Joan Barrett, a retired educator, said she has been mandated by God to help deliver Jamaica, but the country has proven to be a “difficult baby” so far. Her loyalty to God and the place of her birth, continues to fuel her vision for a better country, although the island in its current state seems destined for a miscarriage.
“I am pregnant with Jamaica, and it is a very difficult pregnancy. I can’t carry it alone and I certainly can’t birth it alone, but it is not my intention to abort it,” the 80-year-old mother of three told the Freedom Come Rain decisively.
Barrett has conceptualised a tool kit, which she hopes will serve as a guide to those who are prepared to help deliver the country. Currently, Jamaica has one of the highest murder rates in the world and is struggling to escape economic stagnation and social mayhem.
The project Barrett has conceptualised is called, “Seed Time and Harvest” and is aimed at teaching parents especially how to be better role models for their children. At at time when social influencers are a dime a dozen, she wants more positive influencers for this generation.
“Teach them how to know God; play with them, laugh with them, hug them, listen to what they have to say, converse with them, teach them to say please, sorry and thank you,” she admonished parents, who she hopes will start applying the seeds.
Barrett has been a teacher since she was 18 years old and officially retired at 70, although she continued to be engaged privately as an educator. She has taught at the infant, primary, secondary and tertiary levels in several parishes, including St. Ann where she was born, and Kingston, St Thomas and Trelawny. Among the several schools she has taught at are the Excelsior Community College, and two separate institutions for special needs children.
Barrett intends to use any platform available to teach parents how to be better role models for there children. She believes her generation did not do much to steer this current generation from adopting the negative attitudes and character they now display, but she is optimistic that by planting good seeds in our children, future generations will become upright citizens.
Barrett is very patriotic. A number of her colleagues had migrated because they could no longer deal with the children in the classroom, but she just couldn’t leave. The missionary teacher noticed that while growing up, there were two things that got her very emotional; one was seeing her name on a paper, and the other was seeing a map of Jamaica.
“I am just one of those sold out,” she said. “We are blessed! Look at our cuisine, look at our music, look at our sportsmen, look at our herbs, medicinal bushes, look at our bauxite and we have oil some place, let me tell you something, if we escape the punishment of God, we are blessed.”
Here are the ways she recommends mothers can help to push back the darkness hovering over the land:
Teach what is right
- Be always loving, polite and kind. Talk, enforce, model;
- Pray, say grace at meals;
- Smile, laugh with, hug, kiss, hold lovingly;
- Dance, sing, play, listen, serve, cooperate, help;
- Say “thanks”, “please”, “I’m sorry”, “pardon me”, “how-di-do”.
Gently rebuke
- Seek to soften situations/tempers, apologise;
- Forgive, take time out, hug, shake hands;
- Suggest corrective action, show care/respect for others including animals and strangers.
Teach how to live right
- Identifying and reinforcing/rewarding/modelling desirable behaviours while identifying and discouraging the undesirable;
- Tell, read about, roleplay characters who do right;
- Practising sportsmanship, hospitality;
- Doing chores at home/school, helping to keep surroundings clean and safe;
- Keeping the peace, settle disputes;
- Suggesting ideas for making/keeping friends, complimenting;
- Obeying laws, rules, instructions
