Workbooks? Not a great idea!

As a parent and someone with great interest in education of our Nation’s children, I wish to air my issues with the use of workbooks in the elementary school system. There are 3 main reasons why I think that this is not the best approach to educating our youngsters.

The first negative in my mind associated with using workbooks is that parents and guardians are unable to pass down books to younger children as was the practice some years ago. The pages are all marked up, and in order for the upcoming child to benefit from the lessons contained in the text, he has to get a brand new book. Who benefits from this arrangement? Certainly not the parents, who are put out of pocket every twelve months being forced to buy brand new books instead of having the option to purchase a second hand book or pass down a used book. Where parents are put under this pressure, it makes it less likely that they can purchase 100% of the book list requirement, thus compromising the overall delivery of information to our young ones. The ones who stand to lose if the use of workbooks was obliterated are the book publishers and sellers. But in an environment of scarce resources and an imperative to equip our citizens from the elementary stages in support of giving us a competitive edge, I think that the Ministry of Education should side with parents and children in doing what is best for them rather than the publishers and sellers of books.

The act of writing aids in committing information to memory. Where children are asked to merely fill in blanks, I believe the learning process is being short-circuited, to their ultimate disadvantage.

And lastly, penmanship, sentence construction and the working of math problems by laying out steps in enough space to accommodate it (versus being constrained by the miniscule space that the workbook designers think is sufficient) are all compromised by forcing these young learners to fit their answers into a prescribed slot with as few words as possible.

I’d like to throw out a challenge to our schools: if the Ministry of Education will not reduce the numbers of workbooks as part of the recommended book lists for our schools, then schools can mandate that all working out and answers be done by children in exercise books, with no writing whatsoever to be done in the workbooks. This will allow second hand books to be sold and passed on easing the burden on caregivers and allowing the children to optimize their learning process. Furthermore, in the event that the publishers try to outsmart schools and parents by issuing revisions every year if such an arrangement was indeed instituted by our schools, the Ministry could institute a policy of limiting revised editions to once every three years.

Let me be clear, I am not attempting to pit parents and schools against our book industry. But in difficult times, difficult decisions have to be made. I believe that giving the upper hand to parents and children will benefit the Nation more than giving the upper hand to book publishers and sellers.

The challenge is now yours, Schools and Ministry of Education.

Poor Customer Service at Cafe Blue, Sovereign

So I had an hour between assignments in Kingston last week Friday morning and I decided to have coffee at Cafe Blue in Sovereign. It wasn’t crowded at 8:00am and I placed my order for a large latte and smoked marlin on a wheat bagel. The cafe is a very comfortable space and it smelled like heaven (we do have the best coffee in the world you know!). The person who took my order appeared to be the manager/supervisor on duty and she was pleasant and welcoming. So I sat, exhaled and took out the daily newspapers, grateful to start my day in such a relaxing way. Ten minutes passed…then 15 minutes…then 20 minutes…I started to get edgy and restless now…I noticed the place filling up, and then I noticed a couple who had come in after me being served. Okay…maybe their order was simpler than mine…no problem. Then I noticed a man who had come in after me being served….not cool! And by this time, the woman who was directly ahead of me had finished eating and got up to leave. All this time, none of the staff noticed that I was simply taking up space with no coffee, no nothing in front of me. I tried to catch the eye of one of the wait-staff, but that never happened. By this time I was steaming. I absolutely hate when my time is wasted or taken for granted. So I got up after 25 minutes and went to the counter and said: “I’d like to leave now. May I get a refund?” The cashier/supervisor looked at my receipt and said: ” Oh no! Sorry. Please don’t leave”. I looked her dead in the eye and gave her the Kelly stare and repeated that I’d really like to leave. But truth be told, I needed that latte…and I still had time.

Still very put out, I sat back down and in 5 minutes one of the wait-staff bought my latte. She was pleasant and smiling and faintly apologetic, but had no explanation for what happened. So of course I asked her what went wrong…she shrugged and smiled nicely and said she did not know. Sigh. In another 3 minutes, my bagel was brought to me by the Cashier/Supervisor. She was very apologetic. But she offered no explanation as to what happened. You know I asked what went wrong. She said something about my order being overlooked and again apologized.

Here’s what Cafe Blue did right: They apologized when I brought it to their attention that I had been overlooked.

