Beyond the Marog Kingdom

Talking Trees

2012-03-04T09:26:00.000-08:00

Easton Lee

Talking Trees Fiesta at 2-Seasons Guest House, on Saturday, February 25, was a showcase of Jamaican talent in writing, poetry and music—enough to keep us captivated for more than the one day programmed.

My main focus is on the Panel Discussion—Writing for Children, in keeping with my blog theme, but I couldn’t write this post without mentioning some of the other contributors. The fiesta opened with Monique Morrison’s poems, and Melanie Schwapp reading from her recently launched novel Dew Angels. They were followed by master story teller Easton Lee, who read some of his poems interspersed with vivid descriptions of his childhood, slipping with ease from standard English to patois and back.

A representative from JAMCOPY spoke to us about the importance of registering one’s creations with them.

The panel discussion followed, moderated by Suzanne Francis-Brown. First to speak was Sharon Martini, whom I’d heard sing at Mountambrin. Surprise! She’s also a writer and illustrator of children’s books, which she uses to speak about racism and equality. Her book Max and Me was inspired by a little girl at her sons’ school, who asked if she could touch Sharon’s skin. When she touched Sharon’s skin with eyes closed, she discovered that skin is skin. Read more about her at Dotty Beetle Books .

Jean Forbes, who writes for 8-12 year-olds, has worked for the Ministry of Education but regrets that the stories she has written are available only in primary schools, not prep schools. She made several points which I heartily endorse: go for self-publishing and marketing, and e-books; comics are good for boys; when we are giving a gift, give our books; and read to children. She read from her story about a little drum, with the refrain “I have the right to be me”.

Kellie Magnus, author of the Little Lion Books, spoke from the viewpoint of a publisher as well as a writer. She took up the challenge of writing for children after finding out that there were no titles by Jamaican authors on display in the bookshops. At the time she was a strategy consultant for Price Waterhouse, so did her due diligence. She was told not to print more that 3000 copies and that they would take five years to sell. She sold 5000 copies in six months! She has been energetic in marketing. She goes to a school one day a week and listens to the children. What authors submit is not what they want. Few submissions reflect life as children have it today.

Diane Browne has a long and illustrious career in writing for children. She has been published by Heinemann Caribbean, Carlong, Arawak Publications, Ministry of Education, Ginn UK, Harcourt and Friendship Press. She has received many awards including a bronze Musgrave Medal. She started writing for the same reason as Kelly and Sharon. She wanted to see black people portrayed as being ordinary people. Her early writing is for children 12 and under. Then she transitioned to time travel, to portray how ordinary people in Jamaica lived at the time of the 1907 Earthquake and Hurricane Charley (1951), but at the same time writing an exciting adventure story. Her most recent book is Island Princess in Brooklyn, a title in Carlong’s Sand Pebble series, will find empathizers among thousands of Jamaicans who made the same journey as Princess, and is a must read for all teenagers who are waiting for their mothers to send for them. You can read more on Diane's blog

Sharon Martini, Kellie Magnus, Jean Forbes, Diane Browne, and Suzanne Francis-Browne

The lessons I learnt from this panel discussion—the importance of indigenous literature, the importance of persistence, the importance of marketing, the importance of using current technology—are not new, but serve to energize me. Perhaps most important of all—we need to work together.

The programme continued with Fern Luecke, folklorist and Christine Craig, poet, followed by the Open Mic. Then we had a sneak peek at Aston Cooke’s play Jonkanoo Jamboree. Other presenters were Roland Watson-Grant, Kalialah Enriquez, Marc Thomas, A. Igoni Barrett (from Nigeria), Fabian Thomas, Micahel Abrahams and Malachi Smith.

I would have liked time to meet and talk to the presenters. Perhaps this suggestion can be factored into what I hope will become and annual event.

Actors taking part in Jonkanoo Jamboree

You can read more in the following Gleaner Articles: Talking Trees Does Close Double and

Culturefest kick-starts St. Bess Celebrations

Reading to Children - A Non-event

2012-02-26T12:57:00.000-08:00

Carpet for the children

On Saturday, February 18, 2012 the St. James Parish Library presented “Wi Likkle but Wi Tallawah” intended for young children accompanied by one or two parents. The carpet was laid out for them together with a book display. I was on hand to talk to the parents about the importance of reading to children, to demonstrate ‘how to’ and to answer questions. This was the second installment of an initiative, which was launched in November, but, guess what, nobody came!

Flyers had been distributed and people who were at the launch invited, but clearly this was on nobody’s agenda at 10:00 a.m. on Saturday morning. The library chose this time when they’re not too busy. Was it too early? Is Saturday a bad day? Possibly both, but I think the main reason is that parents who already read to their children didn’t need to come, and parents who don’t read to their children don’t see the necessity of doing so. The latter group needs to be sought out and informed.

Book Display

Where are the little children?

Reading to your children is one of the most important things you can do, for several reasons:

1. It introduces children to story and the written word. From a young age they will know that marks on a page represent ideas.

2. When you take a child on your knee and read a book with him, or read to him when he’s tucked up in bed at night, he associates reading with pleasant emotions, and will be more likely to want to learn to read.

3. The written word differs from the spoken word. (We all know this—we can tell when somebody’s reading a speech as opposed to speaking.) Children learn to speak by hearing speech and copying it. They learn the grammar of the written word by hearing it read. This is as true for children who speak standard English as it is for those who speak patois, but for the patois speakers it is an effortless way of introducing standard English. Children learn how to construct past and present tense, plurals and to use possessive pronouns through hearing them read. When they’ve heard the same story many times, they’ll know it by heart.

How can we help parents who can’t read? Could they use the ‘talking book’ in one of its many forms? I remember cassette tapes that went with books when my daughters were little. I presume these have been superseded by CD’s.

The next “Wi Likkle but Wi Tallawah” will be on Saturday, March 17 and thereafter on every 3rd Saturday. If you know of a parent of young children who would benefit from attending, please let them know about it.

Orrett Rhoden at Mountambrin Theatre – Gallery

2012-02-21T09:38:00.000-08:00

I take a break from my usual topics to write about The First International Orrett Rhoden Music Festival of Jamaica 2012.

Mountambrin Tower

We have been hearing about Orrett Rhoden’s achievements as a classical pianist from time to time over the last thirty years, so were excited to hear that, on Sunday, February 6, 2012 he would be performing at a venue within reach of Montego Bay. Along the road to Savannah la Mar, we turned left in Whithorn, on the road to Darliston. After about a mile, we wondered if we were on the right road. We were reassured when we saw Toad Road on the left and a sign to Mountambrin. We drove a mile as directed, seeing magnificent views of the Westmoreland plain to our left. We were in no doubt that we had arrived at the right place, when we saw beautiful gardens and unusual architecture.

We entered the theatre gallery at the upper level. Walls are covered in paintings and there are carvings everywhere.

At the western end of the theatre is a particularly magnificent piece of artwork in stained glass, “The Lost Boys of Sudan” by Rus Gruhlke, painter, sculptor and poet. He is the owner of Mountambrin Retreat, which he purchased from Alex Haley in 1975.

View from the Gallery

Orrett Rhoden opened the concert with works by Bach and Scarlatti which he played on the harpsichord. He acknowledged that the instrument wasn’t responding as it should, so to compensate he moved to the piano to play some well-known pieces by Chopin.

Orrett Rhoden and Elaine Oxamendi Vicet (MC)

Bunny Rose and Sharon Martini

Dr. Illo Humphrey, baritone, sang accompanied by Orrett Rhoden, his friend of thirty years. Later in the programme he sang unaccompanied. He is a mediaevalist so his selections were taken from that period. Most were in Latin or French, so he recited the words followed by their translation before singing. He also explained the influence of the synagogue and the Jewish chant on singing in the Catholic church of that time.

In the ‘intermission’ Bunny Rose, cabaret pianist, played and then accompanied Sharon Martini, soprano. When he didn’t feel competent to accompany her singing “I could have danced all night” from My Fair Lady, Orrett Rhoden stepped up to the plate, much to the delight of the audience.

During the second half of the programme, staff from Northern Caribbean University displayed their talents. They were Edison Valencia, pianist; Rafael Salazar, clarinetist; Rosette Chisholm-Salazar, soprano; and Jose Carlos Oxamendi Vicet, violincellist. The MC for the programme was Elaine Oxamendi Vicet, Chair, Department of Communication Studies at NCU.

L-R: Rafael Salazar, Rosette Chisholm Salazar, Illo Humphrey, Jose Carlos and Edison Valencia

Illo Humphrey, Orrett Rhoden and Jose Carlos Oxamendi Vicet brought the concert to a close with a performance of the Solemn Mass by Cesar Franck written for organ (played on the piano), violincello and tenor.

L- R: Jose Carlos Oxamendi Vicet, Orrett Rhoden and Illo Humphrey

The brilliance of the performers, the ambiance at Mountambrin and the small but appreciative audience all contributed to the success of the final concert of The First International Orrett Rhoden Music Festival of Jamaica 2012. We hope this will become an annual event.

For futher information on the Orrett Rhoden Music Festival, see the Daily Gleaner Article of January 29, 2012: http://jamaica-gleaner.com/gleaner/20120129/ent/ent7.html

On Sunday, March 25, 2012, The Boston Piano Quartet will be performing at the Mountambrin Theatre Gallery.

JCDC Creative Writing Exhibition Tour 2011/12

2012-02-12T08:54:00.000-08:00

Of all the festival competitions run by the JCDC, the Creative Writing Contest gets the least publicity. This is hardly surprising, as the written word does not generate the kind of excitement that music, dance and culinary competitions do. Most of these have parish finals, from which the best go to the national finals. Also, many of the entries come from schools, so participants have followers anxious to see their performances and celebrate their successes. In contrast, entrants for the Creative Writing Competition submit their entries without fanfare, in the last week in June. The public hear nothing about them until the Awards Ceremony held in Kingston in November. After that, the winning entries are put together in an exhibition which is displayed in Parish Libraries – 2 weeks for each parish.

