I want to point out Akeeba, the poster about giving thanks has nothing to do with the American holiday "Thanksgiving" . It is about growing your own produce in your own backyard and sharing it with others, and giving thanks for it. We have a saying, "Eat what you grow, and grow what you eat". I hope that explanation helps.
Indeed, I agree. We have a harvest culture here in Jamaica and we teach it to our children because Agriculture is very important to us. The poster was related to that, but I do agree that we need to make our own curricular materials.
Cornucopia ...yes. Harvest. Feasts. I think most people know that harvest and celebrating of the season is done in many cultures and for a similar or different reason(s). Even The bible has passages, also.
CORRECTION. This is a Harvest poster. Harvest is celebrated across Jamaica in schools and churches. It’s done in Easter and is very much a Jamaican religious traditional. It’s not the same as US thanksgiving.
Yes, Harvest is celebrated in other Caribbean countries around the same time. I went to one in Grenada this past Easter Monday. I don't understand why some people in the Caribbean, see it necessary to celebrate Amerikkkan Thankstaking Day. SMH.
Easter is a pagan holiday. Research it's history for yourself. So is Thanksgiving and Christmas. Plenty of videos on YT . " my people perish for lack of knowledge".
As a Jamaican living in Baltimore, I brought my daughter to this country at 6 years old reading at like a 3rd grade level, writing in cursive etc and she regressed so horribly especially because her first teacher in New York asked her to stop writing in cursive because she couldn’t understand it. My only regret moving to the US has been the negative effect on my daughter and her education. Even now she is 16 and when me and her set goals for her school year she is being told that my goal is a bit “too ambitious”. Is a constant fight for me with these yt teachers telling my black daughter to limit her ambitions and live in the standard they have created for her. I say everyday that I wished I had the option to have her continue her schooling in 🇯🇲 and only come to the US for college.
You keep pushing your daughter!! How dare they try to limit her! I was a single parent & wanted the best for my daughter. We live in Greensboro NC so there are many options for schooling here. She ended up going to on of the best high schools (at the time) & was in the IB (international baccalaureate) program & graduated with the IB diploma. Then went on to college UNC-Wilmington (NC) graduated and is a,project manager for a very good company. She now lives in the Raleigh NC area. You keep fighting for your daughter. Come to NC for a good education Lol!!
Same thing happened to me. My mum raised me and my brother in England from when I was one. But sent us back for what was supposed to be a year. I was put back into reception class when I had been in year 2 in England. As they merged the younger years in Jamaica. I was also writing in cursive and I was told off for it. Now I'm an adult and I still can't do it.
God truly answers prayers. As a Jamaican, currently studying in the US, a similar experience happened to me today where I was told I was being ‘ambitious’ like my choices were too lofty for my assignment. I thought I was the only one experiencing this. And this was university level. It happens all the time! Just get use to it- pray and make the most out of it. God works in mysterious ways.
Here in Jamaica the motto is every child can learn and every child must learn. I'm happy you decided to showcase what a Jamaican classroom setting is like, our teachers are very passionate about teaching and molding our kids for the future so we do take pride in our schools
Kudos to Jamaica and all other Caribbean countries. I am from the Caribbean and we are known for a rigid school curriculum. I went in grade one at 5 years old and most us graduate at 16/17 years old with knowledge and skills to matriculate to university or work arena. Yes, this is with very little resources. Kudos to all Caribbean teachers
Sure is! My kids left Jamaica way on top and I was even more rigorous than my great teachers there. Now my kids complain even though the have them in the gifted programs here in the states, they are still above the system and they don't feel challenged.
First and foremost, parents have to be more involved in their children's education. While raising my sons, education and their schoolwork was number one. Also, I went to meetings, check homework, had a weekly meeting to talk about their week. I made time for them. I had tunnel vision when it came to my children. That's what's missing in today's households.
I love this video, many of our teachers here in Jamaica go above and beyond for our children , they do have less resouces to work with but their love for what they do make a difference...🇯🇲🇯🇲🇯🇲🇯🇲🇯🇲
Yes, Jamaicans teaches will go above and beyond for their students, and it reminds of Haitians teachers in 🇭🇹. ( ps I still remember my teacher's last name; Mrs. SMALL. But she was teaching in a private school in the Bahamas 🇧🇸.) May God blesses her.
I’m an older woman who lived in Savannah during segregation. At that time, we also had dedicated teachers who cared about our education and schools didn’t have a lot of money but taught us extremely well. So at one point in time, American Black teachers put the type of energy seen today in Jamaica.
Thats Little Bay Primary in Little London Westmorland, I volunteered with the Hotel i work at foundation and gave school supplies to all the students, so nice to see guys visit my home twn
Jamaica is more advance in education than people think. What I did in the beginning of college here is what I did back in high school so the first two years was a breeze for me. Only challenge was I had to work long hour while in college. Still happy you featuring my little island
A very important point that we took for granted . But it taught us self confidence indirectly. All our story books had kids looking like us with stories related to us. I appreciate that solid foundation now that i am the one drop of chocolate in a sea of yellow. I love who I am. Thanks to the education i got in little Jamaica.
Hi Akeeba, so happy that you visited one of our schools while you were here. I am a Jamaican, I teach grade 1. I watch your videos all the time, as soon as I saw Jamaica in this video's title, I just had to watch.
@@trevorharper6821 google/research mr lee quan yews (former pm of Singapore) visit to Jamaica, u should be able to find relevant sources. As someone who has studied the education system in JA, as well as the history of the country i can highlight that these two countries became independent from Britain around the same time in the 60s but were on different ends of the spectrum, pun intended. JA was thriving with a good economy , considered “the pearl of the Caribbean” & Singapore was a poor, developing country w/o much structure . Lee Quan Yew visited JA in the late 60s/ early 70s & was mainly impressed by the educational system, studied it with his team, brought what they learned to Singapore where they mirrored, honed & improved it which was a major contribution to where they stand today, successfully boasting one of the best education systems in the world as well as a strong 💪 economy.
I was impressed by Jamaica's education system, as displayed in the video. I tell you, if I was a younger woman, with elementary age children, I would apply for a Jamaican 🇯🇲 passport for the family. My children would have that unbelievable Jamaican early childhood education and experience. I enjoyed the entire video. Thanks for sharing. Kudos to my brothers and sisters in Jamaica making it happen for the future generations 👏🏿 💚😊
I am from Barbados and we are bless to have our kids educated there, so much like in this video. Thanks for showing the world the Carribean school system.
I was born and raised in the Bahamas and this is exactly how it was. We start kindergarten at 4 yes old and to get into grade 1 we have to pass a reading test to test our proficiency to move forward. We start grade 1 at 5 years old I graduated from high school by 16 and started college in Texas. I was nervous but I found that I was way ahead compared to my American counterparts in a lot of subjects. It could be the smaller class sizes or the competitiveness made in our Caribbean school systems starting from a young age.
We start at 3 in haiti. Loll but I wish they have esl class in haiti to teach the child that wasn't born there.I was born in curacoa I came in Haiti at 6 I fail 3 time in first grade because of language barrier.
Welcome to 🇯🇲. As a homeschool mom I am excited whenever I see homeschoolers learning through experience. As a Jamaican educator, I appreciate you taking the time out to visit one of our schools to have a firsthand experience. You had mentioned Singapore but I will point out that Prime Minister Lee Kwan Yew visited Jamaica because he wanted to see what we were doing here that made us successful. He copied our system of governance and the rest is history. As a nation we have become too westernized and we are now left in a quandary. Just to add, Jamaica has GREAT teachers. We have helped to build many Caribbean countries. We are highly sought after for a lot of the US, UK and Asian teaching programs.
I’m from the islands and spent high school in the US..I’ve always said poverty is not a deterrent. In the islands they instill discipline and a love for learning. There’s no time for BS..and you can’t go to school and act a fool.
