'Make school environment student friendly'

Sheena Gayle, Gleaner Writer

WESTERN BUREAU:

President of the Jamaica Association of Principals of Secondary Schools, Sharon Reid, has encouraged educators not to fight fire with fire when dealing with pervasive problem of aggressive children in the classroom.

Reid, who is also principal of the St Andrew High School for Girls, made the appeal the Jamaica Teachers' Association Education Conference at Hilton's Rose Hall Resort and Spa in Montego Bay.

"Jamaica is full of aggressive adults and it is embedded in our children and they come to us with it," the principal said.

"I want to say to you that we all have a lot of those aggressive children at our schools and we need to look at how we treat those cases. We want respect from students but how do we talk to them remains a serious bone of contention," Reid added during her address on Building a Healthy School Climate Through Internal Partnerships and Collaboration.

ask for help

She said principals and vice-principals should not believe they can make the school a success or solve all its problem on their own and must develop relationships and be willing to ask for assistance.

"Learn how to ask for help and assistance in making the school a student-friendly atmosphere because let's face it, the students are our biggest customers as without students we do not get paid."

"We have to ensure that the school environment is student friendly. Fix up their environment, help them to feel good about their school and, by extension, feel good about themselves," Reid added.