In St. James, the 2012 exhibition runs from Monday, Feb 6 to Friday, Feb 17. Miss Natalie Morris, Cultural Organiser for St. James, must be congratulated on planning an attention-grabbing programme for the opening of the exhibition, which coincidentally fell on Bob Marley’s birthday. Musical presentations by St. James Prep School—Bob Marley Medley; and Spot Valley High School, winner of the Bob Marley Song Arrangement Competition 2011, certainly enlivened the programme.

Dr. Asburn Pinnock

The Guest Speaker, Dr. Asburn Pinnock, Principal of Sam Sharpe Teachers’ College gave an informative and entertaining presentation on Bob Marley. Using modern technology, he illustrated his account of Marley’s life with clips of his songs. Thanks are extended to Mackie Conscious for being there with his speaker box to amplify them.

Miss Morris adjusts the microphone for me.

The only ‘written word’ presentation was given by Helen Williams, who read an excerpt from Delroy and the Marog Princess, her bronze-medal winning entry in the 2011 Creative Writing Contest.

JCDC Creative Writing Exhibition Tour 2011/12 moves to the Hanover Parish Library from Feb 21 to Mar 6, then to Westmoreland from Mar 8-22; St. Elizabeth: Mar 26 to Apr 10; Manchester: Apr 12-26; Clarendon: Apr 30 - May 14; St. Catherine: May 16-30; St. Thomas: June 1-15; Portland: Jun 19 - July 23. The tour has already visited the other parishes.

In order to increase awareness of the JCDC Creative Writing Contest, Miss Morris also organised Poetry, Pudding and Punch (see my blog posted on Dec 23, 2011) with another evening of Poetry and Art, planned for Frebruary 26, 2012. Perhaps we need more functions where music, dance, painting, creative writing and photography can be displayed together. Poetry readings are appropriate for this mix, but other writing not so. Short stories and novels are intended for silent reading at one’s own convenience. A short story of 3000 words would take about 25 minutes to read out loud (and an average of 10 minutes to read silently) and an average novel would take about ten hours to read out loud! Plays, on the other hand, require their own stage and are costly to produce. A well-known play, Smile Orange, by Trevor Rhone was entered for the Creative Writing Contest many years ago, after which it became a popular production.

Do find time to visit the Exhibition at your parish library, and take 10 minutes to read a short story. I enjoyed the children's story: The Adventures of Jonah and Mesky the Mosquito by Lisa Shaw.

You can find out about the requirements for entering the Creative Writing Contest at the JCDC website: http://www.jcdc.gov.jm/literary_arts

Dyslexia

2012-02-08T18:47:00.000-08:00

“I grew up in a school system . . . where nobody understood the meaning of learning disorder. In the West Indies, I was constantly being physically abused because the whipping of students was permitted.”
-- Harry Belafonte

The learning disorder that Harry Belafonte suffered from was dyslexia, which made it difficult for him to read, write and spell. This condition isn’t linked to lack of intelligence and is in fact more noticeable in highly intelligent children, because they are expected to learn to read easily. Famous people including Agatha Christie, Alexander Graham Bell, Danny Glover, Hans Christian Anderson, Tom Cruise, Thomas Edison, Walt Disney and Richard Branson are (or were) dyslexic.

Children are not usually recognized as being dyslexic until they are observed at school having difficulties with reading and spelling, but research has shown that indications of the condition can be seen in pre-school aged children. These include:

• delays in speech (Albert Einstein, who was dyslexic, didn’t speak until he was 3 years old);

• slow learning of new words;

• difficulty in rhyming words, as in nursery rhymes;

• low letter knowledge;

• letter reversal or mirror writing (for example, "Я" instead of "R");

• easily distracted by background noise;

• persistent difficulty in putting shoes on the correct feet;

• unduly late in learning to fasten buttons or tie shoe-laces;

• enjoys being read to, but shows no interest in letters or words;

• often accused of “not listening” or “not paying attention”;

• excessive tripping, bumping into things, and falling over;

• difficulty with catching, kicking or throwing a ball, hopping and/or skipping;

• difficulty with clapping a simple rhythm and with sequence e.g. coloured bead sequence – later with days of the week or numbers; quick “thinker” and “doer” – but not in response to instruction;

• enhanced creativity – often good at drawing – good sense of colour;

• aptitude for constructional or technical toys e.g. bricks, puzzles, Lego, blocks, remote control for TV, computer keyboard.

“Not all dyslexic children experience all of the difficulties listed above. Moreover, it is important to note that many very many young children make similar mistakes to dyslexic children, but it is the severity of the trait, the clarity with which it may be observed, and the length of time during which it persists which give the vital clues to the identification of the dyslexic learner.” (Jean Augur)

Once at school, the trait is more easily recognized. The child has difficulty

• learning the alphabet or letter order;

• associating sounds with the letters that represent them;

• identifying or generating rhyming words, or counting syllables in word;

• segmenting words into individual sounds, or blending sounds to make words;

• learning to decode written words;

• distinguishing between similar sounds in words; mixing up sounds in polysyllabic words (for example, "aminal" for animal, "bisghetti" for spaghetti)

How is dyslexia diagnosed?

A reading specialist will ask the parent what signs of dyslexia she and her child’s teachers have seen. The child may be asked to take reading and skill tests. Tests may include those that look at the child's personality and how he or she learns, solves problems, and uses words. These tests can help find out if the child has dyslexia or another learning problem. An assessment can help a child to understand that there is a genuine reason for their difficulties, which can really improve their confidence.
In Jamaica, The Mico Univeersity College has a Child Assessment and Research in Education (CARE) Centre in Kingston (Tel #929-7720), with other offices in St. Ann’s Bay and Mandeville, where children with learning difficulties can be assessed.

What causes dyslexia?

Experts don't know for sure what causes dyslexia. But it often runs in families. Also, some studies have found problems with how the brain links letters and words with the sounds they make. Some children are unable to distinguish between vowel sounds: short ‘a’ ‘e’ ‘i’ ‘o’ and ‘u’ all sound the same to them. Dyslexia isn't caused by poor vision, and people with dyslexia don't see letters and words backward.

Treatment

The best time to start helping a dyslexic child is when he or she is between 3 and 7 years old. Many of the strategies for teaching dyslexic children are also useful for teaching other children. The emphasis is on a multisensoral approach—using senses of sight, hearing and touch. For example, the child could:

• arrange objects in order to match as similar set of objects. A child can also do this on the computer - see www.abcya.com/patterns.htm

• repeat words in the order they are given (three at a time to start with).

Child should thread buttons in correct sequence.

• say rhymes and poems.

• repeat rhyming words

• beat a rhythm he has listened to.

• talk about pictures. Help children notice details by asking questions e.g. is the man in front of or behind the car?

• shake containers of various objects (sand, coins, buttons etc.) one at a time and describe the sound (hard or soft) and guess what is inside.

• Listen to and repeat instructions. (Start with two.)

• Trace shapes of letters and words with the fingers

• Make letters with plasticene or modelling clay.

This puzzle isn't too easy for some children.

• Do jigsaw puzzles.

• Thread coloured beads on a string in a given order

When teaching reading

• Teach how letters are linked to sounds to make words.

• Encourage children to listen to, say, look at, and write—these 4 activities for every letter and word.

• Have the child read aloud with a teacher’s help.

Medicines and counseling usually are not a part of treatment for dyslexia.

Ideally, dyslexic children should be taught by professionals trained to do so, with a structured, individually designed programme. Ideally, all primary school teachers should be trained to recognize dyslexia and be able to teach dyslexics. However, in Jamaica, this is unlikely to happen. What we can do in the meantime is to raise awareness, especially among parents and the children themselves of this specific learning disability. Dyslexics tackle tasks in different ways from non-dyslexics. They are not stupid—which raises another point—no child should ever be made to feel that they are stupid or inferior, either by adults or by other children.

“If a child cannot learn the way we teach, we must teach him the way he can learn.”

Useful websites: http://www.dyslexiaaction.org.uk/ and http://www.bdadyslexia.org.uk/

Trauma and Post Traumatic Stress Disorder (PTSD) in Children.

2012-01-30T18:02:00.000-08:00

The more I look at the factors impacting on a child’s ability to learn to read, the more I find out that we may not be paying enough attention to psychological and emotional factors.
Trauma is one of these, which affects children in all aspects of their school work, not only in learning to read. I obtained the information for this post from “Surviving Childhood: An Introduction to the Impact of Trauma” on http://www.childtraumaacademy.com/ .You may be interested in visiting this site to learn more, but for those readers who would like a summary, here it is.

Trauma is a psychologically distressing event that is outside the range of usual human experience. It often involves a sense of intense fear, terror and helplessness. Examples of traumatic events are physical abuse, hurricanes, fires, traffic accidents, witnessing violence, multiple painful medical procedures, sudden death of a parent, threat of violence at school or home.

Threat!

Humans respond to threats with what is called the ‘fight or flight’ reaction—heart races, palms sweat, mouth becomes dry and stomach churns. With an increase in the threat level, the response moves from vigilance to alarm, then fear and finally terror. During a traumatic event, all of the person’s thinking, behaving and feeling are directed by more primitive parts of the brain, and the person tunes out all non-critical information. (So much for people telling us not to panic—do we have a choice?)

A second common reaction pattern to threat is dissociation—the mental mechanism by which one withdraws attention from the outside world and focuses on the inner world. A person may have the feeling that he is an outside observer of what is happening to him. In extreme cases, children may withdraw into an elaborate fantasy world where they may assume special powers.

When the trauma ends, there should be a return to normal within a month. The child moves from terror to fear, then vigilance and with time and support, back to calm. The brain will resume pre-trauma styles of thinking. The child that has dissociated will begin to pay attention to external stimuli.

During this time also, the child will remember the event and play it over and over in his mind, as he tries to make sense of what has happened. He may feel more fear at this time than during the actual threat. All of us can identify with this—we think of what might have happened and are fearful of a repeat. Traumatic memory involves the storage and recall of memory at several levels, not only what, where and when, but also memories of feelings such as fear, dread and sadness, which are stored in sub-conscious parts of the brain. The more life-threatening the experience, the more difficult it will be for the normal mental mechanisms to work efficiently to process and master that experience.

