Principal Lennox Davis speaks about the importance of getting more parents involved in school activities.
Junior stoops to help a youngster whose shoelace had come undone.
Construction worker Lionel Thompson who took the day off to attend Boys’ Day at the Portsmouth Primary School, Portmore, St Catherine, checks out some of the activities with six-year-old grandson Darion Mullings, whose 11- year-old brother, Damone, is at left.
These two boys seem to be contemplating their next move. - photos by Christopher Serju
Patrick Williams and his six-year-old son, Jahvon, find something of mutual interest. Williams, a security guard, took time off from work and he thoroughly enjoyed the activities.
These boys couldn't resist some roughhousing at the expense of their friend (centre), who seemed to be really enjoying himself.
Christopher Serju, Gleaner Writer
As 11-year-old Damone Mullings enjoyed himself, playing with friends and occasionally checking in, his six-year-old brother, Darion, made himself comfortable on the lap of their grandfather, Lionel Thompson, sipping on a bagged juice and pointing out things of interest to grandpa.
Along the opposite corridor of the Portsmouth Primary School, in Portmore, St Catherine, another six-year-old, Jahvon Williams, was relaxing with his father, Patrick, as they enjoyed a concert the final item on the Boys' Day event hosted recently by the school.
A construction worker, Thompson, had taken the day off to spend with his grandsons, whose father was unavailable. Williams, a security guard had also taken the day off to go to school with his son, at the school's request. As The Gleaner enquired about the child's name, age, and other personal information, the elder Williams deferred to his son, who spelt his name with ease and answered quite brightly, much to his father's delight. It was obvious that the two had a very good relationship.
Both men, who seemed very comfortable with their much younger 'schoolmates', were among the many fathers who took time from work to find out how the children were doing in school and some of the issues that could impact their learning, whether negatively or positively. Williams, who seemed particularly protective of his son, explained that once the teachers explained the purpose of the activities on a day when school was confined to boys only, it was an easy choice for him to give up a day's earning.
"Anything that has to do with him, I want to know about it. I want to be in it," he shared with The Gleaner.
Then there was Junior, who patiently tied the shoelaces of a youngster who then ran off to play again. The youngster seemed so comfortable that upon checking, The Gleaner was surprised to find out that they were not related and did not even know each other.
"I realised that with his laces loose, he was likely to trip over them and hurt himself, so I call him and offered to tie them," Brown disclosed.
The interest and active participation of these and other fathers in the range of activities, including interactive sessions with behavioural experts, is the main reason Principal Lennox Davis and staff at the school declared Boys' Day 2014 a major success.
"The sessions have been good and they (fathers) have been sharing their ideas, sharing their concerns with the presenters. We want to also hear the problems they are having at home, so we selected experts in particular areas to address these concerns," Davis told The Gleaner. "We are going to have a post analysis session of this Boys' Day. We're going to look at some of the things that came out of it - some of the suggestions that were made, some of the problems that we have and then take certain decisions."
A number of lessons
For grade-one teacher Kamilah Roper, the day presented a number of lessons in love and commitment on the part of the fathers, and several things stood out.
"To see how many fathers were here from morning until now, who actually stayed - who actually took the time to come - that is what impressed me! They did not send an excuse to say that they can't come, but really came out and that is good, and they stayed," she explained. "That is so important, because you can see that the boys feel like they are on top of the world because daddy is here. Mommy is also here, but when daddy is here, it's different. They refer to their mother as 'mommy' but their father, especially if they are talking to a friend, becomes 'my daddy'."