Hey, in the Caribbean well in Trinidad we don’t formally celebrate Thanksgiving but we celebrate “Harvest” in church where persons bring different produce to sell/trade in a type of fair. It’s more to celebrate community. It’s not taught in school but most churches (and I guess church schools) are aware of it and observe it in some way at different times of the year.
It used to be called "Harvest", where people brought to Church all kinds of different foodstuff from their farms. The ice cream sellers and patty sellers and Toto sellers brought their wares to sell. Also the candy sellers, good times were those.
@@patricehowell2555 bro I don't know what pre k you went to but here we only learnt basic reading, writing, maths, colouring etc? nothing near university level💀
I am 18 year veteran educator who is from the UK. I have been teaching in Jamaica for the last 6 years. My youngest two children only know the Jamaican education system. From my experience I truly rate the Jamaican system and rank the elementary system over the British.
I remember Harvest festival as a child growing up in Jamaica, American and Canadian Thanksgiving is so different. We had Harvest suppers. But Sunday service for Harvest we take veggies,fruit provision to church and then they are given to the poor.
Hi im from the caribbean as well .im from trinidad . As early as 2an half years old u start kindergarden u learn to spell read an do some simple math. Primary school begins at 5 yrs old an u enter high school at 11 -12 yrs an finish at 16-17 yrs then move on to university which is very expensive.
Omg. You are in Jamaica?! Welcome !!!! Akeeba, Jamaican kids are taught ALOT from ealry on. They can read by the time they reach K3 (5 years) or even younger! Lol. If they do migrate to America its easy peasy when they go to school there. Our education system was used as a model in Singapore! A country that boasts high levels of literacy! Sadly our literacy levels are still pretty low although climbing. Hope you enjoyed your visit!
This is the norm in the Caribbean honestly. If you actually find someone illiterate it’s only due to the fact that said family lack the funds and resources to send their kids to school honestly. I see more illiterate children in the US versus Caribbean. Go figure! Hope you and the kiddos throughly enjoyed your stay! 😀😀😀
@@issasecretsecret7814 Education in the United States used to be the most important thing to ALL families until George Bush, Jr. got in office... education fell hard after that. When President Obama tried to fix it, he was blocked! Our concerned parents now educate their own children and get ALL available resources to help their own children succeed. I'm an educator and I know what I'm talking about.
Correction: When I was a child in Jamaica illiteracy was widespread. Thank God for Michael Manley who instituted a literarcy program as policy which significantly impacted the adult illeteracy rate. High school students coming into the community in the evening as part of the program teaching adult literacy programs. Will never forget Manley and the Crash Program, housing programs and all the programs set in place to improve the lives of everyday people.
That is not entirely true. Comparing the US literacy rate to Ja is not a fair comparison. Because the US population is larger, it will always have a higher literacy rate. The best comparison would be to other Caribbean nations, like Barbados, the Bahamas, and others like those. Bajah has a 100 percent literacy rate, and the schooling is free, likewise other Caribbean nations. I love JA because that's my birth land, but it's in deep trouble. Most of the kid's first words come from the dancehall music and other unhelpful settings. Most of the kids there are exposed to all sorts of traumas, whether personal or communal, that affect their ability to learn and process. Most of the quality education in JA is not easily accessible to the lower-income people, which is a sizable amount of families. The kids in the US face similar things but different degrees; most importantly, the threat of competition to get into a good university is not as challenging as it is in JA.
I love this video because I've been saying this for years. "America can do it they're just choosing not too." It's sad. Just imagine if children started to read when they were first interested. (At 2 years old) They could accomplish so much more. When you wait too late, like 4th grade, you miss out on your own strengths within subjects that would've helped you on your life path. This is exactly why I encourage people to unschool/homeschool if they can.
Thank you Akeeba. As a Jamaican Educator myself, I felt a great sense of pride for my country and love for that Teacher 🙂 who I know is not adequately remunerated for the work that she does for our children.
Akeeba as an educator, I totally believe it is the system that is failing the students and not the students. Too many resources and what is there to show for it? Thank you for what you do.
Akeeba, as a teacher in the states and having experience homeschooling one of my boys, living in Japan and sending him to public school there, I will say there are three huge fundamental differences between the U.S. and different countries that are succeeding in education. 1) In America, curriculum has become an expensive, capitalist market. Districts are spending so much on parts of curriculum, they often don’t buy the whole thing or pay for the teachers to be trained how to use it. Every district wants their own curriculum, every state wants their own learning standards. As teachers, the way to overcome this is by mapping everything out over summer and pulling materials necessary. Unfortunately, many districts don’t even share the lessons until 2 weeks before we teach it! It’s disgusting, and this is happening in my district in the capital city of Madison, WI where a third of our students are black, 1/3 Latina, 1/3 white. (I’m leaving to another district because it hurt me too much to see my students set up for failure. 2) Early childhood education: it’s too expensive for parents so rather you stay at home and wait for teachers to teach your child or you pay college tuition like I am to send your child to Montessori while you work, and then there are some like you, who will teach their children at home. In early childhood when the parent teaches at home, then sends their child to school, they are bored and now they are even doing away with accelerated learning. 3) Discipline. Because of many factors including culture norms in the U.S. and social media influence, unruly behavior is skyrocketing! And our hands are tied! Especially since Covid, kids have a lot of trauma from neglect, instability, too much social media, we’re spending the majority of our day working through social emotional stories. Their stamina is so low this year and was already low compared to students in other countries. I know I am probably preaching to the choir. Love your videos! Thanks for sharing your stories!
There never going to make it one system, it’s sad. It goes by ur neighborhood/ zoning, the higher ur tax bracket, the better ur schools r. It’s all political, the budgets r huge and the results in minority schools sucks!! I have 2 cousins that r teachers in Jamaica, but, again, depends on the areas too. Early education is always excellent all around.
You could say almost the entire Caribbean teaching system is basically the same. With few variations, but basically the spaces and scholarships at university going to the best performing students.
Omg I can't believe y'all are actually in Jamaica. I've been watching you and your sister's vids for so long. Anyways, as for our schools being advanced, the Jamaican government places emphasis on children getting an education. We still do lack in some areas because of lack of resources, but we have to be very competitive to make it to teritiary level and make a living when we are older. Like, I remember once when I was in primary (elementary) school and these American university students came to visit, and they had to mark some of your in-class work, and they didn't know to because our Math was so advanced.
The poster you mentioned is not a thanksgiving poster. In Jamaica Harvest is celebrated across the island. It is of religious significance and a prominent part of our christian upbringing. I think its great that you visited the school and thanks for encouraging your subscribers to donate to the school.
I went to basic school and 1/2 year in primary school in Jamaica; my penmanship in regular print and cursive is excellent. My mathematics skill was excellent too. I knew all my multiplication by memory, I remember Jamaica had sports activities for all kids. School in Jamaica is fun for kids. When I entered the American school system with a deep accent which cause bad judgment with peers and teachers. They held me back one year! With most Jamaican student entering the system they tend to hold them back a year. The American school system is not fare toward certain immigrants and minority in my time. In my kids time, it's not fare as black American. People in my community turn to private school , home school or charter school for equal opportunity with upper class students. Some public schools are not good it depends on the zoning, the fight for funding, most of the time the richer neighborhood get the better funding and care. If you have a kid with a disability it's more hell on earth. You have to fight for service. You have to know your right and have an advocate or an attorney. The system changes base on who is elected.
when i came to America from 🇯🇲, they tried to hold me back but my mom fought against it and made them test me. I tested out of 6th grade and skipped to 7th. I love and respect me mom so much for always going hard for me
Was held back the child study team didn’t want to mainstream me . This was 20/1/2 years ago.. special Ed they don’t like getting kids mainstreamed that need it. Was with my experience.
I just realized that the teacher you were referring to, was my Spanish Teacher from Grades 10-13, Señora Anglin. She is an awesome teacher, very patient, very fair and very compassionate to her students. "Te amo Señora!"
They will adapt, they are in an age range where a specefic area of their brains give them the ability to acquire language faster than a teen and an adult.
