talkswithtia

Yesterday I journeyed to Pisgah Primary &
Infant (recently rebuilt and handed over by Jamaica Social Investment Fund in February) and I was reminded of 2 things:

1/ the power of asking for what you want - the Pigsah rebuild is rooted in the then Principal asking for a new school and not taking no for an answer. Then to add to that Mr Blair (in the photo) asking JSIF for books for his children & team JSIF sharing with me c/o and of course my reason for the trip.

2/ the education circle is a small one and I think it’s now 1 - 2 degrees of separation in Jamaica. Principal Scarlett Forrester and I go back years ago when I had Ｆｕｎｄａｃｉｏｎｅｓ Mobay. Another reason why you must live good with people.

Anywho, another school and another Di Cawna Library 📚🇯🇲💙 🙏🏽📚🚸

Making my official debut into a career centred on children and education with a summer camp field trip to a friend’s farm in Linstead in … 1997!

Almost 3 decades later, I’m still here amidst the myriad of changes in a space and sector I call home ❤️🚸📖🤸🏽‍♀️⭐️

By the way, are you following my substack? Click the link in my bio.

The journey from ring game to touch screen tells the story of a changing childhood.

Today for International Day of Play, I advocate for making room for children to play … outdoors, in safe & green spaces where possible because in doing so we protect development, well-being, culture & community.



Follow me on substack & read my article on Play.

Some schools have an energy that is unmatched.

Port Royal Primary & Infant is one such school.

My last visit was the day after the Brain Builder Centre had a massive fire and things were a bit chaotic. Regardless, what impressed me then and what impressed me today was that willingness perhaps easily described as a sort of commitment to the success and development of the school and its children.

It was such a joy to hand over the 40th in a school to Port Royal. In fact I stayed a lot longer than I had anticipated.

To the Principal and tram, THANK YOU for all you do and let’s show what sustained success looks like.

Shout out to the team from Reaching Stars Kindergarten in Steer Town, St Ann.

It was good chatting with you, listening to you share your realities and your hopes.

Early childhood is THE most important period in a child’s life and so the work you all do is critical. In short, children’s learning and development are your responsibilities.

Together we can!