Long after children have experienced a severe traumatic event, about half of them still suffer from confusion, emotional pain, distress and fear so severe that they are not able to function normally. They are suffering from post traumatic stress disorder, (PTSD). This is because, when the child remembers the event, they can recall and relive the emotional and physiological changes that were present in the alarm reaction. They remember how they were feeling and what state they were in, causing a state of hyperarousal. There is an increased startle response, increased muscle tone, a fast heart rate and elevated blood pressure. In addition, the fearful child has a tendency to be defiant and aggressive.

Trauma can have a devastating effect on an individual child, profoundly altering physical, emotional, cognitive and social development. Ultimately we all pay the price exacted by childhood trauma, whether we are dealing with individual children or large numbers of scarred adults assuming their places in society. Social problems of traumatized children can manifest in teenage pregnancy, drug abuse, school failure, victimization and anti-social behavior. The escalating cycles of abuse and neglect of children in some communities can, in turn become a major contributor to many other social problems, such as proliferation of violence and social disintegration.

However, early and aggressive treatment of traumatized children decreases the risk of developing PTSD and other stress-related problems seen later in life. Typical approaches include individual and group therapy. In individual therapy, the child has one-on-one contact with a clinician.

We can also do our part. Here are some guidelines for living or working with traumatized children.

1. Don’t be afraid to discuss the traumatic event when the child brings it up.

2. Provide a consistent, predictable pattern for the day.

3. Be nurturing, comforting and affectionate when the child asks for it.

4. Discuss your expectations for behavior and your style of discipline with the child—use positive reinforcement and rewards.

5. Talk with the child, giving age-appropriate information.

6. Watch closely for signs of reenactment, avoidance and hyperreactivity. Record the behaviors and try to notice a pattern.

7. Protect the child. Stop activities that are upsetting or retraumatizing for the child.

8. Give the child choices and some sense of control.

9. If you have questions, ask for help.

How many of our Jamaican children are suffering from PSTD? Are there any statistics on this? We only have to watch the evening news (which is certainly not suitable for children) to see that children witness or are involved in motor vehicle accidents, and acts of violence with knives and guns, and have their houses burnt down. The available support services are certainly insufficient to cope with the numbers of children, many of whom may receive no help whatsoever. Teachers may be unaware of their condition, regarding them as lazy or badly behaved.

Please help to spread knowledge of PTSD in children by recommending this post to people you know.

Interview with psychologist Dr. Pearnel Bell on ADHD

2012-01-22T10:23:00.000-08:00

A few years ago, I was asked to help a boy with ADHD (Attention Deficit Hyperactivity Disorder) with preparation for the Grade Six Achievement Test. At his initial interview with me in the presence of his mother, he appeared quite normal. He was able to read a story silently and answer questions about it. When he came for class, we decided to look at his homework. I left the room to get a reference book, and when I came back, he had disappeared! I found him hiding in a cupboard! This was not out of fear, but was a practical joke on his part. He was testing my reactions. I learnt that I had to have everything prepared before he came, to include practical activities and not to spend too long on any one activity.
This boy had made great strides before I met him, and continued to improve, especially with the help of his speech therapist, Winsome Stewart. He was fortunate in being diagnosed and treated early, but there are many who are not so lucky. Having this condition can be a reason why a child doesn’t learn to read, so I asked Dr. Bell to answer some questions about it. I was excited to learn that she has written a book entitled A Teacher Guide to Understanding the Disruptive Behaviour Disorders which will soon be available in books stores in the USA.

Dr. Pearnel Bell

Dr. Pearnel Bell is a practicing psychologist in Montego Bay, Jamaica. She works with children, adolescents, and adults. She is also affiliated to Committee for the Upliftment of the Mentally Ill (CUMI). Her book entitled Words Once Unspoken: Poetry Inspired by Friendship, a book of therapeutic poems, is in books stores in the USA and on amazon.com.

Helen: What is ADHD?
Dr. Bell: ADHD is a neurobiological disorder that results in impulsivity, hyperactivity and inattention.

Helen: How is ADHD diagnosed and can it be misdiagnosed?
Dr. Bell: Sometimes a child may present with predominantly inattentive type or hyperactive. When the disorder manifest as inattention, the ADD diagnosis is given. Several other medical problems can present with symptoms of ADHD and so it can be misdiagnosed.

Helen: What is the prevalence of ADHD Jamaica?
Dr. Bell: Dr. Audrey Pottinger, consultant clinical psychologist at the University of the West Indies, reported that it is as high as 25% of the population.
Helen: That sounds awefully high.

Helen: I believe you have done some research on ADHD with children in Jamaican schools. Were principals and teachers receptive to your enquiries?
Dr. Bell: Yes they were –I have now published a book entitled “ A Teacher Guide to Understanding the Disruptive behaviour Disorders”.

Helen: What was the outcome of your research?
Dr. Bell: The research indicates that there is a high incident of ADHD in schools and teachers were unprepared to deal with the disorder.

Helen: What is the best approach for teachers to take with children with ADHD?
Dr. Bell: It is a multi-disciplinary approach that should be taken but teachers must become aware of the diagnosis and recognize it as a disorder and develop strategies that are covered in my book.

Helen: What is the best approach for parents to take with children with ADHD?
Dr. Bell: Understand what it is and help to regulate the child’s behaviour with a variety of techniques that involve showing unconditional positive regards, behaviour modification strategies that have to be taught to them by a professional

Helen: Are there any foods or drinks which exacerbate ADHD?
Dr. Bell: No- There is a widely held myth that sugar increases hyperactivity this is not true.

Helen: What is your opinion on drug treatment for children with ADHD?
Dr. Bell: Drug treatment is an important part of the treatment because of the neurobiological causation of the disorder. In my book I have a chapter that speaks to drug therapy.

Helen: What alternatives are there to drug treatment?
Dr. Bell: There are computer based programs- One called the Sharper Brain Program that help with the child concentration. There is also biofeedback that helps the child to regulate activity level.

Helen: Do you think that Jamaican schools provide enough outlets for normal children’s need for free movement?
Dr. Bell: Recess, lunch time are seen as play time. Physical education - other than that I cannot say if they get free movement. For the ADHD student, teachers need to provide this outlet.

Helen: Is there anything else which you think parents and teachers should know about ADHD?
Dr. Bell: Please let them know about my book as it addresses all the questions you have raised.

Helen: Thank you Dr. Bell. I look forward to reading your book, and hope it will soon be available in Jamaica.

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2012-01-16T09:01:00.000-08:00

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Early Literacy

2012-01-14T13:27:00.000-08:00

     My main concern is with the high level of illiteracy in Jamaica and the fact that children can pass through the school system without learning to read. It doesn’t have to be so. I believe that many of us making a small contribution could make a real difference. My posts over the next few months will give suggestions as to how. I will start with outlining the situations in which children do learn to read.
     Volumes have been written about methods of teaching children to read, and hundreds of hours have been spent researching how children learn, but how a person actually learns to read is still a mystery. Methods go in and out of fashion, and one set of research contradicts the findings of another. But one observation remains constant— a child learns best in an atmosphere free of stress, in the company of a supportive and caring individual. Badgering and harassing a child, or otherwise communicating anxiety will result in the child having an adverse emotional attitude towards learning.
     There are many pre-reading activities in which a child can be involved which increase the child’s experience, foster the growth of language and encourage awareness and concentration, all of which set the stage for learning to read. These include Art, Crafts, Music, Movement and Imaginative Play, which a child can do at home or at Basic School. Some examples are

• Listening to and telling stories, rhymes, jingles, poetry.

• Giving and following instructions.

• Dressing up and role playing, pretend and real use of telephone.

• Taking part in desk games.

• Sorting and matching by colour, size and shape in various materials.

• Drawing with pencils, crayons or markers. Painting with a brush (I have beaten the ends of hibiscus twigs to make brushes for 3-year-old children who tend to destroy conventional brushes.) Drawing with fingers in sand (not necessarily at the beach).

Children painting at my school in Lucea. 1983

     Some people think that ‘just playing’ has nothing to do with learning, when in fact it is an important pre-reading activity.
     Children will probably have no difficulty learning to read if they have had plenty of pre-reading activities, and if the following apply: The child

• Is in good health, can see and hear properly, is free from speech defects and is not seriously retarded in intelligence.

• Is not suffering from stress or post-traumatic stress disorder.

• Asks questions and wants to know what’s going on.

• Understands oral instructions and is able to carry them out.

• Listens satisfactorily to a story and can retell a simple story.

• Can see similarities and differences in simple drawings.

• Draw in a representational form.

• Is generally self-reliant and able to work on his/her own for short periods.

• Co-operates with others.

• Can match word with word.

• Shows signs of wanting to learn to read.

(Adapted from Key Words to Literacy by J. McNally and W. Murray The Teacher Pub. Co.)

     By the time they are five or six years old, children who have been exposed to books will also know how to turn the pages, and be aware that sentences run horizontally, from left to right. They will probably be more proficient than me with computers, tablets and smart phones! They will most likely know the letters of the alphabet and be able to write them. Teaching of reading and writing go hand in hand.

What next?

Examples of flash cards

     That depends on the teaching method employed. In the ‘look and say’ method, the child learns to recognize whole words by their shape, in sentences in a reading book or on flash cards. Whole sentences help the child to anticipate meaning. Flash cards can have a picture on one side and word on another, and a child can use them as a prompt. They have a variety of other uses, including the playing of games.

Some teachers use phonics from the beginning and use series such as Jolly Phonics. Children learn to associate letters with the speech sounds they represent, rather than learning to recognize the whole word as a unit. Knowing the letter sounds, the child must learn to blend e.g. ku-a-t into ‘cat’. I often wondered why so much emphasis is placed on spelling in Jamaican schools, but I had to ask myself
     “Is it easier to decode using phonics or by having learnt a spelling?”
      Part of the difficulty associated with phonics results from the way in which Jamaicans pronounce their words. (This difficulty is not unique to Jamaica as there are variations in pronunciation wherever the English language is spoken). Whether through spelling or phonics, the child only becomes a competent reader when he has ‘read’ the word enough times to be able to recognize it instantly. Some children need much more practice than others.

     All children need to read every day, and in addition to their ‘reading’ book, as they grow in confidence, they need a variety of reading material, including colourful and interesting books from the book corner or library. Let’s not forget to keep reading to our children—wonderful stories which children love to hear may have too many unfamiliar words or too small a print for the beginning reader.