Thank you for sharing this! As a fellow Jamaican family we can attest to this! We now home school our children to ensure they are getting the quality education they deserve.
Same here! Our son is now 5 and has been learning at home all his life. It's not easy balancing homeschooling with a full-time job but it is worth it. At 16 months, he was reading at a first grade level. It's hard for me to entrust his education to the U.S school system. Honestly, if I change my mind about homeschooling, I'll just let him attend virtual school to ensure he interacts with other children. I'd still ensure that he stays ahead. They really hold children back in the U.S
@@NellaColemanEl Hi Nella. The first thing I did was to read to him in utero. As an infant, I played little games with flashcards and he would just laugh while I played the silly games. Before I knew it, he was saying the names of the pictures and letters. We then moved on to letter sounds in isolation, then we combined sounds, then moved on to cvc and cvc(e) words. I basically picked reading books randomly... however, his favorite ones were the leveled texts by Scholastics. I think we got to level D. Aafterwards, he was reading independently. Although he's a very advanced reader, I still align my ELA/Reading lessons with the public school's curriculum. At 5 he's reading above a 6th grade level. That's for fluency though. I have him at a second grade level for comprehension. I do not want him to miss out on any skill. When he was very young, we did a lot of incidental learning. We would walk around parking lots and read the make and models of cars. We would also keep him engaged in the car by asking him to read signs and billboards. He also practiced his numbers by reading license plates. The unstructured learning was a lot of fun!
I absolutely love this. My country. I can say for sure that the standards are very high and i honestly know that my son would have been an early reader if he were there. We visited a few months ago . I made sure that i went into the book stores to get my reading and math supplies. Thanks for sharing this. An amazing educational system. Happy you and the girls got the opportunity to visit a school.
Happy to see you in my Island of Jamaica we start going to school at 2 years old and learn all that program in Jamaica it's AMAZING 👏 Love my Island. God bless all teachers very much under paid and they do so much. Cheers ✌️💛
I would like to point out, as you approach the school there is a dress code. Education is taken seriously. Your mother in law mentioned when given a handout, that is yours to cherish and learn the contents… much more covered in the video. Now as aJamaican mother, I am looked at as being strict because I carried these same values with parenting in the US. I fight tooth and nail for Phonics for my older boys who read late in the game and is still struggling vs my younger kids who learnt through Phonics, my 5 year old reads well. I believe it is all a “system”. We can talk about this for days. Due to limited resources in Jamaica, not all kids have access to education which is sad. However, through experience I have seen the difference with education in Jamaica vs the US. Thanks for sharing.
Thank you so much Akeeba! This video is drawing a lot of attention to the Little Bay All Age School...and as a result bringing in financial and energetic support for food security for the children at the school. Blessings and Love!
I’m in Florida but my family is Jamaican 🇯🇲 I’m happy to see this video because I’d love for my kids to spend time in a Jamaican school.. hoping we get to live there for a year once my mom completes her home there… mainly because it’s my culture and I love it there… but also because I know the teachers really do care that the kids actually learn! (Btw.. parents have to pay to send their kids to school.. it isn’t free.. so these kids tend not to take it for granted)
The educational standard in Jamaica is very high, most children start school proper at 3 yrs and they start learning a lot from that age and parents teach their kids a lot at home even before they start school, we don't play with education in Jamaica because we know that's one and sometimes the only way to advance and get ahead in our country. A good education is rewarded in Jamaica so everyone strives for excellence
As a native AMERICAN who use to teach and owned a Day Care, this was good to see. I must CORRECT you on your statement about Teachers here in the US only needing minimal qualifications. Education level of Teachers vary from State to State and it depends on the schools whether it's Early Childhood Education or Education for public or private schools. Mainly ALL public schools require a Teacher to have a DEGREE in Education so that's definitely not minimal! The funds for Education here in the US is NOT a large one so I'm not sure how many States received a portion of that billion dollar budget? I have ALWAYS had to go into my own pocket to buy more books and curriculum material and supplies for my class because I was NEVER supplied with much. I like how the Principle said if the child is advanced for their age they will NOT hold them back but allow them to move on to the next class. That's how it should be! I believe PARENTS should NOT leave their childrens education in the hands of the system. If YOU have a child YOU SHOULD BE EDUCATING THEM! A Teacher in school is a bonus! Children want to learn
Hey guys! To clarify, it seemed like the teachers there were more trained and prepared on being a teacher than in the U.S. Yes in the US you technically have to have a bachelors degree, but that degree could be in Kinesiology and you could end up teaching 9th grade math after you’re certified! That’s how our system works. My degree is an African-American studies, how does that equate to me being able to teach a child how to read? Right, it doesn’t. And furthermore, in places that are hard to place teachers, like inner cities or rural areas, that all goes out the window. It’s normal to see substitutes who don’t need a degree or students who have not passed qualifying exams teaching kids in many places like this. I have also found even teachers I knew who went to a teachers college are unprepared to teach. As opposed to, in Singapore, one of the top countries for education, their ministry of education chooses only from the top one third of secondary students to enter the teaching profession. The students train under master teachers for three years. Teachers are nurtured into becoming better, and then they are assessed to see what their strengths are, and placed into roles accordingly. Teacher quality has consistently been reported by researchers as a top factor in student success or failure. I’m not sure why so many teachers are offended by that. I think it is very hard for people to admit that students fail in part because of them. Parents shouldn’t be fighting to get their child in the ‘good’ teachers class. Teachers should not be figuring out how to teach on the job. It’s not fair to students or teachers. And I certainly don’t want to pay my tax dollars for US failing schools 😂
You don’t know why teachers who are born and raised in a US educational system are offended to hear that we are the problem? We give our heart and soul to our kids and we still fall short. I feel like you are someone standing outside throwing rocks….Js… God bless🙏🏽
Yep. I have a Bachelor's in Applied Mathematics and a Masters in Mathematics Education, Grades 5-9. But because I am not "certified" I can only get a substitute teacher position in a public school. It makes no sense.
In Jamaica we have specific “teacher’s colleges.” I believe without going there you’re unable to step foot into a classroom. We’re big on education because it’s the only way out of poverty for a lot of us.
As a proud Jamaican I was born and raised and schooled there. The education system in Jamaica is so much more advance. Kindergarten children are like 1st and 2nd grade
Speaking as an L.A Native not all public school’s just pass u. I was always held back and even given a reading class until I was able to read. Even in middle school, Read180 taught me so much.
The girls were too clingy so I couldn’t even leave them in the classroom for a few minutes while we toured at all! Amahle wouldn’t even go in without be physically pushing her! Aphiwe was looking around the whole time, interested but she didn’t say anything! Except when the little girl said hi. I think because they had already heard kids talking in the grocery store before this, they were hesitant because they couldn’t understand what those previous kids were saying. Amahle was scared I was going to leave her there I think, and overall hot. She sweats easily and since there was no AC and she had to wear a tshirt to cover her arms due to the dress code, she kept complaining that it was hot and asking to leave. 🫠I saw for the first time how rude she can be when she really doesn’t want to be somewhere! When we left they denied being scared and said they would love to go to school there 🤨🤣The next time we travel I hope to set up something formal so they can stay at the school for a few days! Any suggestions? Anyone teach at a school they can visit?
That's true classrooms here are very hot ... I'm not a teacher but I could seek permission from one of 3 preparatory (private) schools, they have lots of fans .... Watching you visited the sch brings back memories.
It would be good to try different ones, a private and a public. I vote for Jessie Ripoll Primary, my alma mater, for public 😉. Maybe someone else can suggest a private 🤷🏾♀️. I teach in Tulsa, OK, and the system works very differently for sure. I try to strike a balance between my way of learning/schooling in Jamaica and how it influences me as a teacher, and then finding the balance of meeting my students here with what they are used to.
I homeschooled due the system's inability to cater to my childrens earning needs.I beleive my calling is to start a programe for other kids.Parents pressuring me to do so .Finding an ideal place is a top priority.Give me the "special kids "and I find the hidden gems in them.
