Virgin Islands Character; What Once Was
As a child growing up
in the Virgin Islands I was afforded opportunities to observe the inner
workings social or extra curricula
activities within the territory and their benefits. I recognized that all pageants,
leagues and institutional organizations all had one thing in common; they facilitated opportunities for adolescents
to obtain and build character building skills which can help them with personal
growth. Basketball and baseball leagues valued character. All students had to
be in good standing within their various school communities This also provided
opportunities f or children without privilege to learn and develop character
building traits necessary to become productive members of society. To build
habits like punctuality, dressing formal, taking pride in their appearance and
work ( school or work whatever that maybe).
Young men once had ample opportunities to build character
and integrity, learning the many other ways to earn respect but most
importantly they learned respect for themselves. Young girls were too given
ample opportunities to learn how to become ladies, and shine equally amongst
their adolescent peers through various sports and organizations regardless of
gender. Their opportunities facilitated hope for other young girls within the
territory as well as illustrated to member of our society the importance of
such organizations. But the lack of consideration for many of these character
building traits leaves adolescents and parents with a lack of appreciation for
these traits and our schools with the ethical dilemmas of how to proceed. Do
they bother to solve it at all? How can teachers and administrators within the
institution of education help foster skills that should have been introduced
and reinforced at home first?
Sincerely, I don’t think they can without meaningful
parental involvement and collaboration between families and the school. Calling
and texting a teacher is a form of informal communication that can be very
beneficial in many areas but it is not enough. Waiting until report cards are
issued to buckle down on studies does not work, more importantly my fellow
parents making excuses for you child does not work (even if you’re the excuse!).
It is time to reteach to our children through role modeling everyday how to be
responsible and take responsibility for their actions. Admit that it is your
fault and work to find ways to rectify it through collaborating with teachers or the administration; extra credit, or community service does attribute to their academic standing as well as character traits.
Rather than illustrating the ignorance that has become synonymous with our citizens in recent generations. Solidarity and integrity have always been vital components of our culture; Virgin Islanders lets make it a priority to embrace our own traditions rather than reforming to those of our national neighbors.
The views expressed within the blog are solely those of Ms. Child Advocate and does not reflect on any of her affiliations. For more on the U.S Virgin Islands youths read Curriculum Choices, Learning Environment & Strategies, My Beliefs on Language Acquisition, Respect Goes Both Ways: Teacher and Student
