and I'm going to be away from home for a while, I usually reapply during the day. So I'm going to use this until it's gone then I'll try another natural brand.




Moral of the story...Make sure is better than cocksure!