The poster about giving thanks has nothing to do with American thanksgiving. It's about harvest which is celebrated by many churches in Jamaica. You give thanks for the crops you grew and share with the community.
Akeeba, this visit was awesome! Travelers are always quick to post their experiences at popular places, when participating in an experience with the locals and how they live/work/play is much more interesting. Thank you for sharing this very informative content. What is your preferred timeline for raising the funds to donate?
I’m in New York and sent my son to a Jamaican elementary school. He was reading and writing by 3 yrs old. By 3rd grade he was getting “4s” on all English & Math state exams for years. By 1st grade he was reading chapter books. Teachers in the public middle school told me to slow him down so I took him out as his pace was faster. I put him back private for high school.
Welcome to Jamaica 🇯🇲, thanks for visiting I hope your stay was relaxing and somewhat expeditious and also for taking the time to visit the nearby school(s) to have an understanding of the different style of learning in different regions. I get your approach and Observations BUT, in order to fully grasp what you see you have to also know the Caribbean history. Harvest, Agriculture is a great economic activity and so it's taught from their in their adolescent or youthful stages to know their culture so thou the poster might have been in your interpretation centered on UK/ US is also a widely done holiday unlike holloween and so forth the only difference is we might do our harvests a bit different which is expected rolling back to the point of culture and the Caribbean. Now the curriculum is not random each level of learning goes by the same curriculum for all teachers to follow and that's why it's different to yall becz of the public the private no matter what educational level you are the curriculum/ syllabus and theme is set for all skls to follow so that all student can matriculate without struggle to the next level of learning or in preparation for those Caribbean based exams. So the curriculum is not random our Ministry of Education part of the many ministries account for schools and what's to be enforced. Every year the same stuff or topics should be covered by the students to ensure that they can do exams and matriculate as stated bfr.
My children attended a Black-American preschool program (in the US), and were both able to read, tell time, and do basic math before first grade. Money well spent, even though we could only afford 3 days per week!
My four YO (5 in Sept) is almost done with the Reading Lesson. My goal was for her to know how to read prior to starting kindergarten.Akeeba and Jada (another CZcamsr) showed me it was possible. She readsonly 2 pages per night but that’s all it took. I’m so grateful I found these communities on YT.
I have a good friend, a writer and poet, who is Jamaican and has recently gotten back to her roots there bought a farm, she also has home in New York. She put her 12 year old in school for a year in Jamaica. It was a very good experience for her. It was especially good for her culturally. So different than her experiences in American schools and New York.
Jamaican churches generally in the Easter Holidays have Harvest Celebrations where the congregants and community participate giving thanks for the bountiful harvest of our ground provisions and livestock. The poster would be part of that as schools especially those founded by churches participates in the tradition.
I think it’s our job to educate our children. I homeschool my children as well. Books are important in my household and also reading to my children. If we depend on the system to educate our children it won’t be enough. Not all children learn at the same pace and the same way. Accommodating children learning style is a must. Learning could be inside, outside, in the car, in the plane and etc.
Kudos to this teacher for pulling lots of things together. I'm a teacher and I feel it is more complicated that school budgets. And I would also l8ke to swy that this focus on curricula is a bit old school, focus should be on skills.
I am so glad that you visited my husbands homeland. Jamaica 🇯🇲 is beautiful. The educational standard in Jamaica is high. In America the children are left back in so many levels
It was great that you came to Jamaica. Phonics is very important at kindergarten because it is the foundation for most of the other skill areas. I have learnt a lot of reading skills from your videos. You are an excellent educator. Keep up the good work 👏.
Phonics is done in preschool in Florida so is addition, subtraction, measuring, grouping etc. I have had much success in my class with reading by the end of the year.
Lovely video....parents have to reclaim the authority to educate their kids and demand changes of the education system...if we leave it up to them, we'll have to manage whatever results we get....parents need to make sacrifices but most ppl feel unable to; sadly what we prioritize will thrive
Yes yes yes yes I WAS THINKING the same thing as parents we need to do our part and not have kids just to have them and expect others to do everything. we need to roll up our sleeves and do our part, by reading to them their 1,000 books etc etc like Akeeba says. We have to go to the school sit down, help be involved to show we care. Abeeka has inspired me to do this very thing .. I’m so excited and nervous I cannot believe I have the power ti change my child future for the better
This is so beautiful akeeba .. im so greatful that u did this ..my parents are from Jamaica. butt they left when they were in their early teenage years ..so just having this video to have an idea of qhat school look like is amazing... alotof the children in Jamaica are advanced when they come up here .. they fly thru the public school systems in america.... the only way it may be different is if they come from a very impoverished part of Jamaica where they just don't get a chance to go to school or lack resources heavily
Even then, when you are from an impoverished part (like I was) you still get top notch education, especially in comparison to the US. In Jamaica, once you have the grades to match, you can be placed in really rigorous schools with difficult course work which is akin to university material in the US. Even without money, you still have the option to attain great education.
Bless this teacher. When she pulled out their work and was showing the camera, that really touched my heart. You can feel her passion for teaching her students just shining through. They’re in good hands there! Love it 🥰
I stumble on your channel two days ago and i was blown away. You doing an awesome job. Please keep it up. I am taking lessons from you. It helping me teach my nephew and his peers read. Thanks
I want to point out Akeeba, the poster about giving thanks has nothing to do with the American holiday "Thanksgiving" . It is about growing your own produce in your own backyard and sharing it with others, and giving thanks for it. We have a saying, "Eat what you grow, and grow what you eat". I hope that explanation helps.
Exactly. Some Caribbean countries celebrate harvest. That's what the poster says not thanksgiving.
Indeed, I agree. We have a harvest culture here in Jamaica and we teach it to our children because Agriculture is very important to us. The poster was related to that, but I do agree that we need to make our own curricular materials.
That's what I got too. We give thanks everyday to The Almighty for providing us with food. From the beginning, He gave us all that we needed.👍🙏🏿
Precisely love
Cornucopia ...yes. Harvest. Feasts. I think most people know that harvest and celebrating of the season is done in many cultures and for a similar or different reason(s). Even The bible has passages, also.
CORRECTION. This is a Harvest poster. Harvest is celebrated across Jamaica in schools and churches. It’s done in Easter and is very much a Jamaican religious traditional. It’s not the same as US thanksgiving.
Yes, Harvest is celebrated in other Caribbean countries around the same time. I went to one in Grenada this past Easter Monday. I don't understand why some people in the Caribbean, see it necessary to celebrate Amerikkkan Thankstaking Day. SMH.
Easter is a pagan holiday. Research it's history for yourself. So is Thanksgiving and Christmas. Plenty of videos on YT . " my people perish for lack of knowledge".
As a Jamaican living in Baltimore, I brought my daughter to this country at 6 years old reading at like a 3rd grade level, writing in cursive etc and she regressed so horribly especially because her first teacher in New York asked her to stop writing in cursive because she couldn’t understand it. My only regret moving to the US has been the negative effect on my daughter and her education. Even now she is 16 and when me and her set goals for her school year she is being told that my goal is a bit “too ambitious”. Is a constant fight for me with these yt teachers telling my black daughter to limit her ambitions and live in the standard they have created for her. I say everyday that I wished I had the option to have her continue her schooling in 🇯🇲 and only come to the US for college.
You keep pushing your daughter!! How dare they try to limit her! I was a single parent & wanted the best for my daughter. We live in Greensboro NC so there are many options for schooling here. She ended up going to on of the best high schools (at the time) & was in the IB (international baccalaureate) program & graduated with the IB diploma. Then went on to college UNC-Wilmington (NC) graduated and is a,project manager for a very good company. She now lives in the Raleigh NC area. You keep fighting for your daughter. Come to NC for a good education Lol!!
So sorry, some people are jealous! Knew someone who high school counsellor talked her out of her acceptance to Columbia University.