Here’s what Cafe Blue did wrong:

The staff including the manager were totally unaware of what was happening in the small space that they managed, and how pleased or not their clients were. A simple scanning of the room at 3minute intervals to ensure that all was as it should be would have clued them in to the fact that the hottie in the corner (me) had been sitting sans coffee for far too long!

They offered no explanation for what went wrong. Most people I think are reasonable, and sometimes stuff happens. Had I been apologized to with an explanation that they misplaced the order or something…anything…I would have been somewhat mollified

They offered zero compensation for my inconvenience. I was sharing with my Bestie how absolutely put out I was at the treatment that was meted out to me at what he considers to be his favourite coffee spot. I thought that it would have been a great touch for the cashier/Supervisor to offer me a muffin or a small gift voucher to use on my next visit to Cafe Blue as a gesture of goodwill. In fact, the voucher would have been a brilliant peace offering, as it would go a long way in ensuring that a dissatisfied customer would return in the future for another chance to be wowed by great service and food. He shook his head sadly and said that they staff were probably not empowered to give away a muffin or a JD300.00 gift voucher. “Only at the Ritz-Carlton can you expect that type of service, Kelly.” He related a story about his having to wait in line in a certain store in the USA for 30 minutes and how apologetic the sales clerk was when he got to the top of the line. That sales clerk rang up the phone case that Bestie was buying and gave him for free!

The latte was all that I had anticipated and the bagel and smoked salmon on point. It wasn’t the food that left that bad taste in my mouth.

Don’t sacrifice due process for expediency

Here are my thoughts on the Jamaican Government’s latest move to bypass the office of the Contractor General in getting specific initiatives underway. I wrote them in the form of a letter to the Editor and The Sunday Observer published the letter today:

Don’t sacrifice due process for expediency

Sunday, April 29, 2012

Dear Editor,
Rendering the role of the contractor general redundant by creating a commission to “expedite” well-needed investments and get projects up and running is not only a retrograde step, but it is moreso an extremely dangerous action.
It is dangerous in terms of the precedent that it will set, allowing Parliament to bypass legitimate organs of the State which were born out of the need to ensure that the tax dollar is spent in the best interest of the country and to ensure that all decisions that affect Jamaica can stand up to scrutiny. It is dangerous, too, given the fact that Jamaica has a legacy of corruption at all levels of society.
The fact that we have racked up massive debt over the last few decades with very little to show for it (think of our decaying physical infrastructure, think of the state of our health and education sectors) is testimony, I believe, to pervasive corruption even if we have not fingered specific individuals.
Let me be clear though, I agree with the notion that Jamaica does not have the luxury of time to sit, ponder, twist and turn when it comes to taking advantage of opportunities that can help to remedy our dire economic and social situation.
I insist that the need to act quickly and decisively, anlong with the need to ensure the presence of checks and balances to guarantee transparency and accountability, are objectives that are not at odds with each other. It is entirely possible for the various State bodies and agencies that are beholden to the citizens and taxpayers of this country and are indeed funded by our blood, sweat and tears, to operate in such a way that the twin ideals of action and accountability coexist to our benefit.
Let us consider what happens in the private sector. As entities grow there is a natural tendency for bureaucracy to set in, and process and form quietly replace that entrepreneurial spirit that propelled them forward in the early days. Indeed, there is a role for the evolution and implementation of policies, procedures and internal controls as the organisation grows and there is more at risk.
But those of us who work in the private sector have seen quick decisions and rapid fire execution when the leadership agrees that a particular initiative is critical to the growth and sustainability of the organisation. What happens is not a disregard for policies, procedures and internal controls, but rather a swift redeployment of resources within the organisation.
That results in the critical initiative being bumped to the top of everyone’s list of priorities and the relevant due diligence is done sooner rather than later, allowing for speedy decision-making and implementation. This is what we refer to as “fast-tracking”.
What I am therefore proposing is simple: once specific initiatives that will help grow the economy and satisfy social imperatives are identified, the notion of “fast-tracking” or speeding up things should kick in. Surely, it is not beyond our Parliament to agree on critical initiatives and to then convince the Office of the Contractor General — the organ of the State charged with ensuring that the tax dollar is spent in accordance with structures that have been set up to protect the taxpayer — of the need to expedite the relevant due diligence, allowing for the speedy decision-making and implementation that I spoke of just now.
Expediting here does not mean bypassing or overlooking. Expediting means allocating resources in such a way that agreed on priorities are dealt with sooner rather than later.
We ought not to sacrifice due process for expediency, and we don’t have to.
Kelly McIntosh

The L Word…not Love, but Leadership.