        In my next blogs I will consider what happens to children who do not fit into the ‘best-case scenario’ and how we can help them.

Happy New Year

2011-12-31T14:55:00.000-08:00

Happy New Year

to my readers.

I hope you all have a
peaceful, productive
and inspirational
2012.

JCDC's Poetry, Pudding and Punch with Mervyn Morris

2011-12-23T18:42:00.000-08:00

On a balmy, moonlit Sunday evening, December 11, 2011, on the terrace of the Altamont West Hotel in Montego Bay, the St. James Office of the Jamaica Cultural Development Association treated an enthusiastic audience to a selection of readings.

Brian Brown

The MC for the evening was Mr. Brian Brown, who also read some of his poems, written over the course of several years. He reminisced on the diverse states of his mind when he wrote them. My favourite was his poem about his daughter.

Albert Robinson

Mr. Albert Robinson read from his novel Locks and the Cross, which was given an Honourable Mention at the Creative Writing Awards Ceremony, 2011. Mr. Robinson has moved speedily to publish his novel, which is now available as an e-book on Amazon.

Miss Keniesha Lowe and Mrs. Arlene McKenzie, put us in a reflective mood with their thought-provoking poems, while Mrs. Marline Stephenson-Dalley had us all laughing at her pun on the words ‘greater’ and ‘grater’.

Helen Williams

I read a chapter from Delroy and the Marog Princess for which I had won a bronze medal and Best Intermediate Novelist in the Creative Writing Awards Ceremony, 2011. Regrettably, I am unable to say when this novel will be published. I intend to self-publish, and am looking into the feasibility of doing a print-run as well as publishing as an e-book.

Jane Crichton

Mrs. Jane Crichton entertained us with a selection of her poems, some peaceful, some provocative, some hilarious—all read with her emphases, which we miss if we simply read them from her anthology or her calendars.

The highlight of the evening was the reading by Professor Mervyn Morris, poet and professor emeritus at the University of the West Indies, Mona. Prof. Morris was born in Kingston, and studied at the University College of the West Indies (which became UWI) and as Rhodes Scholar at St Edmund Hall, Oxford. In 1992 he was a UK Arts Council Visiting Writer-in-Residence at the South Bank Centre.

Professor Mervyn Morris

The blurb on the cover of I been there, sort of: New and Selected Poems, published by Carcanet in 2006, describes him thus: “Mervyn Morris is one of the most distinctive West Indian poets, his work characterised by economy, wit and humane seriousness. He makes elegant use of Jamaica's linguistic range, with poems in international standard English, Jamaican Creole and mixtures in between. These variations inflect his treatment of love, lust, time, memory, death, religion, politics, commitment, identity, history, art and other concerns. His poems frequently suggest the tension inherent in moments of choice.”

I been there, sort of: New and Selected Poems brings together poems from three of his previous collections, Shadowboxing, The Pond and Examination Centre, alongside new work.
              In his delivery of the many poems he selected for us, including the famous ‘Little Boy Crying’ and ‘The Roaches’ from his first collection of poems, The Pond, in spite of a lifetime of achievements, he came across as unassuming, friendly and caring. I am privileged to have shared the evening with him.
             Interspersed among readings by invitees were presentations at the open-mike by members of the audience. Natalie Morris of JCDC, and organiser of this event, read one of her poems. If you are one of the other creative people who plucked up courage to come to the mike, I would love you to give me information about your reading, in a comment which you can make below, and I will edit this post to include  it.
            Those in attendance enjoyed pudding and punch, and made a contribution of one thousand Jamaican dollars towards the activities of the St. James Office of the JCDC. I am looking forward to the next poetry evening which they are planning.

2011 Grade 4 Literacy Test Results

2011-11-17T15:17:00.000-08:00

Congratulations to the teachers and students in the schools falling in the top quintile in the Grade 4 Literacy Test, sat in June 2011, results of which were published in The Gleaner on Wednesday November 9, 2011. Special congratulations to three schools in the parish of St. James:

Salter’s Hill All Age, with 3 students in grade 4, all of whom achieved mastery, had a marvelous turnaround from 0% mastery in 2010 to 100% mastery in 2011.

Mount Zion Primary, with 5 students in grade 4, had an equally commendable turnaround from 0% mastery in 2010 to 80% in 2011, with 20% (one student) almost achieving mastery. (The total enrollment at this school has unfortunately fallen from 45 to 30 students.)

Mount Horeb All Age and Infant had only one student sit the exam, but since this student achieved mastery, that gave them 100%.

These were the schools I tracked in my post ‘Class Size and the Teaching of Reading’ on September 6, 2011, when I didn’t name them, because of their poor performance. I am now happy to highlight their good performance. Unlike The Gleaner, Thursday, November 10, 2011, which chose to write about poorly performing schools, under the headline ‘WEAK SCHOOL WATCH’, when they could have given prominence to the fact that there has been an overall 4% improvement in results over last year.

That article glossed over the fact that the schools with 0% mastery are all small schools. The statistics (published on Wednesday), and responses from the principals, to the charge of being called ‘weak schools’, published in the Gleaner on Friday, November 11, 2011, reveal the following:

Grades 4,5 and 6 students at Mount Vernon Primary School

Mount Vernon Primary, St. Thomas: The school enrollment was 13, with only 1 teacher to teach grades 1-6. The number of children in grade 4 was 3. One of them sat the test and obviously didn't attain mastery. The school enrollment increased to 15 this school year, and there are two teachers, one of whom is the acting principal. The school is in a remote location, with no road. More students used to attend this school, but parents prefer to send their children to Trinity Ville Primary.

Rose Hill Primary, Manchester: The Gleaner’s statistics state that the school enrollment was 38, with only 2 teachers to teach grades 1-6. The number of children in grade 4 was 4, two of whom sat the test. However, according to the principal, 8 students were eligible to sit the exam, 2 were absent, 2 had no grade sent for them. Of the other four, one got mastery, 2 non-mastery and one almost mastery. He also stated that they have a serious attendance problem with the students. The current enrollment is 80.

Hamwalk Primary, St. Catherine: The school enrollment was 23, with only 2 teachers to teach grades 1-6. The number of children in grade 4 was 5. Four of them sat the test. A teacher’s comment “The previous principal was the grade 4 teacher and most of the time the students didn’t have any teacher… they were not prepared for the exam.” Where was the principal? He should have been able to do his administrative work after school was dismissed. The present acting principal, on secondment from another school, pledges to improve on this performance. I believe she will.

Juan De Bolas Primary: The school enrollment was 43. Pupil teacher ratio was given as 9:1 indicating 4 teachers to teach grades 1-6. The number of children in grade 4 was given as 5, while 6 sat the test (did one turn up who wasn't enrolled?)

For these 4 schools, the number of children who sat the test, and failed to achieve mastery, adds up to 13. Compare this total with a school with 68% mastery, a population of 1,067, a grade 4 enrollment of 205, and having 184 children sit the test. 32% of 184 means that 58 children didn’t achieve mastery. This school is not on the weak school list but clearly needs help.

However, I still think there’s a case for closing these (and other) very small schools and sending the children to schools where there is at least one teacher per grade, specialized in the curriculum for that grade. The minimum enrollment for a primary school, I think, should be 210—six grades with 35 children in each grade. Despite the challenges of teaching in deep rural areas, it’s really not fair that some teachers have such small classes, while those in urban areas have classes of 50. Furthermore, it's because parents move their children from these deep rural schools, possibly because teachers are not teaching as they should, that the rolls are falling and those in urban areas are increasing.

One other observation from this year’s results: Of the 33,148 students who achieved mastery, 56% were girls and 44% were boys. This highlights the challenge of teaching boys to read. Perhaps there needs to be more appealing reading material for the boys who aren’t achieving mastery.

Jamaican Children's Writers meet at JCDC Awards Ceremony

2011-11-10T11:39:00.000-08:00

L to R: Diane Browne, Helen Williams, Hazel Campbell and
Jean Forbes after the JCDC Creative Writing Awards
Ceremony.

My previous post stubbornly refused to upload this photo. It must have wanted a post all to itself, so here it is.
Diane Browne is a multiple gold medal award winner in the JCDC Creative Writing Contests. In 1985, she won a gold medal for her children's story "Debonair the Donkey". The Commission published this book in 1986 - their first publication.
Diane's most recent book is "Island Princess in Brooklyn" edited by Hazel Campbell, published by Carlong in their Sand Pebble Series.
Diane recently won the Special Prize for a Children's Story in the Commonwealth Short Story Competition 2011, for her story The Happiness Dress. Congratulations Diane. You can read it by clicking on this link. (I haven't yet discovered how to post a link to a link!)
http://www.commonwealthfoundation.com/LinkClick.aspx?fileticket=11NmjykBBao%3d&tabid=879
You can read more about Diane on her blog
http://dianebrowneblog.blogspot.com/

Hazel Campbell is a writer and editor of children's stories. She describes herself as a
retired, freelance writer of fiction for children, radio and video scripts, but she doesn't appear to be retired at all. She still teaches a writing class. Her latest books - A Goatboy Never Cries -LMH Publishing Co., Bernie and the Captain's Ghost - Carlong Publishers (Caribbean) Ltd. Bernie and the Captain's Ghost won the BIAJ best children's chapter book award for 2011. Hazel was awarded a Silver Musgrave Medal by the Institute of Jamaica for 2011. Congratulations Hazel. You can read more about Hazel on her blog
http://jambooks-fiction.blogspot.com/

Jean Forbes is another children's writer who won an award at the JCDC Awards Ceremony, for a short story in the junior category.

JCDC Jamaica Creative Writing Awards Ceremony

2011-11-05T19:41:00.000-07:00

The moment of the long-awaited Jamaica Cultural Development Commission’s Creative Writing Awards Ceremony and Exhibition Opening, at the Knutsford Court Hotel, finally arrived on Nov 2, 2011, at 5:30 p.m. We awardees seated in front of the audience anxiously scanned the list for our names in the various categories, and congratulated each other on our accomplishments. I was happy to see that I had been awarded a bronze medal for Delroy and the Marog Princess (sequel to Delroy in the Marog Kingdom). About it the judges—Ms. Cheryl Brown, Dr. Lorna Down and Dr. Kimberly Robinson Walcott—said,

This is a creative and imaginative story with echoes of other myths and legends. It appears too to be a Part 2 to an earlier tale with significant details missing. The fantasy world that is created has a consistency of details allows the reader to willingly suspend disbelief. The writer clearly has a talent for creating memorable characters, with distinguishing features; the plot is fast-paced and holds the reader's attention. Many adolescents should find this tale engaging.