Same thing happened to me. My mum raised me and my brother in England from when I was one. But sent us back for what was supposed to be a year.
I was put back into reception class when I had been in year 2 in England. As they merged the younger years in Jamaica. I was also writing in cursive and I was told off for it. Now I'm an adult and I still can't do it.
God truly answers prayers. As a Jamaican, currently studying in the US, a similar experience happened to me today where I was told I was being ‘ambitious’ like my choices were too lofty for my assignment. I thought I was the only one experiencing this. And this was university level. It happens all the time! Just get use to it- pray and make the most out of it. God works in mysterious ways.
As a Jamaican, thank you for doing this for Jamaica 🇯🇲 & for encouraging your audience to donate to the school. God bless you🙏🏾❤️
Here in Jamaica the motto is every child can learn and every child must learn. I'm happy you decided to showcase what a Jamaican classroom setting is like, our teachers are very passionate about teaching and molding our kids for the future so we do take pride in our schools
Kudos to Jamaica and all other Caribbean countries. I am from the Caribbean and we are known for a rigid school curriculum. I went in grade one at 5 years old and most us graduate at 16/17 years old with knowledge and skills to matriculate to university or work arena. Yes, this is with very little resources. Kudos to all Caribbean teachers
Yes, teaching is definitely a real and serious job in Jamaica. Training is very rigorous.
Sure is! My kids left Jamaica way on top and I was even more rigorous than my great teachers there. Now my kids complain even though the have them in the gifted programs here in the states, they are still above the system and they don't feel challenged.
@@theaadkins857 Wow
First and foremost, parents have to be more involved in their children's education. While raising my sons, education and their schoolwork was number one. Also, I went to meetings, check homework, had a weekly meeting to talk about their week. I made time for them. I had tunnel vision when it came to my children. That's what's missing in today's households.
I love this video, many of our teachers here in Jamaica go above and beyond for our children , they do have less resouces to work with but their love for what they do make a difference...🇯🇲🇯🇲🇯🇲🇯🇲🇯🇲
So true.
Word sister. It's clear that these students are far advanced than their US counterparts
Yes, Jamaicans teaches will go above and beyond for their students, and it reminds of Haitians teachers in 🇭🇹. ( ps I still remember my teacher's last name; Mrs. SMALL. But she was teaching in a private school in the Bahamas 🇧🇸.) May God blesses her.
I’m an older woman who lived in Savannah during segregation. At that time, we also had dedicated teachers who cared about our education and schools didn’t have a lot of money but taught us extremely well. So at one point in time, American Black teachers put the type of energy seen today in Jamaica.
Thats Little Bay Primary in Little London Westmorland, I volunteered with the Hotel i work at foundation and gave school supplies to all the students, so nice to see guys visit my home twn
I’m not Jamaican (Guyanese) but the wayyy I’m smiling at this. I love it !!!
Jamaica is more advance in education than people think. What I did in the beginning of college here is what I did back in high school so the first two years was a breeze for me. Only challenge was I had to work long hour while in college. Still happy you featuring my little island
All the books have black ppl on them and in them🥰
A very important point that we took for granted . But it taught us self confidence indirectly. All our story books had kids looking like us with stories related to us. I appreciate that solid foundation now that i am the one drop of chocolate in a sea of yellow. I love who I am. Thanks to the education i got in little Jamaica.
Hi Akeeba, so happy that you visited one of our schools while you were here. I am a Jamaican, I teach grade 1. I watch your videos all the time, as soon as I saw Jamaica in this video's title, I just had to watch.
I see you mentioned the Singapore System. A Jamaican was instrumental in developing that system using a mixture of acculturation and assimilation.
Citation?
@@trevorharper6821 google/research mr lee quan yews (former pm of Singapore) visit to Jamaica, u should be able to find relevant sources. As someone who has studied the education system in JA, as well as the history of the country i can highlight that these two countries became independent from Britain around the same time in the 60s but were on different ends of the spectrum, pun intended. JA was thriving with a good economy , considered “the pearl of the Caribbean” & Singapore was a poor, developing country w/o much structure . Lee Quan Yew visited JA in the late 60s/ early 70s & was mainly impressed by the educational system, studied it with his team, brought what they learned to Singapore where they mirrored, honed & improved it which was a major contribution to where they stand today, successfully boasting one of the best education systems in the world as well as a strong 💪 economy.
I was impressed by Jamaica's education system, as displayed in the video. I tell you, if I was a younger woman, with elementary age children, I would apply for a Jamaican 🇯🇲 passport for the family. My children would have that unbelievable Jamaican early childhood education and experience.
I enjoyed the entire video. Thanks for sharing. Kudos to my brothers and sisters in Jamaica making it happen for the future generations 👏🏿 💚😊
I am from Barbados and we are bless to have our kids educated there, so much like in this video. Thanks for showing the world the Carribean school system.
Preschools in the Caribbean are fierce, we learn it all early
I was born and raised in the Bahamas and this is exactly how it was. We start kindergarten at 4 yes old and to get into grade 1 we have to pass a reading test to test our proficiency to move forward.
We start grade 1 at 5 years old I graduated from high school by 16 and started college in Texas. I was nervous but I found that I was way ahead compared to my American counterparts in a lot of subjects. It could be the smaller class sizes or the competitiveness made in our Caribbean school systems starting from a young age.
We start at 3 in haiti. Loll but I wish they have esl class in haiti to teach the child that wasn't born there.I was born in curacoa I came in Haiti at 6 I fail 3 time in first grade because of language barrier.
We start Basic School/Kindergarten in Jamaica at the age of 3 years old and some even start as early as 2 years old.
Children should be with their parents at four unless the parents work…. They don’t have to go to school to learn at four years old.
Welcome to 🇯🇲. As a homeschool mom I am excited whenever I see homeschoolers learning through experience. As a Jamaican educator, I appreciate you taking the time out to visit one of our schools to have a firsthand experience. You had mentioned Singapore but I will point out that Prime Minister Lee Kwan Yew visited Jamaica because he wanted to see what we were doing here that made us successful. He copied our system of governance and the rest is history.
As a nation we have become too westernized and we are now left in a quandary.
Just to add, Jamaica has GREAT teachers. We have helped to build many Caribbean countries. We are highly sought after for a lot of the US, UK and Asian teaching programs.
Thank you for that important information!
I’m from the islands and spent high school in the US..I’ve always said poverty is not a deterrent. In the islands they instill discipline and a love for learning. There’s no time for BS..and you can’t go to school and act a fool.
Hey, in the Caribbean well in Trinidad we don’t formally celebrate Thanksgiving but we celebrate “Harvest” in church where persons bring different produce to sell/trade in a type of fair. It’s more to celebrate community. It’s not taught in school but most churches (and I guess church schools) are aware of it and observe it in some way at different times of the year.
Karysse....yeah same practice in Jamaica as Trinidad.
It used to be called "Harvest", where people brought to Church all kinds of different foodstuff from their farms. The ice cream sellers and patty sellers and Toto sellers brought their wares to sell. Also the candy sellers, good times were those.
School in Jamaica is no joke!
So true. They start prepping you for university from the very first day of pre-k (infant school).
@@patricehowell2555 bro I don't know what pre k you went to but here we only learnt basic reading, writing, maths, colouring etc? nothing near university level💀
Jamaican schools are a lot different than others country school. Love my 🇯🇲
So true 👍
Hi, sharing harvest and giving thanks is a Caribbean thing too, but not in the US sense.
I am 18 year veteran educator who is from the UK. I have been teaching in Jamaica for the last 6 years. My youngest two children only know the Jamaican education system. From my experience I truly rate the Jamaican system and rank the elementary system over the British.
Hi Bec....I'm currently residing in the UK. Can you kindly recommend a school for my 5 year old to go to in Jamaica.
@@natwise6524 hey do you know the Parish you are staying in?