Like the other L word, this one means different things to different people. But I think it is safe to say that one question sums it up in a universal way: “Who’s in charge here?”. Leadership is a field of study all on its own. Numerous tomes have been written on the subject, everyone has an opinion on it and it is often blamed when things don’t turn out as planned.

I’d like to weigh in with my own thoughts on the topic.
• I believe that leadership can move mountains.
• I believe that more people are comfortable being lead than are comfortable being leaders.
• I believe that there is most definitely a role for someone to define and articulate a vision and get a team on board to make that vision a reality.
• I believe that a good Leader ought to ensure buy in from stakeholders
• I believe that there is a role for a final decision maker. I believe that a single person ought to be held accountable for the final outcome.
• I believe that the role of the Leader is to facilitate constructive conflict and then allow the best ideas to prevail
• I believe that the Leader ought to coordinate execution activities
• I believe that the Leader ought to encourage and deliberately seek to build Leadership among the team of followers

That being said, I also believe that there are some character and personality traits that are common to effective leaders:
• Integrity
• Mental agility
• Articulate by nature
• Salesmanship
• Understander of human nature
• Open minded
• Good listener
• Decisive
• Unafraid of confrontation
• Good negotiator
• Visionary

Imagine an organization where conflict is encouraged, allowing innovation to flourish…
Imagine an organization where your boss can integrate information quickly and articulate an end game that both challenges and inspires… Imagine an organization where all personality types feel as if they are really part of the team… Imagine an organization where decisions are made in a transparent manner in the best interest of the organisation, sooner rather than later….

Now just re-read the few sentences above, putting “Jamaica” where “Organisation” is…

We can do better.

Hard work they had left behind with slavery.

“At Kingston, Jamaica, in April 1975, Prime Minister Michael Manley, a light skinned West Indian, presided with panache and spoke with great eloquence. But I found his views quixotic. He advocated a “redistribution of the world’s wealth”. His country was a well-endowed island of 2,000 square miles, with several mountains in the centre, where coffee and other sub-tropical crops were grown. Theirs was a relaxed culture. The people were full of song and dance, spoke eloquently, danced vigorously and drank copiously. Hard work they had left behind with slavery.” From Third World to First. The Singapore Story: 1965-2000. Memoirs of Lee Kuan Yew.

Forcing me to think…

Sigh. That observation was made more than 35 years ago…I sincerely hope that by now we have ditched the notion of wealth redistribution. We are still the same size and we are still well endowed. We still are full of song and dance. We still know how to speak, announce plans and create an impression with words. (Never mind that the English language continues to rot in the mouths of so many: our children and leaders alike!) Here’s the clincher per LKY: we don’t work hard. We don’t work hard?

Yet, I remember on Christmas Eve last year I was making my way home in the heavy Dec 24th traffic with Miss World and Little Master. Our light had just changed to green. And slowly making her way across the road, preventing me from from moving on was a woman pushing a heavily laden cart with produce. She strained and pushed wearily, obviously heading home from selling all day. Little Master said: ” Mummy, don’t blow your horn! Isn’t it sad that that lady has to work so hard on Christmas Eve?”.

Did you know that vendors in our markets gather their produce and take a long journey every Wednesday night to their market of choice and often remain there until Saturday night? Sounds like hard work to me.

What of domestic helpers who leave their own children behind to live and work in the homes of middle and upper class Jamaicans, caring for those children. Sounds like hard work to me.

What of the single mother who is holding down a job in corporate Jamaica. She drops the children to school and then heads in to office to put in 8 hours. She picks up the children in the evening and heads home through bumper to bumper traffic. Homework and dinner prep mark her next shift and then she gets to do it all over again in a few short hours. Sometimes, she manages to squeeze school in to all of that! Sounds like hard work to me.