The ceremony started promptly at 6:00 p.m. but we had to wait a little longer to find out if we had won any of the Class or Overall Awards. In the meantime we were entertained by the Vaz Prep Dance Troupe; and readings by the Gold Medal Winners—Stephanie Lloyd, Donna Hall, Fabian Thomas and Seon Lewis.

Bronze Medal and Trophy for
Best Intermediate Novelist

I am happy to say that, in the Class Awards, I received the trophy for Best Intermediate Novelist for Delroy and the Marog Princess.

Congratulations to Seon Lewis—Best Overall Writer (1st place)—with 2 gold and 1 silver-medal- winning poems; and to Stephanie Lloyd—Outstanding Writer (2nd place) for her gold-medal-winning short story. Congratulations also to Hazel Campbell for having four past students from her writing class, including Stephanie, winning awards at this year’s ceremony.

After the ceremony, the Exhibition of winning entries was launched. It will be on display at Parish Libraries from Nov 8, 2011 to July 23, 2012, after which it will go on a World Tour.

Delroy and the Marog Princess in the Exhibition

Andrew Brodber, Speech, Drama and Literary Arts Specialist of JCDC, presents me with
a gift basket, courtesy of Yummy Bakery

Books for Boys at Bookland Part 2 - Non-Caribbean books

2011-11-01T09:29:00.000-07:00

Before the phenomenal success of the Harry Potter series, publishers had been unwilling to accept such long books, assuming children would read only short books. We have to thank J.K. Rowling for not only dispelling that myth, but also for making reading all the rage for children and teens.
Since J.K. Rowling, many authors have successfully published fantasy series for children. Not all the books in all the series listed below are on the shelves at Bookland, but they will be able to get them for you.

1. Rick Riordan. He is the author of the #1 New York Times bestselling Percy Jackson and the Olympians series for children, which features a twelve-year-old dyslexic boy who discovers he is the modern-day son of a Greek god.

Books in the series are

i. The Lightning Thief

ii. The Sea of Monsters

iii. The Titan's Curse

iv. The Battle of the Labyrinth

He has a new series—The Kane Chronicles:

i. Book 1: Red Pyramid

ii. Book 2: Throne of Fire

For fifteen years, Rick taught English and history at public and private middle schools. He now writes full time. His greatest satisfaction comes, not from being a bestselling author, but hearing from parents that reluctant readers cannot put down his books.

2. Neil Gaiman – “The Graveyard Book” for grades 5-8. The title tells the setting for this fantasy story.

3. Cornelia Funke wrote the Inkheart trilogy, published between 2003 and 2009—more fantasy for 9-12 year olds

i. Book 1 is Inkheart

ii. Book 2 is Inkspell

iii. Book 3 is Inkdeath (which I saw in Bookland.) Next to it on the shelf was“Reckless” published in 2011, at present a stand alone fantasy story, but a sequel may follow.

4. Paul Steward and Chris Riddell: The Edge Chronicles Fantasy Series. 10 books in this series for 9-12 year-olds.

5. Suzanne Collins: The Underland Chronicles (5 books)

i. Gregor the Overlander

ii. Gregor and the Prophecy of Bane

iii. Gregor and the Curse of the Warmbloods
iv. Gregor and the Marks of Secret

v. Gregor and the Code of the Claw

6. C.S. Lewis “The Chronicles of Narnia” (7 books) written in the early 1950’s, long before the current spate of fantasy stories, but reprinted and popular.

7. Lemony Snicket: A series of Unfortunate Events. There are 13 books in this series.

8. Jeff Kinney: Diary of the Wimpy Kid—many titles for 8-13 year-olds. These humorous books make a welcome change from the surfeit of fantasy.

Books for 12-15 year-olds, known in the publishing industry as young adult (YA).

9. James Patterson: The Witch and Wizard Series

James Patterson was selected by teens across America as the Children's Choice Book Awards Author of the Year in 2010. He is an internationally bestselling author.

10. Philip Pullman: His fantasy series “His Dark Materials” consists of 3 books:

i. The Golden Compass

ii. The Subtle Knife

iii. The Amber Spyglass

11. D.J.MacHale: The Pendragon Series: 10 books in this series of fantasy, science fiction and time travel.

12. Christopher Paolini: The Inheritance Cycle, starting with Eragon.
Christopher Paolini began writing Eragon at the age of 15. After writing the first draft for a year, he spent a second year rewriting it and fleshing out the story and characters. His parents saw the final manuscript and decided to self-publish Eragon. They spent a year traveling around the United States promoting the novel. He has since written sequels to Eragon.

Montego Bay High School Book Club

2011-10-25T19:01:00.000-07:00

While at Bookland on October 6, I met the President of the Book Club of Montego Bay High School. Since not many club members had come to my book reading and signing, she invited me to a meeting at her school. On Monday, October 24, I was warmly welcomed by an enthusiastic group of girls. They told me that their favourite books are romance novels and Stephanie Meyers’ titles.

Book signing.

Because of time constraints, I gave them a shortened version of my usual reading from Delroy in the Marog Kingdom, but they heard enough to know that they want to read the book! I signed the copy which they had purchased for members to read, after which they will donate it to the school library. I took the opportunity for a photo with the group.

Book Club members pose with the frog and the pot!

We had very little time for discussion, so I have accepted and invitation to attend another meeting, next term, when we will talk more about the writing process.
In the meantime, girls, please put your comments and questions on my blog. Click where it says ‘comments’ and a box should pop up for you to write in. You will need to identify yourself with an email address. You will also need to copy the strange sequence of letters which comes up. If it doesn’t work, it’s the system’s fault, not yours. Try again the next day! I’d also like to know what you’d like to see on my blog. Would you like competitions, puzzles or writing tips? Or would you like a forum for discussion with other students, in Jamaica and abroad?

I look forward to hearing from you.

Books for boys at Bookland will continue in my next post.

Books for Boys at Bookland, Part 1 - Caribbean Books

2011-10-20T14:19:00.000-07:00

Reading at Bookland

Bookland is well-stocked with ‘reading books’ for children, teenagers and adults. They do not sell school text-books. Bookland is located at 34 Union Street, Montego Bay, on the right between the intersections with East Street and King Street. There is extra parking at the rear.

After my book reading and signing there on October 6, 2011, I browsed the shelves in search of books which would appeal to boys.

Caribbean books

I have to start with the Island Fiction Series, a mix of fantasy, folklore and science fiction, set in the Caribbean, written for 10-15 year-olds, but appeal to children as young as 9. The stories move at a fast pace and are easy to read. The series includes my book Delroy in the Marog Kingdom, which is set in an imaginary village in Jamaica, and features River Mumma.

Other books in the series are:

1. The Legend of the Swan Children by Maureen Marks-Mendonca, set in Guyana.

2. The Chalice Project by Lisa Allen-Agostini—science fiction set in Trinidad.

3. Escape from Silk Cotton Forest by Francis Escayg—fantasy and folklore set in Trinidad.

4. Time Swimmer by Gerald Hausman—a boy travels through time on the back of a turtle, throughout the Caribbean.

5. Night of the Indigo by Michael Holgate—science fiction set in Jamaica. This book appeals to older readers who are lovers of science fiction.

Other Caribbean Books

For 9-12 year-olds

6. The Cay by Theodore Taylor—an adventure story set in Curacao and a small island in the Caribbean in 1942, but still relevant today.

7. Blue Mountain Trouble by Martin Mordecai—an adventure story set in the Blue Mountains of Jamaica.

8. The Boy from Willow Bend by Joanne Hillhouse.

9. Hurricane and Earthquake by Andrew Salkey. Both these books were written in the 1960’s but are still popular.

10. A Cow Called Boy and other books by Everard Palmer. Most Jamaican readers are familiar with these books, set in rural Jamaica.

For younger children, suitable for reading aloud or for them to read by themselves.

11. Mauby’s Big Adventure by Peter Laurie

12. Mauby and the Hurricane by Peter Laurie (I didn’t see this on the shelves but it was used by the Jamaica Library Service in their reading competition so should be available.)

13. Tales of Immortelles—A Collection of Caribbean Folk Tales by Norma McCartney

14. A Goat Boy Never Cries by Hazel Campbell. Her book Bernie and the Captain's Ghost won the Book Industry Association of Jamaica’s Best Children's Chapter Book Award for 2011. (I didn’t see this book on the shelves, but it should be available.)

Part 2 will focus on non-Caribbean books.

Do you do your children's homework?

2011-10-09T16:04:00.000-07:00

I've edited my original post, in which I confessed to doing an assignment for a seven-year-old 2nd grader, I help from time to time with homework. The assignment was to draw a skeleton. Being given no other information, I assumed this to be a human skeleton. In my thirty plus years of teaching biology, I never attempted to draw a human skeleton, nor did I ask my students up to and including 6th formers to do so. Individual bones, yes. A whole skeleton, no. Drawings and charts of skeletons, seen from different angles sufficed to understand the working of the skeleton. To my shame, I drew one, so the child would get a grade.

However, it turned out that the homework was not to draw a skeleton but to make a model of a skeleton. Experimenting with a ping-pong ball and some straws, I realised that the child could cut the straws, and staple them at the joints and to the rest of the skeleton, so they can move.

I gave 'drawing a skeleton' as an example unmanageable assignments which are given every day. Why did I condone cheating, which is what it is? The assignment was non-negotiable. Teacher set it and it had to be done. The teacher had set it because skeleton is on the syllabus for grade 2 term 1, specifically, the student should draw or make a model of bones… using the material provided. Fortunately, in this case, the assignment was not unmanageable and I was able to provide materials from which the child could make the model. I have also learnt that assignments can be negotiable.

