by Trisha Sealy
(STT, Nov 22, 2024). The recent attack, in early October, of a Virgin Islands school bus driver by students in the public school system was the top talk of any barbershop or beauty salon last week.
The Saturday morning melee at this particular beauty salon centered around the role and responsibility of parents in raising their children to make better decisions, and whether it is the duty of the school system or parents to instill critical thinking skills in their children. Moreover, should critical thinking skills be a part of the VI Department of Education school curriculum?
The prevailing disgust was at the blatant disrespect of the elders in the VI community.
There was a resounding cry of outrage over this recent incident. The prevailing disgust was at the blatant disrespect of the elders in the VI community. The conversation shifted to what each client believed their child or children’s decision would have been in such a situation, and the consequence which would have followed a negative decision.
Furthermore, seemingly traumatized, they reflected on what would have happened to them “back in the day” had they made such a bad decision. Clearly, the children who engaged in this act do not have the fear of the God today like these clients had of their parents.
Some questions asked throughout the discussion were: Where are we, as a society, going wrong in raising our children? How can we change the narrative and have an honest conversation that would invoke change in our community? Should a child found guilty of committing such a heinous act be allowed to stay in the public school system?
A V.I. Consortium report quoted a Board of Education representative asking parents to “take responsibility for the child’s behavior, ensuring accountability both at home and in school.” How can parents and the public school system work together to ensure that we are instilling critical thinking skills in our youth that will help them to grow into independent-thinking, responsible members of this VI community?