I remember Harvest festival as a child growing up in Jamaica, American and Canadian Thanksgiving is so different. We had Harvest suppers. But Sunday service for Harvest we take veggies,fruit provision to church and then they are given to the poor.
Hi im from the caribbean as well .im from trinidad . As early as 2an half years old u start kindergarden u learn to spell read an do some simple math. Primary school begins at 5 yrs old an u enter high school at 11 -12 yrs an finish at 16-17 yrs then move on to university which is very expensive.
Omg. You are in Jamaica?! Welcome !!!! Akeeba, Jamaican kids are taught ALOT from ealry on. They can read by the time they reach K3 (5 years) or even younger! Lol. If they do migrate to America its easy peasy when they go to school there. Our education system was used as a model in Singapore! A country that boasts high levels of literacy! Sadly our literacy levels are still pretty low although climbing. Hope you enjoyed your visit!
This is the norm in the Caribbean honestly. If you actually find someone illiterate it’s only due to the fact that said family lack the funds and resources to send their kids to school honestly. I see more illiterate children in the US versus Caribbean. Go figure!
Hope you and the kiddos throughly enjoyed your stay! 😀😀😀
@@issasecretsecret7814 Education in the United States used to be the most important thing to ALL families until George Bush, Jr. got in office... education fell hard after that. When President Obama tried to fix it, he was blocked! Our concerned parents now educate their own children and get ALL available resources to help their own children succeed. I'm an educator and I know what I'm talking about.
Correction: When I was a child in Jamaica illiteracy was widespread. Thank God for Michael Manley who instituted a literarcy program as policy which significantly impacted the adult illeteracy rate. High school students coming into the community in the evening as part of the program teaching adult literacy programs. Will never forget Manley and the Crash Program, housing programs and all the programs set in place to improve the lives of everyday people.
That is not entirely true. Comparing the US literacy rate to Ja is not a fair comparison. Because the US population is larger, it will always have a higher literacy rate. The best comparison would be to other Caribbean nations, like Barbados, the Bahamas, and others like those. Bajah has a 100 percent literacy rate, and the schooling is free, likewise other Caribbean nations. I love JA because that's my birth land, but it's in deep trouble. Most of the kid's first words come from the dancehall music and other unhelpful settings. Most of the kids there are exposed to all sorts of traumas, whether personal or communal, that affect their ability to learn and process. Most of the quality education in JA is not easily accessible to the lower-income people, which is a sizable amount of families. The kids in the US face similar things but different degrees; most importantly, the threat of competition to get into a good university is not as challenging as it is in JA.
Jamaica is small.
You are in my homeland. My memories of school in Jamaica are wonderful ones. Their education system is absolutely amazing!
I love this video because I've been saying this for years. "America can do it they're just choosing not too." It's sad. Just imagine if children started to read when they were first interested. (At 2 years old) They could accomplish so much more. When you wait too late, like 4th grade, you miss out on your own strengths within subjects that would've helped you on your life path. This is exactly why I encourage people to unschool/homeschool if they can.
That's on us as parents, isn't it? If we foster a healthy interest in education BEFORE they're sent to public school, they will be set up to succeed.
Children are not ready to read at two.
Thank you Akeeba. As a Jamaican Educator myself, I felt a great sense of pride for my country and love for that Teacher 🙂 who I know is not adequately remunerated for the work that she does for our children.
Akeeba as an educator, I totally believe it is the system that is failing the students and not the students. Too many resources and what is there to show for it? Thank you for what you do.
True that
Akeeba, as a teacher in the states and having experience homeschooling one of my boys, living in Japan and sending him to public school there, I will say there are three huge fundamental differences between the U.S. and different countries that are succeeding in education. 1) In America, curriculum has become an expensive, capitalist market. Districts are spending so much on parts of curriculum, they often don’t buy the whole thing or pay for the teachers to be trained how to use it. Every district wants their own curriculum, every state wants their own learning standards. As teachers, the way to overcome this is by mapping everything out over summer and pulling materials necessary. Unfortunately, many districts don’t even share the lessons until 2 weeks before we teach it! It’s disgusting, and this is happening in my district in the capital city of Madison, WI where a third of our students are black, 1/3 Latina, 1/3 white. (I’m leaving to another district because it hurt me too much to see my students set up for failure. 2) Early childhood education: it’s too expensive for parents so rather you stay at home and wait for teachers to teach your child or you pay college tuition like I am to send your child to Montessori while you work, and then there are some like you, who will teach their children at home. In early childhood when the parent teaches at home, then sends their child to school, they are bored and now they are even doing away with accelerated learning. 3) Discipline. Because of many factors including culture norms in the U.S. and social media influence, unruly behavior is skyrocketing! And our hands are tied! Especially since Covid, kids have a lot of trauma from neglect, instability, too much social media, we’re spending the majority of our day working through social emotional stories. Their stamina is so low this year and was already low compared to students in other countries. I know I am probably preaching to the choir. Love your videos! Thanks for sharing your stories!
I am a US teacher. You are so right. Your analysis is right on target!
I am a teacher in AZ and I 100% agree with everything you said about teaching in America. I look forward to teaching aboard one day.
Parenting plays a huge role.
Well said.
There never going to make it one system, it’s sad. It goes by ur neighborhood/ zoning, the higher ur tax bracket, the better ur schools r. It’s all political, the budgets r huge and the results in minority schools sucks!! I have 2 cousins that r teachers in Jamaica, but, again, depends on the areas too. Early education is always excellent all around.
You could say almost the entire Caribbean teaching system is basically the same. With few variations, but basically the spaces and scholarships at university going to the best performing students.
Omg I can't believe y'all are actually in Jamaica. I've been watching you and your sister's vids for so long. Anyways, as for our schools being advanced, the Jamaican government places emphasis on children getting an education. We still do lack in some areas because of lack of resources, but we have to be very competitive to make it to teritiary level and make a living when we are older. Like, I remember once when I was in primary (elementary) school and these American university students came to visit, and they had to mark some of your in-class work, and they didn't know to because our Math was so advanced.
The poster you mentioned is not a thanksgiving poster. In Jamaica Harvest is celebrated across the island. It is of religious significance and a prominent part of our christian upbringing. I think its great that you visited the school and thanks for encouraging your subscribers to donate to the school.
I went to basic school and 1/2 year in primary school in Jamaica; my penmanship in regular print and cursive is excellent. My mathematics skill was excellent too. I knew all my multiplication by memory, I remember Jamaica had sports activities for all kids. School in Jamaica is fun for kids.
When I entered the American school system with a deep accent which cause bad judgment with peers and teachers. They held me back one year! With most Jamaican student entering the system they tend to hold them back a year. The American school system is not fare toward certain immigrants and minority in my time. In my kids time, it's not fare as black American. People in my community turn to private school , home school or charter school for equal opportunity with upper class students. Some public schools are not good it depends on the zoning, the fight for funding, most of the time the richer neighborhood get the better funding and care. If you have a kid with a disability it's more hell on earth. You have to fight for service. You have to know your right and have an advocate or an attorney. The system changes base on who is elected.
Yes, America holds back the children a whole year even though they are above average...that I can't understand
Very true, my daughter was held back one year in Canada.
when i came to America from 🇯🇲, they tried to hold me back but my mom fought against it and made them test me. I tested out of 6th grade and skipped to 7th. I love and respect me mom so much for always going hard for me
True, I was held back also
Was held back the child study team didn’t want to mainstream me . This was 20/1/2 years ago.. special Ed they don’t like getting kids mainstreamed that need it. Was with my experience.
I just realized that the teacher you were referring to, was my Spanish Teacher from Grades 10-13, Señora Anglin. She is an awesome teacher, very patient, very fair and very compassionate to her students. "Te amo Señora!"
They’re smart girls I think they’ll do well but the accents will be hard . Enjoy my home !!
It was even hard for me to understand the children we came across!
They will adapt, they are in an age range where a specefic area of their brains give them the ability to acquire language faster than a teen and an adult.
