Parliamentary Secretary in the Education, Skills, Youth and Information Ministry, Senator Marlon Morgan, is encouraging school leaders to recognise the unique abilities in every student and create learning environments that build confidence, foster self-belief and help children realise their potential.
Addressing the Ministry’s Region One Back-to-School Conference at the Grand Palladium Resort in Hanover on July 21, Senator Morgan said educators must look beyond students’ behavioural and academic challenges and instead focus on identifying and nurturing their strengths.
Citing the example of late track and field coach Stephen Francis, who unearthed and shaped raw, undeveloped athletes into world-beaters, he said educators should adopt a similar approach in identifying talent among the nation’s children.
“You have to view each student as a diamond in the rough because the truth of the matter is that each child has capacity, aptitude, and talent. It is only for us to find the appropriate enabling fit and enabling interventions to cause that talent to mature and nurture,” Senator Morgan said.
“So yes, you will have students who you would typically consider wayward or unsettled or a problematic student… but we must not have that posture,” he noted.
“It is important for us to understand that you have people who develop at different pace and devise interventions and remedial engagement efforts to better serve them and meet their needs,” he added.
Senator Morgan further underscored the importance of affirming students and building their confidence, particularly those from vulnerable backgrounds.
“There are vulnerabilities in a number of our students and there are vulnerabilities in the households and communities from whence they hail. So, when they come to school and you let them know that they have purpose and they can do and they can be, it makes a world of difference,” he pointed out.
He encouraged schools to intentionally reinforce positive values through school mottos, affirmations and other activities.
“Whether it is the school motto or a phrase or a line from the school pledge… you can pour into children and help to foster and build their self-confidence, their own sense of identity, and their own sense of purpose,” Senator Morgan said.