I’m not for a moment suggesting that homework shouldn’t be given. I think it’s important for parents to be involved with children’s school work, and for them to supervise homework is one of the ways this can be achieved. Appropriate homework for parents to supervise include

• committing to memory such things as spellings, definitions, and multiplication tables.

• Doing practice exercises to consolidate what has been taught in the classroom.

• Listening to the child reading.

• Age-appropriate research.

All of these can be supervised by a parent or caregiver who has little or no knowledge of the subject matter. What is important is the interest they show and the attention they give to the child. The homework routine is an opportunity to teach self-discipline. Ideally, homework should be done at the same time every day, in a quiet place, free of distractions. (Certainly no TV on). There is a danger of homework becoming a battleground, so it may be necessary to offer some incentive, such as allowing the child to watch some TV programmes when the homework is satisfactorily completed.

The length of time children spend on homework is another bone of contention. Recommended times are

20 minutes for grades 1and 2;

30 minutes for grades 3 and 4;

a maximum of one hour for grades 5 and 6.

Of course these times will vary, as some children work more quickly than others. The top homework scholar in the U.S.A., Harris Cooper of Duke University, concluded that homework does not measurably improve academic achievement for children in grades 1 to 5. He also found that children in grades 6-8 who do up to 90 minutes, and from 9-11 who do up to 2 hours do better on standardized tests than those who do more.

I put out a call for teachers to give manageable homework assignments, with clear, unambiguous instructions. When somebody other than the child does the homework, it’s sending the wrong message, i.e. that it’s okay to cheat. We have to remember also that unmanageable homework penalizes the many children who are already at a disadvantage because they have nobody to help them.

HiLo Books

2011-09-27T14:46:00.000-07:00

Hi Lo books are so called because they have high interest and low difficulty. Typically, the subject matter is suitable for the age-group of the children who are reading it, but the reading level is easier than the usual material for that age-group.

While researching this topic, the author Michael Dahl attracted my attention. He is the Editorial Director for Stone Arch Books based in Minneapolis, where his books have won national design awards and been selected by the Junior Library Guild.

He is the author of more than 200 books for children and young adults. His nonfiction books get kids excited about reading. His fantasy series, The Library of Doom, is the most-read series by hi-lo readers across the US. Some of the titles in that series and the one that followed include The Book that ate my Brother, Sea of Lost Books and Cave of the Bookworms. Mr. Dahl himself lives in a haunted house! (Does that help him to write these scary stories?)

Apart from these, most of the books classified as HiLo are geared towards children described as reluctant readers. They are older children reading at grade 3 level or above. I didn’t find much for beginning readers, particularly for boys living in Jamaica. Do you know of any?

Boys' Reading

2011-09-18T10:19:00.000-07:00

I’m following Hazel Campbell and Diane Browne in a discussion on why boys don’t read fiction, sparked by a NY Times essay ‘Boys and Reading: Is There Any Hope?’ by Robert Lipsyte (August 19, 2011). The article focused on boys who can read but don’t. The bigger problem we have in Jamaica is so many boys not learning to read at all, or reading far below their level.

Boys find the early stages of reading to be a chore, not enjoyable activity because of the circumstances in which they are taught. Classrooms are often overcrowded, boys are punished for making mistakes and are hardly praised for effort. Not liking to read, they don’t try, so get stuck in the slow lane.

The content of reading material for children is geared to a reading age which corresponds to chronological age, so is too childish for boys who learn to read late.

Their role models are not reading, so reading is considered by boys to be a ‘girl thing’. Boys would prefer to be outside playing football, or if they are inside, playing video games, computer games, or watching TV, but they do like to read comic books.

As long as boys are reading something, I don’t see that preferring non-fiction to fiction should be frowned on. They often step up from comic books to computer magazines or other magazines suited to their interests.

A more fundamental question to be answered is whether boys are uncomfortable with the feelings which reading fiction arouses. It’s okay for girls to have these feelings, but not boys. Is the inability to deal with these feelings a reason for antisocial behavior? Robert Lipsyte explained that discussing fictional character allowed freedom to express feelings the way girls do. If they can’t read, should we read to them and discuss?

Useful stories for discussion, especially ‘Slater Minnifie and the Beat Boy Machine’, and ‘The Man Who Loved Flowers’ are in FLYING WITH ICARUS by Curdella Forbes. Two other Caribbean boy’s books are LEGEND OF ST ANN’S FLOOD by Debbie Jacob and THE BOY FROM WILLOW BEND by Joanne Hillhouse.

Link to Hazel Campbell's blog:

http://jambooks-fiction.blogspot.com/

Celebrating International Literacy Day

2011-09-09T20:19:00.000-07:00

I celebrated International Literacy Day on Thursday, September 8, by reading to students at Chetwood Memorial Primary School.
To each of 4 grade 1 classes, I read 'Beautiful Blackbird' by Ashley Bryan. This delightful story, with its rhythmic prose and adequate repetition, is adapted from a tale from 'The Ila-speaking peoples from Northern Rhodesia (now Zambia)' by Edwin Smith and Andrew Dale, (1920). The bold illustrations could be seen by the children at the back of the class. (Thanks to Pam Witte for sending me this book.) Several children asked me to read the story again, and I got a big hug from some of them as I was leaving.

To a grade 5 and a grade 6 class (all boys!), I read excerpts from 'Delroy in the Marog Kingdom' preceded by my usual introduction with the frog and the pot. As usual, the students listened attentively.

Chetwood Memorial Primary School, Montego Bay, Jamaica

Class Size and the Teaching of Reading

2011-09-06T09:41:00.000-07:00

There is a common misperception in Jamaica that the high pupil teacher ratio is the main reason why some children don’t learn to read. I too was of that opinion until I read the results of the Grade 4 Literacy Test published in The Daily Gleaner, in 2010, when I was surprised to see that the average ratio for Region 4 (St. James, Hanover and Westmoreland) was 31:1. A closer inspection of the data revealed that the ratio in St. James varied from a high of 37:1 in urban schools to a low of 13:1 in deep rural areas. The latter would seem to be ideal. Which teacher would not want a class of 13? Each child would be able to get individual attention and excellent performance should be expected.

However, this was not the case. In that particular school, out of an enrollment of 7 children in Grade 4, only 4 sat the test and none achieved mastery. The total enrolment of the school was 40, indicating that there were 3 teachers, each teaching 3 grade levels, as this was an All Age school.

In another All-Age school, with a ratio of 15:1 the total enrolment was 45, indicating 3 teachers for grades 1-9. In that school, 11 children were enrolled in grade 4, but only 6 sat the literacy test, and only one achieved mastery.

At the other end of the scale was a school in the heart of an urban area, with a total enrollment of 1,720 and a ratio of 37:1. This school has a 6-stream entry, with about 48 children per class, for which 36 teachers would be required. With the stated ratio of 37:1, the school could employ 46 teachers. Why not a 7-stream entry? Because there is no space—all the classrooms are occupied. 268 of the 277 students enrolled in grade 4, sat the literacy test and 62% of them achieved mastery in 2010 (down from 86% in 2009), meaning that more than 100 children had not achieved mastery.

In contrast to these, there are schools in which 100% of the students in grade 4 sat the literacy test and achieved mastery. These schools are not limited to either urban or rural areas, they vary in size and in pupil: teacher ratio. Perhaps we should focus on these schools and follow their best practices.

My own opinion is that the system is capable of performing much better even with existing limited resources. The teaching of reading should be the priority. For children who have problems with reading at the end of grade 1, the emphasis in grade 2 should be on basic literacy and numeracy skills, until they are sufficiently competent to embark on the grade 2 curriculum.

Nipping Illiteracy in the Bud

2011-09-05T19:10:00.000-07:00

Parents who read story books to their children, have books in their homes, and themselves read, ensure that their children have the best chance to learn to read. Once their children begin to read, they listen to them and assist them, opening the doors to a world of books and information. Parents who can’t read do few of these things, so their children are among the 70% of Jamaican children who aren’t ready to learn to read when they enter grade 1.

What happens in grade 1? Often, classes are too big. How can a teacher possibly give individual attention to any of 50 children in her class, especially when many of them exhibit behaviour problems? Learning to read is supplemented by endless spelling lists, but some children don’t even know their alphabet and can make nothing of a spelling list. Children who’ve never been turned on to reading must certainly be turned off in these circumstances. Many of them never learn to read at all, so are denied access to a world of information. In turn, they become parents. On the whole, parents who cannot read have more children than literate parents, compounding the problem.

What is the Ministry of Education’s response? In his International Literacy Day Message¹, September 8, 2009, the Honourable Minister of Education Hon. Andrew Holness, M.P. stated “The Ministry’s National Literacy Programme for the 2009 – 2010 school year will see fifty (50) new cluster-based Literacy Specialists being deployed across the island. Twelve (12) of the literacy specialists will be assigned specifically to provide support at the secondary level… The Ministry of Education has budgeted $500 million dollars this year to bring the number of literacy specialists up to 90…” How far can these specialists reach in 800 schools at the primary level? These disadvantaged children need individual attention on a daily basis.

The Minister of Education has also made pronouncements about giving a book to every child at birth, but will that solve the problem? Not if the parents cannot read and have little respect for books. Along with books, children need caring adults—I will call them ‘Reading Aunts and Uncles, or Reading Big Brothers and Sisters’—who love books and are willing to spend 15 to 20 minutes a day reading to a small group of 3 to 5-year-olds; or listening to an older child reading. This is where every literate person can help, one child at a time. The challenge is to find these children and make a start. In future blogs, I will make suggestions about games which prepare children for reading and methods of teaching of reading. Let’s get a discussion going. Please click on the word ‘comments’ which will take you to a different page. Enter what you have to say in the box. Looking forward to hearing from you.

¹ http://jfll.gov.jm/speech-literacy-holness.html

Textbook List Mania in Jamaica

2011-08-30T08:44:00.000-07:00

In these days of austerity, unemployment, recession, high light bills and IMF, parents should not be asked to buy, for their children, books they cannot afford, do not need and probably will not use. Where are the voices of the Jamaica Teachers’ Association and the PTA’s in this matter? The Minister of Educatio, has commented with concern, but my internet search for the Ministry of Education’s endorsed list drew a blank.

