Do not mash up the game while the ball is in Your Court

EDITOR: Our minds are wired to play. To get outside to play I had to do my homework followed by chores. Sometimes my friends assisted me with the chores so that I can finish early and we can all go out to play together. Sometimes the games ended early because the owner of the ball wanted to go home. Other times, the owner took the ball because he became upset because he lost. We all knew that this was not fair but felt powerless to do anything about it.

Children are waiting to be unmasked to go out to play. They do not understand why “If practically everybody has gotten the Omicron virus, there are so many restrictions in place?” While they appreciate the Substitute Teachers, they hope that their real teachers would return soon. Their hopes of excelling are vested in them.

Children learn much through play and this knowledge should influence our planning. I now understand why my PhD classroom looked like that of a Pre-school. The walls were decorated with helpful slogans, quotes, and pictures. We sang songs, played games, and helped each other learn the essential lessons.

We are all natural players. Why would anyone try to keep us from our game? We were always admonished to play a fair game because all unfair games must be replayed. We would be better off today if the school planners understood this. CW Prescot, and Kingstown Prep school should have had verandas overlooking the Richmond Hill Playing Field. The attempt to make the same mistake at the Stephanie Browne Primary in Union Island met with resistance and the builders put the verandah overlooking the Clifton Playing Field. The planners were also prevented from putting that school on the Playing Field. This leads us to ask, “Why were the Canouan, and Troumaca Secondary schools built on their respective playing fields?”

As children, we go to many different places through reading of books, and using our imagination. We can also be any person we want to be even if it is for a moment.

The Pandemic presents the unlimited creative possibilities in artistic designs of costumes, poetry writing for calypso lyrics, and composition of music. In these quiet times much production can occur. However, when we look at the paltry honorarium given to our Tuners, Arrangers, Songwriters, and Mas Designers and Builders, it is clear that we are not serious about preserving our culture but are simply playing the fool.

If a child was in charge of the Country, he would say, “I come out to play.” If he was in charge of Health, he would have a representative sample of the population tested for the antibodies and then declare the Pandemic over based on the expected finding of substantial superior natural immunity among many who have recovered from Covid. If he was in charge of sports, he would say, “let the games begin.” If a child was in charge of laws he would either lower the voting age to 15 years or raise the consent age to 18years. If a child was Speaker of the House, he would apply sensible parliamentary procedures based on fairness, and would most definitely entertain a motion of no confidence. If a child was the Supervisor of Elections, he would prevent the Minority from Jerrymandering by shifting voters in marginal seats by moving sufficient voters to overrule the Majority defying all reasonable statistics.

With a child in charge, we can expect a fair game.

Anthony Stewart, PhD