Quite a few of our local companies are posting huge profits…GraceKennedy, Sagicor, NCB, BNS, Pan Carib, CPJ, Honey Bun… Did the profits happen without hard work? Let’s slow down here… I’m sure somebody had to sweat out a strategic plan. I’m sure somebody had to craft the weekly and monthly reports that checked to see that they were on track. So yes, somebody was working. Sure…you ask: how much of those profits were generated from productive endeavors where value is added to A to create B, creating a base from which future profits are guaranteed? And how much of those profits were generated from simply moving prices for goods and services up higher? When will the law of diminishing returns set in?
I’m not setting out here to validate a business model. It seems to me that in spite of the model, somebody is working.

The Jamaica Stock Exchange

Then we have a SME sector that is still breathing…I think of a venture like EduFocal, small food processors, small players in the hospitality industry, entertainers, consultants, traders and farmers…these brave souls who risk their own capital and manage to make a decent living for themselves and their families! Sounds like hard work to me.

Yet 35 years after the great Lee Kuan Yew made his observations, here is what we have: a shrinking manufacturing sector, the real foundation I think, for creating a sustainable, profit generating base from which to grow. Our debt is increasing, crime is on the rise again and our trade deficit widens with each setting of the sun. We pray for IMF funding for our nation that has been “independent” for the last 50 years. Our leaders fantasize about a “Greek-style” bailout. We seem to have perfected the art of “after the fact”controls, sussing out public sector corruption long after the horse has gone through the gate. We seem unable to put in place mechanisms which prevent it from happening in the first place.

So is our present state due to the fact that we left hard work behind with slavery?

I humbly posit that the correct answer begins with “L”.

More anon.

Here’s what I think about Great Customer Service in Jamaica

I work hard for my money, so when I spend it, I want to feel appreciated. After all, in most cases, I have a choice. Here in Jamaica, we’ve been slow in recognising the need to make Customers happy. The social anthropologists among us can go to town postulating as to why this is indeed so. So anyway, when I do have a good experience in the places where I spend my money, I like to share them. Amazon blew me away when I broke my Kindle last year and they replaced it without blinking an eye, also crediting my account with the USD50.00 that it cost me to ship the damaged one from Jamaica to the States. My expectations were exceeded at no cost to me.

The Shell Gas Station in Havendale

The female pump attendants here are always smiling. It’s amazing how something as simple (and free!) as a smile can transform the interaction between customer and server. They always end the transaction (still smiling) by wishing me a safe journey. One night I couldn’t stand it anymore and I asked to see the supervisor. I told her that I had been buying gas here for years, but that in the last couple of weeks, the staff has been so friendly and polite and I wanted to know what happened! She told me that the team meets for a few minutes before start of business and sets the tone for the day. I congratulated her and told her to keep up the good work. I can get gas anywhere, but the consistently pleasant interactions keep me coming back.

Courts Jamaica Ltd.

So last year this time I bought a TV at Courts. At the time of purchase, the clerk advised me to purchase the warranty with a bit of advice about buying electronic items without this little bit of insurance. So I did. In late December, the TV started showing an awful green tint that would most times disappear about 30 min into viewing. But it was damned annoying! My heart was heavy as I contemplated lodging the complaint with Courts…I really couldn’t find my purchase documents, I thought I’d have to schlep the damn thing to Courts, I quivered at the thought of only one TV left in the house while they dealt with the green one and I groaned inwardly at the thought of what I was sure would be an unplanned expense. Anyways, the horrible green tint aggravated me long enough (2 months!) and I dug one night until I found my purchase documents. I went to Courts and lodged my complaint. I told the Customer Service rep dealing with me that I almost couldn’t find my documents. She smiled sweetly and and assured me that all my information was in the system and it wouldn’t have prevented them from attending to my issue! She said a technician would come to my house, assess and decide whether to repair or replace. Amazing! Yay Courts Jamaica!!!! Long story short: that complaint was lodged at noon. At 6pm that same day, a well dressed and well identified technician showed up at my house. He was professional and efficient and in 15 minutes my TV was fixed and re-installed! My need was met without any hassle whatsoever to me.