Below is a Textbook List for Grade 2 in a government primary school. The total cost for these books is $10,160.00. ( Ja $85 = U.S. $1; so that is about U.S.$ 120). Furthermore, they weigh 8lb 4oz, which a child has to carry every day on her back, since the teacher cannot say which books will be used.

In addition to the books listed below, each student is supplied with 6 Integrated Studies books (2 per term), one math book and an anthology, by the Ministry of Education.

Oxford Primary Dictionary $690.00

Worship in Words (hymn book) $325.00 (These should serve the student through grade 6.)

What a Fright and other stories by Maciver, Baker, Down and Down (Hodder Gibson) $995.00 198 pages. 45 stories each followed by comprehension questions and exercises.

Creative English for Caribbean Primary Schools by Clifford Narinesingh (Royards) $1,147.00 148 pages. 22 units with reading, talking and writing activities.

Practising Comprehension by Clifford Narinesingh (Royards) ($801.00) Instructions for Recalling facts, Selecting the Main Idea, Sequencing followed by 48 practice exercises.

New Caribbean Junior English by Haydn Richards (Ginn) $1,250.00 This is not called a workbook, but the student is expected to write in it, making it unusable to another student. 122 pages: Parts of Speech, Sentence structure, readings, comprehension questions etc.

Integrated Reader 2 by McLean and Fearon (Mid-Island Educators) $1020.00 155 pages. 38 reading passages on a variety of science and social studies topics, followed by activities.

There is a great deal of overlap in the content of these five books, and a total of 275 ‘lessons’—far more than can be completed in one school year. One of these five books, together with teaching, would cover everything in the syllabus.

Integrated Phonics Workbook by McLean and Fearon (Mid-Island Educators) $976.00 If the child needs a phonics workbook, he would not be able to read much in the books listed above!

Grade 2 Integrated Mathematics Workbook by Miles, Campbell, McLean and Fearon (Mid-Island Educators) $976.00.

Second Year Assessment Tests English by Hyacinth Bennett (Carlong) $990.00

Second Year Assessment Tests Mental Ability by Hyacinth Bennett (Carlong) $990.00

At this same primary school last year, a student in grade 1 was required to purchase two workbooks which were hardly used. One of the books had 200 pages—only 20 pages were used.

This booklist mania is not in the interest of parents, students or Jamaica. Many of these books are published overseas; publishers here have to buy paper and ink abroad, both using up valuable foreign exchange.

Let us make 2011 the last year of inflated booklist madness.

My Old Primary School

2011-08-16T12:31:00.000-07:00

This photo is of the primary school I attended 60 years ago, which in itself would make it old, but the building is much older than that. I had hoped to make a presentation in that building, but the school population having grown from a 1-stream entry to a 3-stream entry can no longer be accommodated there. Instead I went to the new Hampden Road school, where I presented Delroy to all three streams of year 6. They filed in and sat on the floor for assembly, as I had done as a child. Apart from that, they were a world away from where I am now, in time and space. Even so, they were able to connect with Delroy.

Visit to a primary school in Birmingham England

2011-08-16T12:19:00.000-07:00

My second school visit while in the UK was to a primary school in Birmingham. I visited two classes, neither of which knew anything about Delroy. Both were captivated by my presentation. The second group had a report to write about my visit, so busied themselves making notes. They had plenty of questions to ask, too.

Visit to St. Mary's Music School, Edinburgh

2011-08-16T11:59:00.000-07:00

While on a visit to the UK in April, I had the privilege of speaking to two classes at St. Mary's Music School. The first was a group of 15-16 year olds in which we discussed the challenges presented by writing. Their teacher was happy that I emphasized the importance of planning. The second was a class of primaries, who had already seen my book trailer and my interview on CVM. Their teacher had read excerpts from Delroy to them. They were armed with questions, including "What is your favourite animal?" (cat) and "What is your favourite colour?" (aqua). They were curious about Jamaica and were amazed that the temperature rarely drops below 20 degrees Celsius.

Thank you.

2011-08-16T11:52:00.000-07:00

Thanks to all of you who voted for me online. Delroy in the Marog Kingdom won that section of the Book Industry of Jamaica's contest for the best children's chapter book.

Blogger's block

2011-08-16T11:50:00.000-07:00

I have had blogger's block (a variation of writer's block) for the past 6 months, but am back again.

Vote for Delroy in the Marog Kingdom

2011-02-16T12:08:00.000-08:00

The 11th Biennial Book Industry Association of Jamaica Publishing and Writing Awards 2011 will take place on March 24, 2011.
In the meantime, you can vote for Delroy, in the children's chapter book category, on the BIAJ website: http://www.bookindustryja.com

Reading at St. Peter & St. Paul Prep. Jan 12, 2011

2011-02-16T11:45:00.000-08:00

I was warmly welcomed by the drama teachers at St Peter & Paul Prep, who gave up their drama classes to allow me to read. The first was a grade 2 class - too young to read Delroy, but nonetheless appreciative of my presentation. The grade 6 class which followed also gave me an enthusiastic response. Four students subsequently bought copies of the book, and the school bought one for the library. Students, have you read Delroy yet? If you have, post your questions and comments on this blog.

Reading at Bookophilia Nov 27, 2010

2011-02-16T11:32:00.000-08:00

Expecting to read to 9-12 year-olds from Delroy in the Marog Kingdom, I was surprised to have an audience of six under 6's. I read instead the 'River Mumma' story from Tanya Bateson Savage's Pumpkin Belly and Little Lion Goes for Gold by Kellie Magnus.

I also had the pleasure of meeting Diane Browne, who has a wealth of information about writing and publishing for children.

LIAJ Symposium Nov 26, 2010

2011-02-16T08:59:00.000-08:00

I was honoured to participate in the Library and Information Association of Jamaica's Reading Symposium in the Joyce Robinson Hall, 2, Redcam Drive. Students from Holmwood High, Hope Valley Experimental and McIntosh Primary Schools read from A Time for Evron by Brian Smillie and The Secret Garden by Frances Hodgson Burnett. They also took part in quizzes based on the two books.
My reading from Delroy in the Marog Kingdom gave them an appetite for reading the book - now available in parish libraries. We were all entertained by Elkanah Rule's lively reading from one of his stories. Talking with him afterwards gave me an insight into the world of self-publishing.
My thanks to Dr. Paulette Stewart for inviting me to the symposium. What a pleasure it is to meet someone in person, following phone calls and emails. She introduced me to Mrs. Patricia Roberts, Director General JLS, and Mrs. Karen Barton, Senior Director, whom I'd also spoken to on the phone.

JCDC Award

2011-01-14T08:20:00.000-08:00

To my surprise, I was awarded Best Junior Fiction Writer, in the JCDC Creative Writing Contest 2010, for my short story "Flash" written for 8-12 year-olds. See my photo taken with my trophy, silver medal and a gift basket, at the JCDC office on Nov 26.

Plans Blown Away

2010-11-06T16:07:00.000-07:00

Hurricane Tomas blew away my plans for promoting Delroy in the Marog Kingdom in Kingston. On Wednesday, Nov 3, an interview on CVM at Sunrise was the only event which went off as planned. The Library and Information Association of Jamaica (Liaja) seminar, and the JCDC Creative Writing Awards Ceremony were both postponed. I also postponed an author reading at St. Peter and St. Paul Prep School I had arranged for Thursday, and for Bookophilia on Saturday. Not knowing what state the roads would be in after the passage of Tomas, we came home on Wednesday.

Book Fair at MBCC

2010-09-28T14:51:00.000-07:00

Chatting with Serena Cox of Novelty Trading at the Book Fair at Montego Bay Community College, Thursday, September 23. Copies of Delroy in the Marog Kingdom were on sale.

Visit to Sam Sharpe Teachers' College

2010-09-28T14:28:00.000-07:00

On Wednesday, September 22, I was a guest at Sam Sharpe Teachers’ College, in Mrs. Sukaram’s 2nd year literature class. Thank you students for being an attentive and appreciative audience this afternoon, and for engaging in such a stimulating discussion. Enjoy reading Delroy in the Marog Kingdom! I welcome your comments. Please add them to this blog.

Delroy and the Marog Princess

2010-09-28T14:25:00.000-07:00

My fans have been asking me what I am now writing, and if there will be a sequel to Delroy. I can tell you definitely, yes. The first draft of Delroy and the Marog Princess is finished. An ongoing project since November 2009, it gathered pace during July and August. A lull in school visits gave me the head-space to return to the Marog Kingdom. My next step is to read the new story out loud to whoever happens to be listening, and for my critique group and others to make their suggestions. However, with the new school term underway, my focus must once again be on promotion of the first Delroy story.

Island Fiction authors meet in Toronto.

2010-06-29T14:46:00.000-07:00

On a recent visit to Toronto, I met Maureen Marks-Mendonca, author of Legend of the Swan children, another title in the Island Fiction Series. We met at a bookshop ‘A different Booklist’, where we also met the owner, Itah. She had bought copies of our books on a visit to Barbados and had ordered copies to sell, but there were some glitches in the supply train which we hope are now sorted out. Itah arranged for us to do some school visits. In photo, from L to R, Maureen, Itah and me.

School Visits in Toronto

2010-06-29T14:41:00.000-07:00

Maureen Marks-Mendonca and I were given a warm welcome at Amesbury Middle School, on the morning of June 18. Some of the students we met were of Jamaican parentage, so were keen to talk with me.
In the afternoon we made presentations at Portage Trail Middle School to grade 6C, a class of boys and girls who love to read. They had already seen the book trailers and were eager to hear more about the books. Photo of us is beside an interesting poster about reading at Portage School.

Calabash 2010 - 10th anniversary.

2010-06-04T13:34:00.000-07:00

My dream to read at the Calabash International Literary Festival 2010, at Treasure Beach, Jamaica came true on May 28. I was the third of the Writers in Residence (Jamaican writers) to present. The others were Michael Holgate, author of Night of the Indigo, and Diana McCaulay, author of Dog Heart. It was an amazing experience, reading at night with a bright light in my face, so I couldn't see the audience but I could feel the vibes and hear laughter in all the right places.

