Hello St. Maarten! This is Melissa Gumbs, yourMinister of Education, Culture, Youth & Sport. I want to take this opportunity to extend my well wishes and some words of encouragement to all students and educators returning to the classroom today, and to urge us all to remember our place in supporting the ladder of Nation Building, as each child climbs to the top:
To our parents: as your child’s first teacher, you are the first set of hands bracing the ladder to the wall. It is not an easy task, but when it gets tough, remember that there are avenues in our community to lighten the load, such as the Positive Parenting Support Program.
To our teachers, as the second set of hands holding up that ladder, it’s my hope that you approach each day with an open mind, with a commitment to shaping the future of St. Maarten and, when necessary, with snacks. Let us work to meet students where they are, so that we can help get them to where they need to be.
To the wider community, as the final set of hands bracing the Nation Building ladder to the wall, let us continue to embody the spirit of The Village that we have been blessed to see emerge over these last few months. Support and encouragement from all corners of our society is critical and contributes to successful educational pursuits, meaningful cultural expression, positive and progressive youth development and structured growth of our sports sector.
And lastly, to our students. Firstly, I hope you all act with sense. More importantly, I hope you simply act. It is easy to feel as though academic or vocational pursuits have ‘no point,’ particularly in your teenage years but trust me when I say it all impacts how St. Maarten continues to develop. I urge you to be open to constructive criticism, to advocate for yourselves and your rights, to be curious about your country and the wider world around you, and to remember this: whether in public, private or subsidized schools, you have a responsibility to be the type of future you want to see, not the one you’re told to be. Good luck for this new school year to all of you, and to our group 8 and high school exam classes, special success as you take on these new milestones in your educational career!