Jamaica Automobile Association

When a dead battery left me high and dry, totally immobile at my house this past Tuesday, I determined that I must never again be in a situation where I have to be calling around and hoping that someone would rescue me! So after my local taxi-man came and jump-started my car and I dropped the kids to school (not too late!) and replaced my battery, I settled down at my desk and called these JAA people. The lady I spoke to assured me that had I been a member, all I would have to do is call the number on my membership card and they would come and bail me out! Note that I had called my insurance company who are supposed to have a roadside assistance plan, but they totally blew me off and told me that roadside does not extend to my garage! Next time I’ll push the damned car out to the road and give them a call! Rubbish! I will be dealing with them later and will simply switch providers if they will not meet my need. Miss JAA filled out a membership application form over the phone, advised me of a promotion going on (50% off current rates!) and told me that she would send someone to collect payment. I am now a JAA member without even leaving my desk. My need was met without any inconvenience to me. They also have a great website, where you can join and pay over the web. Rock on JAA!

Chad-Ad Distributors Limited

Rewind back to the part where I replaced my battery…

Right. So I drove into Chad-Ad on Marcus Garvey Drive where I had bought my now dead battery 1 1/2 years ago. Note that there was a warranty on my battery for 1 year, but I had totally voided the terms of the warranty in that I did not have them inspect the battery every two months. Anyways, the same mechanic who installed my battery 1 1/2 years prior was still there and he inspected by battery and tested stuff that I suppose was relevant while I waited in air-conditioned comfort. He came back with the verdict: the battery had a defective cell. And while I had not honoured the terms of the warranty and while 12 months had long gone, they would give me a 33% discount on a new one. Furthermore, they were out of stock of the battery I needed, but another of their outlets nearby, had in stock, and would I wait just a few minutes for them to get it for me…Oh yes indeed!!!! I drove out with a new battery, having saved some money and yes, this time I’ll honour the terms of the warranty. My need was met, I was comfortable and I saved money.

about GSAT

GSAT is an exam that all students in Grade 6 in Jamaica have to do in order to be placed in one of the hundreds of government run secondary schools on the island. Standards of performance vary widely from secondary school to secondary school, with the better performing ones being in the minority. There is therefore stiff competition, with literally thousands of children vying for only scores of places in these more desirable institutions. Here’s a letter that I wrote to the editor of our leading daily, the Gleaner, that was published on Wed Feb 29. It got Letter of the Day.

LETTER OF THE DAY – GSAT Symptom Of System

Published: Wednesday | February 29, 20128 Comments

THE EDITOR, Sir:

So GSAT is to be reviewed. That is good news, though I am not sure what is going to really be achieved in the final analysis.

In my opinion, there are two issues at play here: GSAT as a tool to assess a grade six student’s knowledge and competence per his/her grade level; and GSAT as a tool to place students in a secondary-schoolsystem which appears to have different levels of success, evidenced by CSEC examination results.

I am a mother of two, and my experience with the GSAT curriculum aggravates me on two levels. First, it seems that GSAT emphasises trivia at the expense of the thorough understanding of mathematics and language arts. There really is nothing wrong with general knowledge, but when children are forced to cram information such as the second-largest lake in South America or the name of the third ship that Columbus sailed on, it leaves little time to ensure that the foundations of learning are properly crafted.

Second, with the volume of information these 11- and 12-year-olds have to memorise, little time is left to explore other areas of learning that are critical to building well-rounded, self-assured individuals. The end result is that the fun is sucked out of learning and the natural curiosities that lead to inventions, innovations and learning are snuffed out.

Thousands disadvantaged

The other issue is with GSAT as a placement mechanism. With just a few schools being deemed ‘good’ based on exam results at the secondary level, and thousands of children and their parents seeking entry to these ‘good’ schools, GSAT effectively acts as the selection tool.

Therefore, thousands of children who achieve average results (75-85 per cent) are made to feel like underperformers and placed in the ‘not-so-good’ schools.

The issue here is not that there is GSAT at all. The issue is Jamaica’s educational system, where performance at the secondary level varies significantly from school to school, the better-performing institutions being far fewer in number than the underperforming ones.

The bottom line: No matter how you tweak GSAT, until performance increases across the board in our secondary schools, you will always have to screen and select in order to place children in the few ‘good’ schools. This is our reality, and our children suffer.

KELLY MCINTOSH

“Yes, Minister!”

Yesterday they were part of motorcades and parades and mass fetes…fists pumping, hands waving, gyrating to the tunes selected by the talented DJs presiding over the proceedings at the various political rallies all over the island. They lauded their leaders. They lambasted their opponents. They promised the world. Oftentimes, their tone and language was geared to the masses. These rallies where we saw them shine were in the main long on emotion and short on substance.

