Radvocate:The voice of an advocate for Students (final project)

Hello! I am a The voice behind the movement.

Introduction to my intro song on the podcast.This is a thought provoking piece where even though this piece is a critique the American school system it can easily be transferred in the essence of the Jamaican school as they share similar issue of oppressing students versus empowering them

Resource Bank

Here are some articles to read that’ll get you up to speed on the challenges students face in Jamaican schools today

https://www.jamaicaobserver.com/columns/the-policing-of-black-hair/

https://jamaica-gleaner.com/article/lead-stories/20160301/hair-raiser-scores-kc-students-sent-home-mohawks-and-fadesries

https://ne-np.facebook.com/gleanerjamaica/photos/a.118774021611045/2018871094934652/?type=3 https://www.jamaicaobserver.com/news/students-have-mixed-views-on-lockout-for-grooming/

Link to podcast: https://spotifyanchor-web.app.link/e/vjE0DrmsCvb

Article of the Day

Twelve-year-old Nashawna Smiekle, who attends St Andrew High School for Girls, argued that hairstyles do not impact a student’s learning ability.

“A no hair a go school fi learn, a the pickney dem a go school fi learn; what happen ’bout dem hair? If it want to mad up, if it want to long to the floor, what that have fi do with what them take in when dem go school? Yuh can still groom yuhself, go school and don’t take in no book,” Smiekle argued.

At the same time 12-year-old Sumoy Hunt, a Convent of Mercy Academy “Alpha” student, said there should be other forms of punishment than a lockout for students who breach the dress code.

“Locking out children from learning does not help the situation; there are other punishments like detentions. If you lock them out, how will they learn?” questioned Hunt.

Thirteen-year-old Vauxhall High School student Tevin Cowans, who also disagreed with the measure, said, “Mi no think so. When mi trim my hair short mi can still learn, and if it is a bit higher mi will still learn.”

Meanwhile, 16-year-old Darian Tomlinson who attends Calabar High School said, “My teacher told me that it is not something good to come to school with high hair and tight pants because school is equipping you for the outside world. Schools are grooming you to show you that when you reach [outside in the world of work] you follow rules and regulations and you don’t get kicked out of jobs. [However,] you can’t restrict them from education because of their hair and pants. There must be standards but they shouldn’t be locked out.”

Others, though, held the opposite view.

Twelve-year-old Alicia Spalding, who attends Vauxhall High School, said that students should be locked out for ignoring the school rules.

“You can do it, but you have to know how you are going to do it. Your hair can be a certain limit but you should not go overboard. I think boys can wear the small earrings [knobs] and boys shouldn’t wear their uniforms big,” she said.

Fifteen-year-old student at Dunoon Technical High School Jenele Lawrence added, “I think they should lock them out because they are the face of the school.”https://www.jamaicaobserver.com/news/students-have-mixed-views-on-lockout-for-grooming/