Link to Gleaner article

2010-05-02T13:49:00.000-07:00

Here is the link for the Gleaner article. Being a novice, I hadn't figured out how to do this before!
http://www.jamaica-gleaner.com/gleaner/20100430/ent/ent1.html

Recent Author Presentations

2010-05-02T11:15:00.000-07:00

April 23rd - St. James Parish Library in celebration of Jamaica Reading Association's National Reading Week. (Photo at left). I also read from 'Happy Birthday' Jamela by Niki Daly for the younger listeners.

April 27th - Mount Alvernia Prep, to grades 5 & 6. They too were fascinated by the book trailer.

April 28th: As a volunteer with Western Union's I PLEDGE (I Promise to Lend Encouragement to Develop Growth in Education) reading programme, I took the opportunity to read Delroy to an enthusiastic grade 6 class at Barracks Road Primary School in Montego Bay. I was disappointed that so many of the books they donated to the school were Eurocentric

Sheena Gayle, Gleaner Writer was on hand to take photos and report. To read the article you can click on my link 'Gleaner, April 30, 2010'.

School Visits

2010-04-20T09:31:00.000-07:00

What a pleasure it is to read excerpts of Delroy to young people. On March 18, I was at St. James College with a small but enthusiastic group of students. Yesterday, at The Junior Plus School, (in photo) I also showed my book-trailer with sparked much interest. The students were given an opportunity to search Youtube for the book-trailers for other titles in the Island Fiction Series. I also read some stories written by the students themselves - budding authors! Students, I welcome your comments and questions on this blog.

Author Reading at Irwin High School

2010-01-20T10:14:00.000-08:00

Today I had the privilege of reading to a most attentive group of students at Irwin High School. They were hesitant to ask questions in the open forum, but several of them came and spoke to me individually after my presentation. Students, let me hear from you when you have read Delroy in the Marog Kingdom. You can post your comments and questions on this site, and I will do my best to answer you.

WILDE Writer's Rendezvous

2010-01-10T13:55:00.000-08:00

I enjoyed linking up with friends at the Writer's Rendezvous, put on by WILDE, hosted by Dr. Vernella Fuller at her fabulous Kizouri Cottage. Dr. Carolyn Cooper, Prof of Literary & Cultural Studies at UWI gave the keynote; Najjahed impressed with her poetry; Amadonna entertained with her dub poetry; and I read from Delroy in the Marog Kingdom.

Book signing at Bookland

2010-01-10T13:30:00.000-08:00

On December 19 & 23, I read to children and signed books for purchasers at the recently opened Bookland on Union Street, Montego Bay. Delroy readers, I invite you to post your comments. Let's hear from you!

Delroy Book-trailer on Youtube

2009-06-13T10:38:00.000-07:00

Check the link to Youtube to see the book-trailer for Delroy in the Marog Kingdom.

Gleaner report of Kingston Launch

2009-06-13T10:16:00.000-07:00

Michael hosted a splendid launch for Night of the Indigo and Delroy in the Marog Kingdom, at the Philip Sherlock Centre for the Creative Arts, UWI, Mona. There were performances by the Ashe dance troupe and a song written by Michael in addition to the book-trailers and readings by the authors. You can read the Gleaner report by clicking on the link.

Book Launch

2009-05-10T09:34:00.000-07:00

Michael Holgate and I are having a launch for Delroy in the Marog Kingdom and Night of the Indigo on Wednesday, May 20 at 6.30 p.m. at the Philip Sherlock Centre for the Creative Arts, UWI, Mona, Kingston, Jamaica. All are welcome to attend.

Delroy in my hand

2009-02-21T13:20:00.000-08:00

At last I have my book in print. I can hardly believe it.

Delroy on sale in the UK

2009-02-01T19:07:00.000-08:00

Delroy in the Marog Kingdom is now available on the following websites: www.macmillan-caribbean.com, www.amazon.co.uk and www.waterstones.com or you can order from your local bookstore if you live in the UK. Those of us in the Caribbean will have to wait another month or so for the books to reach our shores.

Delroy in the Marog Kingdom Cover Picture

2008-11-10T12:12:00.000-08:00

Here it is!

Publication Dates

2008-10-18T13:06:00.000-07:00

November 7, 2008 is the publication date for the first 4 titles in the Island Fiction Series, followed on November 28 by Night of the Indigo, and on December 12 by Delroy in the Marog Kingdom. Enjoy!

Escape from Silk Cotton Forest

2008-09-14T14:18:00.000-07:00

Escape from Silk Cotton Forest, a title in the Island Fiction Series, is the featured book of the week on Macmillan Caribbean's website.
Congratulations Francis!
This is so exciting! Order your copy now!

I'm published!

2008-05-16T18:05:00.000-07:00

All in the Family by Tony Bradman is now available from A & C Black, Publishers. My story "Finding My Roots" is in it.

2008-03-30T14:05:00.000-07:00

WILDE Network Ltd (see links)

I first became aware of WILDE (Women Into Literature, Development and Enterprise) in 2006 when I entered the WiSPA (Wilde’s Summer Poetry Alliance) Creative Writing Competition. In July 2006, I attended an inspiring workshop in Negril, Jamaica, put on by WiSPA. As a result of being a runner-up in the Creative Writing contest, and promotion by Wilde Network, my story ‘Finding My Roots’ will be included in an anthology entitled ‘All in the Family’ to be published by A & C Black Publishers Ltd. in May 2008.

About WILDE International Network
Founded in 1999 and incorporated in 2003, WILDE International Network is an arts production company, whose services include learning & development, events design & management, audio services and publishing. WiSPA is the annual literary retreat for female authors and poets from the UK and the US who are joined by their Jamaican counter-parts, in an invigorating interaction of diverse feminine creativity.

The Marog Kingdom

2008-03-25T13:48:00.000-07:00

Delroy’s adventures are told in

DELROY IN THE MAROG KINGDOM

“If you look into River Mumma’s eyes, something terrible going happen to you!” Too late, Delroy remembers his mother’s warning. Is drowning his fate or is something worse in store? Becoming a marog is only the beginning. The king of these unusual frogs has chosen Delroy to succeed him, but first he must retrieve the king’s magical stone from a venomous snake. Slogging through underground caves and tunnels, faced with insurmountable obstacles, Delroy is tempted to give up. But Gorem, his intrepid companion goads him on, even when an incredible find renders their quest unnecessary.

Throughout his journey, Delroy pines for his former life. Returning to his village in frog form only makes matters worse. His papa treated him—the ‘outside child’— unfairly, but that was nothing to what he’s going through now. Delroy yearns for Papa. Will they ever see each other again? Not unless the marogs can transform Delroy back into a boy.

Delroy in the Marog Kingdom is a title in the

Island Fiction Series

A series of world class, authentic Caribbean books for 10-15 year-olds.

Character driven sci.fi/fantasy/folklore stories.

Published by Macmillan Caribbean.

Edited by Joan Gail Johnson.

Look out for Island Fiction titles due in 2008:

—ask for them at your local bookshop (in October 2008)

Legend of the Swan Children by Maureen Marks Mendonca (see links for her beautiful interactive website.)

Chalice Project by Lisa Allen Agostini

Escape from Silkcotton Forest by Francis Escayg

Timeswimmer by Gerald Hausman

Gerald Hausman is author and storyteller of adult & children’s books about Native America, Animals, Mythology, African American, and West Indian culture. (see links)

Night of the Indigo by Michael Holgate (see links)

Delroy in the Marog Kingdom by Billy Elm. (penname of Helen Williams)

Calabash Festival

Jamaica’s Calabash Literary Festival takes place at Treasure Beach, St. Elizabeth, on the last weekend in May each year. Calabash is the brainchild of Colin Channer and Kwame Dawes, two internationally acclaimed Jamaican writers who are wonderfully supportive of the efforts of other local writers. See links for Colin’s website.

Inspirational Quotations.

Here’s one from Albert Einstein:

"Strange is our situation here upon earth. Each of us comes for a short visit, not knowing why, yet sometimes seeming to a divine purpose. From the standpoint of daily life, however, there is one thing we do know: That we are here for the sake of others...for the countless unknown souls with whose fate we are connected by a bond of sympathy. Many times a day, I realize how much my outer and inner life is built upon the labors of people, both living and dead, and how earnestly I must exert myself in order to give in return as much as I have received."
I know he was a genius, but whatever one’s capabilities, his philosophy is food for thought.

This next one is from the editor’s review of The Kite Runner by Kahled Hosseini:

‘ … the dark hearts of adults are made step-by-step by the hatred they learn as children and all that it takes for evil to triumph is for a good man to stand back and do nothing.’

These 2 quotations sum up why I feel the need to do something, if it is only for one child at a time.

You all know the saying: “Give a man a fish and you feed him for a day. Teach a man to fish and you feed him for a lifetime.” I believe that if you teach a child to read and give him an education, he will be able to find employment, or employ himself and feed himself for a lifetime.

Teaching Reading

At the moment I’m helping 2 boys with reading and other school work. The older one I found out couldn’t read when he was in grade 5. He was keen to learn, so I started him with flash cards and then progressed to phonics. He has a strong visual memory. Two years on, he is now reading at grade 4 level.

One of the problems I have with these boys is that I sometimes have difficulty in understanding what they are saying. Even though I have lived in Jamaica for nearly 40 years, I can’t speak the patois and can’t always understand it. That’s why I’d prefer to train a group of older teens who’d be willing to help children with reading. There are lots of children who need help, but I’m yet to get that project off the ground.

CUMI Children’s Programme

CUMI stands for The Committee for the Upliftment of the Mentally Ill.

Children's Program: In 1996 CUMI commenced the children's program. Services target children who are abandoned because parent(s) are mentally ill and unable to provide care and protection.

The structure provides foster mother care using the Family Court, Children's Services. For those eligible candidates education, healthcare, family life provision and any other basic requirement for normal development are included.

This approach aims to alleviate child suffering and prevent a future adult population of mentally ill and street people.

I support the CUMI Children’s Programme.

Children of Faith

Children of Faith was established in 1999 in Montego Bay, St. James as a response to the HIV/AIDS epidemic in the Western Region of Jamaica. The objectives of this organization are: To reach every child that has become orphaned because of HIV/AIDS; to ensure that children infected and affected by HIV/AIDS are provided with love and support, accepting them as our own and ensuring that children are educated and become functional adults in society.

I am a volunteer with Children of Faith