Thank you for sharing this! As a fellow Jamaican family we can attest to this! We now home school our children to ensure they are getting the quality education they deserve.
Same here. I am home schooling my children as well. The US education system is not up to par with our system.
Same here! Our son is now 5 and has been learning at home all his life. It's not easy balancing homeschooling with a full-time job but it is worth it. At 16 months, he was reading at a first grade level. It's hard for me to entrust his education to the U.S school system. Honestly, if I change my mind about homeschooling, I'll just let him attend virtual school to ensure he interacts with other children. I'd still ensure that he stays ahead. They really hold children back in the U.S
@@Tammy-sd3sc That's great to know. Awesome. You're doing a great job. What books did you use for him to start reading so early.
@@NellaColemanEl Hi Nella. The first thing I did was to read to him in utero. As an infant, I played little games with flashcards and he would just laugh while I played the silly games. Before I knew it, he was saying the names of the pictures and letters. We then moved on to letter sounds in isolation, then we combined sounds, then moved on to cvc and cvc(e) words. I basically picked reading books randomly... however, his favorite ones were the leveled texts by Scholastics. I think we got to level D. Aafterwards, he was reading independently. Although he's a very advanced reader, I still align my ELA/Reading lessons with the public school's curriculum. At 5 he's reading above a 6th grade level. That's for fluency though. I have him at a second grade level for comprehension. I do not want him to miss out on any skill. When he was very young, we did a lot of incidental learning. We would walk around parking lots and read the make and models of cars. We would also keep him engaged in the car by asking him to read signs and billboards. He also practiced his numbers by reading license plates. The unstructured learning was a lot of fun!
I absolutely love this. My country. I can say for sure that the standards are very high and i honestly know that my son would have been an early reader if he were there. We visited a few months ago . I made sure that i went into the book stores to get my reading and math supplies. Thanks for sharing this. An amazing educational system. Happy you and the girls got the opportunity to visit a school.
Happy to see you in my Island of Jamaica
we start going to school at 2 years old and learn all that program in Jamaica it's AMAZING 👏
Love my Island.
God bless all teachers very much under paid and they do so much.
Cheers
✌️💛
I would like to point out, as you approach the school there is a dress code. Education is taken seriously. Your mother in law mentioned when given a handout, that is yours to cherish and learn the contents… much more covered in the video. Now as aJamaican mother, I am looked at as being strict because I carried these same values with parenting in the US. I fight tooth and nail for Phonics for my older boys who read late in the game and is still struggling vs my younger kids who learnt through Phonics, my 5 year old reads well. I believe it is all a “system”. We can talk about this for days. Due to limited resources in Jamaica, not all kids have access to education which is sad. However, through experience I have seen the difference with education in Jamaica vs the US. Thanks for sharing.
Thank you so much Akeeba! This video is drawing a lot of attention to the Little Bay All Age School...and as a result bringing in financial and energetic support for food security for the children at the school. Blessings and Love!
Wow they are self sufficient in supplying food that is seriously impressive
I’m in Florida but my family is Jamaican 🇯🇲 I’m happy to see this video because I’d love for my kids to spend time in a Jamaican school.. hoping we get to live there for a year once my mom completes her home there… mainly because it’s my culture and I love it there… but also because I know the teachers really do care that the kids actually learn! (Btw.. parents have to pay to send their kids to school.. it isn’t free.. so these kids tend not to take it for granted)
The educational standard in Jamaica is very high, most children start school proper at 3 yrs and they start learning a lot from that age and parents teach their kids a lot at home even before they start school, we don't play with education in Jamaica because we know that's one and sometimes the only way to advance and get ahead in our country. A good education is rewarded in Jamaica so everyone strives for excellence
Wow ....I love the Jamaican teacher, her classroom is lively . Thanks for this eye opening video Akeeba......love from Ghana
As a native AMERICAN who use to teach and owned a Day Care, this was good to see. I must CORRECT you on your statement about Teachers here in the US only needing minimal qualifications. Education level of Teachers vary from State to State and it depends on the schools whether it's Early Childhood Education or Education for public or private schools. Mainly ALL public schools require a Teacher to have a DEGREE in Education so that's definitely not minimal!
The funds for Education here in the US is NOT a large one so I'm not sure how many States received a portion of that billion dollar budget? I have ALWAYS had to go into my own pocket to buy more books and curriculum material and supplies for my class because I was NEVER supplied with much.
I like how the Principle said if the child is advanced for their age they will NOT hold them back but allow them to move on to the next class. That's how it should be! I believe PARENTS should NOT leave their childrens education in the hands of the system. If YOU have a child YOU SHOULD BE EDUCATING THEM! A Teacher in school is a bonus! Children want to learn
Hey guys! To clarify, it seemed like the teachers there were more trained and prepared on being a teacher than in the U.S.
Yes in the US you technically have to have a bachelors degree, but that degree could be in Kinesiology and you could end up teaching 9th grade math after you’re certified! That’s how our system works. My degree is an African-American studies, how does that equate to me being able to teach a child how to read? Right, it doesn’t.
And furthermore, in places that are hard to place teachers, like inner cities or rural areas, that all goes out the window. It’s normal to see substitutes who don’t need a degree or students who have not passed qualifying exams teaching kids in many places like this.
I have also found even teachers I knew who went to a teachers college are unprepared to teach.
As opposed to, in Singapore, one of the top countries for education, their ministry of education chooses only from the top one third of secondary students to enter the teaching profession. The students train under master teachers for three years. Teachers are nurtured into becoming better, and then they are assessed to see what their strengths are, and placed into roles accordingly.
Teacher quality has consistently been reported by researchers as a top factor in student success or failure. I’m not sure why so many teachers are offended by that. I think it is very hard for people to admit that students fail in part because of them. Parents shouldn’t be fighting to get their child in the ‘good’ teachers class. Teachers should not be figuring out how to teach on the job. It’s not fair to students or teachers. And I certainly don’t want to pay my tax dollars for US failing schools 😂
You don’t know why teachers who are born and raised in a US educational system are offended to hear that we are the problem? We give our heart and soul to our kids and we still fall short. I feel like you are someone standing outside throwing rocks….Js… God bless🙏🏽
Yep. I have a Bachelor's in Applied Mathematics and a Masters in Mathematics Education, Grades 5-9. But because I am not "certified" I can only get a substitute teacher position in a public school. It makes no sense.
In Jamaica we have specific “teacher’s colleges.” I believe without going there you’re unable to step foot into a classroom. We’re big on education because it’s the only way out of poverty for a lot of us.
Keep Telling these truth. Maybe one day our communities will realize our children are worth the fight
As a proud Jamaican I was born and raised and schooled there. The education system in Jamaica is so much more advance. Kindergarten children are like 1st and 2nd grade
Speaking as an L.A Native not all public school’s just pass u. I was always held back and even given a reading class until I was able to read. Even in middle school, Read180 taught me so much.
The girls were too clingy so I couldn’t even leave them in the classroom for a few minutes while we toured at all! Amahle wouldn’t even go in without be physically pushing her! Aphiwe was looking around the whole time, interested but she didn’t say anything! Except when the little girl said hi. I think because they had already heard kids talking in the grocery store before this, they were hesitant because they couldn’t understand what those previous kids were saying. Amahle was scared I was going to leave her there I think, and overall hot. She sweats easily and since there was no AC and she had to wear a tshirt to cover her arms due to the dress code, she kept complaining that it was hot and asking to leave. 🫠I saw for the first time how rude she can be when she really doesn’t want to be somewhere! When we left they denied being scared and said they would love to go to school there 🤨🤣The next time we travel I hope to set up something formal so they can stay at the school for a few days! Any suggestions? Anyone teach at a school they can visit?
That's true classrooms here are very hot ... I'm not a teacher but I could seek permission from one of 3 preparatory (private) schools, they have lots of fans ....
Watching you visited the sch brings back memories.
It would be good to try different ones, a private and a public. I vote for Jessie Ripoll Primary, my alma mater, for public 😉. Maybe someone else can suggest a private 🤷🏾♀️.
