Uniform Inspection Time

Recently the argument here in Bim has been over students at a particular secondary school being suspended for wearing the school's uniform incorrectly. While the newspaper article did not state what percentage was male or female, we can assume that some were girls, with skirts too short and boys with pants that did not fit according to school rules.

I'm all for wearing of a school uniform. Persons who want to be individuals in the way they dress can do so after school and on weekends. While I did have an issue with the suspension, I believe that rules are meant to be followed and students should therefore be disciplined when they break them. We're always talking about the rights of children but we seldom speak of the responsibilities.  It is the right of the child to receive an education, it is also the responsibly of that child to follow the rules of the educational institution.

If students are allowed to break school rules without any repercussions, we as adults would be sending them the wrong message.  There are some who say that learning is not dependent on how you wear the school uniform.  That is correct, to some extent. It depends, I think, on what type of learning we are trying to accomplish.  By learning do we mean the 3 R's (Reading 'riting and 'rithmetic) or is there social learning involved when we go to school? The setting/following of school rules is all part of our social learning.

With all the fuss that  persons keep over school uniforms (both parent and child) when we leave school and venture into the world of work, in most organizations, we are obliged to wear some type of uniform. It may be something as simple as wearing long sleeved shirts and a tie for men and skirts and blazers for women. Even persons who are small business owners create their own uniforms.

Suspension for incorrect uniform is the small picture. The big picture is the life long lessons we teach our children and the type of society we are trying to create. If  parents have a big problem with the rules at the school with regards to the uniform (or even punishment) then I say, lobby the Ministry of Education, the principal and the school's board (via the PTA) for a change, until then it is skirts 3 inches below the knee biscuit and no skinny pants.

Bringing in the Sheaves

Harvest Basket

Bajan Sugar Cakes

I'm not sure about other places but here in Barbados in the Salvation Army world it's Harvest Time. It's a time when we bring our provisions: banana; yam; pumpkin; okra; sugar cane; sour-sop and even prepared dishes like, sugar cakes and sweat bread to our church's harvest.


Our Harvest, for me therefore, represents two things. The actual harvest time, when persons are able to reap that which they would have sown like the banana, and pumpkin etc and a spiritual harvest. The Bible tells us that the harvest is plentiful but the labourers are few. There are souls out there to be won for the kingdom but workers are needed to take up the great commission and that is ''to go into all the world and make disciples of all nations, baptizing them in the name of the Father and of the Son and of the Holy Spirit".


William Booth, the founder of the Salvation Army,  expressed his willingness to follow the great commission by saying this " while women weep as they do now, I'll fight; while children go hungry as they do now, I'll fight; while men go to prison, in and out, as they do now, I'll fight; while there is a poor lost girl upon the streets, while there remains one dark soul without the light of God, I'll fight, I'll fight o the very end.


We need to till the land and sow seeds for God's Kingdom. We don't help our elderly; we ignore our young people; we refuse to stand in the bus to give the pregnant lady a seat, yet, we want them to be receptive to the Word when we preach it. In essence, we have to show LOVE to our fellow man. Once we've tilled the land, we can sow the seeds of the gospel by telling persons about Christ  and Salvation. God sends the rain. I want to be a worker for the Lord!

Sowing in the morning, sowing seeds of kindness,

Sowing in the noontide and the dewy eve;

Waiting for the harvest, and the time of reaping,

We shall come rejoicing, bringing in the sheaves.