Then V Day (voting day) came and went. A week or so after V Day, the party which won most of the island’s 63 seats had their own party leader “crowned” Prime Minister. She then looked to those of her membership who had been victorious, contributing therefore to her own ascendancy, and selected her management team. In this instance, she selected 20 senior managers, if you will. She “restructured” the government…and I say “restructured” tongue in cheek, because what we’ve seen so far is to my mind, a re-naming of portfolios. I have to wait and see the functions and outworkings of the governments are actually aligned to these new names before I hug up this “restructuring”. Even in my own professional experience I’ve seen critical functions undergo grand renaming exercises under the guise of “restructuring” and the key performance indicators show little improvement. What’s the point!

Some people had issue with the size of her management team. To be truthful, that did not bother me. I am more interested in the output than the size.

I remain wary, however, of the role of the Minister and what qualifies him/her to be there! The Minister, I believe, is supposed to be responsible for crafting policy, articulating a vision for the function and managing the resources of the state such that sustainable development is the end product of their efforts. Can these people actually do that? Do they even know where to begin? Where did they learn their craft? Yesterday they were pandering to the lowest common denominator and today they are senior visionaries and administrators? I suppose that’s why God created Permanent Secretaries. They’re supposed to be the technically sound experienced administrators…But in every relationship it makes sense to identify the power balance early on. So let’s see: Permanent Secretary and Minister…hmmm…where does the power actually lie? So who will therefore influence outcome?

I think I will call my brethren Lee Kwan Yew later this morning. He seems to have gotten it right somehow. Yes, yes, yes…he made us a tad bit uncomfortable in the way he seemed to embrace a sort of bureaucratic elitism and kind of played roughshod with our ingrained notions of the (grand) “rights of the individual” (we sometimes ignore the (grander?) rights of the society!). Ideologies and philosophical debates aside, Singapore has a pretty good track record and I think just maybe, we can learn a little something about public policy, public administration and working effectively from my pal Lee. We should be so lucky.

Let us track performance against what they promised (refer to the Manifesto and the Progressive Agenda). If it’s too onerous to track all 20, choose 3 key ones and follow up. Write, speak out and question when their own KPIs are off track.

People Power indeed.

Mama P tun it up! I feel like a vegan at a jerk festival.

As I read the Daily Gleaner of Jan 18 (just this morning), an article caught my eye…”Mama P Tun it Up”. Supporters of the HPM Portia Simpson-Miller heralded her entry into Parliament as our newest Prime Minister with chants of “Mama P, wi love yuh!” over and over again. I couldn’t help but remember a letter that I wrote to the Gleaner back in 2007 which they published. Here’s what I said then:

‘Mama’ vote not the way
published: Thursday | July 19, 2007

The Editor, Sir:
I am deeply offended by the Prime Minister presenting herself to the citizens of Jamaica as ‘Mama’. To suggest to us that we should vote for her, that we should vote for any one of the 60 candidates of her party, because “a vote for them, is a vote for Portia”, is an insult to our intelligence as a people.
Jamaica needs a leader who very clearly understands, and indeed demonstrates, that he or she understands what the role of the state is. The role of the state, simply put, is to create conditions that facilitate economic growth, to create conditions where it is difficult for crime to flourish, and to protect those in society unable to protect themselves. If the Government succeeds in doing these things, then we will not need anyone to hug us, to kiss us, to rub our heads and tell us ‘not to worry because Mama is in control’.
Jamaica needs a leader who will inspire its citizens to get up and determine our own destinies. This culture of patronage, that the styling of our leader as ‘Mama’ exemplifies, will keep us as a people mired in dependency and continue to give relevancy to dons and politicians, who think that giving out cash and kind is enough for us to entrust them with positions of public leadership.
We demand more.
I am, etc.,
KELLY McINTOSH

Fast forward to Jan 17, 2012…so much for my stridency back then! Who was I to be categorically stating what Jamaica needs. On Dec 29, 2011, the majority of voters decided definitively. And yesterday

they underscored their choice with their very vocal and adoring salutations and congratulations directed at their very own Mama P.

I feel like a vegan at a jerk festival.