I teach in Tulsa, OK, and the system works very differently for sure. I try to strike a balance between my way of learning/schooling in Jamaica and how it influences me as a teacher, and then finding the balance of meeting my students here with what they are used to.
In the Caribbean depending on one's religious persuasion we have a harvest and a service of thanks giving it is not North American
I homeschooled due the system's inability to cater to my childrens earning needs.I beleive my calling is to start a programe for other kids.Parents pressuring me to do so .Finding an ideal place is a top priority.Give me the "special kids "and I find the hidden gems in them.
The poster about giving thanks has nothing to do with American thanksgiving. It's about harvest which is celebrated by many churches in Jamaica. You give thanks for the crops you grew and share with the community.
Akeeba, this visit was awesome! Travelers are always quick to post their experiences at popular places, when participating in an experience with the locals and how they live/work/play is much more interesting. Thank you for sharing this very informative content.
What is your preferred timeline for raising the funds to donate?
First time I'm seeing this. This is AMAZING! Please visit our BEAUTIFUL nation again. 😄😃
I’m in New York and sent my son to a Jamaican elementary school. He was reading and writing by 3 yrs old. By 3rd grade he was getting “4s” on all English & Math state exams for years. By 1st grade he was reading chapter books. Teachers in the public middle school told me to slow him down so I took him out as his pace was faster. I put him back private for high school.
Welcome to Jamaica 🇯🇲, thanks for visiting I hope your stay was relaxing and somewhat expeditious and also for taking the time to visit the nearby school(s) to have an understanding of the different style of learning in different regions. I get your approach and Observations BUT, in order to fully grasp what you see you have to also know the Caribbean history. Harvest, Agriculture is a great economic activity and so it's taught from their in their adolescent or youthful stages to know their culture so thou the poster might have been in your interpretation centered on UK/ US is also a widely done holiday unlike holloween and so forth the only difference is we might do our harvests a bit different which is expected rolling back to the point of culture and the Caribbean. Now the curriculum is not random each level of learning goes by the same curriculum for all teachers to follow and that's why it's different to yall becz of the public the private no matter what educational level you are the curriculum/ syllabus and theme is set for all skls to follow so that all student can matriculate without struggle to the next level of learning or in preparation for those Caribbean based exams. So the curriculum is not random our Ministry of Education part of the many ministries account for schools and what's to be enforced. Every year the same stuff or topics should be covered by the students to ensure that they can do exams and matriculate as stated bfr.
My children attended a Black-American preschool program (in the US), and were both able to read, tell time, and do basic math before first grade. Money well spent, even though we could only afford 3 days per week!
Welcome to Jamaica bless up
My four YO (5 in Sept) is almost done with the Reading Lesson. My goal was for her to know how to read prior to starting kindergarten.Akeeba and Jada (another CZcamsr) showed me it was possible. She readsonly 2 pages per night but that’s all it took. I’m so grateful I found these communities on YT.
Jada A or another Jada
@@LouisianaLadii Jada A.
Akeeba welcome to Jamaica the land of wood and water
I have a good friend, a writer and poet, who is Jamaican and has recently gotten back to her roots there bought a farm, she also has home in New York. She put her 12 year old in school for a year in Jamaica. It was a very good experience for her. It was especially good for her culturally. So different than her experiences in American schools and New York.
This is to those that watch this video, are there any teachers that love and use Ms. Akeeba structure that live in Houston?
It doesn’t matter if it’s under a 🌳 going to school In Jamaica 🇯🇲 is the best! Was my best years🆙🆙❤️🇯🇲
Word!
Donations made in honor of the Maze Family towards Jamaica's Elementary School Project. The garden is beautiful 💚❤
Jamaican churches generally in the Easter Holidays have Harvest Celebrations where the congregants and community participate giving thanks for the bountiful harvest of our ground provisions and livestock. The poster would be part of that as schools especially those founded by churches participates in the tradition.
I think it’s our job to educate our children. I homeschool my children as well. Books are important in my household and also reading to my children. If we depend on the system to educate our children it won’t be enough. Not all children learn at the same pace and the same way. Accommodating children learning style is a must. Learning could be inside, outside, in the car, in the plane and etc.
Wow this is beautiful akeeba the girls will have fun I'm from Barbados and my husband is from Jamaica love the video
Kudos to this teacher for pulling lots of things together. I'm a teacher and I feel it is more complicated that school budgets. And I would also l8ke to swy that this focus on curricula is a bit old school, focus should be on skills.
Welcome to Jamaica 🇯🇲 Aleena Akeeba and family
I am so glad that you visited my husbands homeland. Jamaica 🇯🇲 is beautiful. The educational standard in Jamaica is high. In America the children are left back in so many levels
Wish they could have met my two Jamaican homeschoolers ! Lovely for them to experience our culture
It was great that you came to Jamaica. Phonics is very important at kindergarten because it is the foundation for most of the other skill areas. I have learnt a lot of reading skills from your videos. You are an excellent educator. Keep up the good work 👏.
Her classroom is so beautiful and organized wonderfully done👏👏🤗💕
I love Akeeba! I did not realize you were a fan too my friend!
Man! I envy her bad. Am wondering how she manages all that. May have taken time, a lot of time. Me too old for all that
Phonics is done in preschool in Florida so is addition, subtraction, measuring, grouping etc. I have had much success in my class with reading by the end of the year.
The best schools in the world
Thank you for this Akeeba. My home country.
WoW! That’s awesome they will b grateful when they get older.
Alot of Jamaicans living abroad send their kids back to the island for their primary education.
Lovely video....parents have to reclaim the authority to educate their kids and demand changes of the education system...if we leave it up to them, we'll have to manage whatever results we get....parents need to make sacrifices but most ppl feel unable to; sadly what we prioritize will thrive
Yes yes yes yes I WAS THINKING the same thing as parents we need to do our part and not have kids just to have them and expect others to do everything. we need to roll up our sleeves and do our part, by reading to them their 1,000 books etc etc like Akeeba says. We have to go to the school sit down, help be involved to show we care. Abeeka has inspired me to do this very thing .. I’m so excited and nervous I cannot believe I have the power ti change my child future for the better
This is so beautiful akeeba .. im so greatful that u did this ..my parents are from Jamaica. butt they left when they were in their early teenage years ..so just having this video to have an idea of qhat school look like is amazing... alotof the children in Jamaica are advanced when they come up here .. they fly thru the public school systems in america.... the only way it may be different is if they come from a very impoverished part of Jamaica where they just don't get a chance to go to school or lack resources heavily
Even then, when you are from an impoverished part (like I was) you still get top notch education, especially in comparison to the US. In Jamaica, once you have the grades to match, you can be placed in really rigorous schools with difficult course work which is akin to university material in the US. Even without money, you still have the option to attain great education.
@@toni7808 ok that was your experience great .. others have a different story
Love love love this!! 🥰
Bless this teacher. When she pulled out their work and was showing the camera, that really touched my heart. You can feel her passion for teaching her students just shining through. They’re in good hands there! Love it 🥰
I’m so glad you did this. ❤️
Sweet sweet jamaica 🇯🇲
I stumble on your channel two days ago and i was blown away. You doing an awesome job. Please keep it up. I am taking lessons from you. It helping me teach my nephew and his peers read. Thanks
I'm thinking about sending my son to school there. So I'll take this as my sign.
What a great experience for them!!!
This video was very helpful 👏🏽
Exciting! Can't wait to see this experience!
This is real teaching ! These children will do well no matter what kind of home ! Love this ! Thank you for sharing 💯
This is an eye-opening video. Thank you
This is truly refreshing.
This video is inspiring- keep up the good work
I cant wait to watch💞💞🇯🇲
I'm so glad you are bringing this content to the front line for people to hear.
In Jamaica they teach you ahead of your age/year. Meaning, if you are in grade 9 it is most likely that you will be receiving grade 11 information.