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“As more people are discovering Shepherd of the Hill Community School, they are excited about our vision and want to be part of it. We are looking forward to a productive partnership with stakeholders to ensure our children can achieve their highest potential. However, despite the fact that the school has made some significant achievement, we are still grappling with some difficulties and our main challenge has to do with classroom accommodation and furniture.
The safety and convenience of our learners is a paramount priority. We have to provide our pupils with a safe, secure and conductive classroom block to learn and thrive. As you know, when the learning environment and thirst for ambition is right, the outcomes follow.
We all want to nurture world-class talent. But above all, we must nurture the values of faith in the Creator, fairness, honesty, and collaboration that are espoused in our various religions.
We must also remember that like all great achievements, great careers start modestly. For example, great football careers do not start with the world Cup. They begin in the back-yards, side-streets, and school parks.
In today’s world, we should measure our children’s potential by their aspirations, encourage them to flourish and not allow them to be limited by the despair of failure.
Education is much more than being about attaining academic heights. It is about picking yourself up after setbacks.
We must remember that children are a gift from God and our parents will one day account for their children before Him. Therefore, we should not in any way shirk our parental responsibility.
As parents, we again have a role in guiding our children into appropriate educational institutions, making the necessary financial commitments and doing follow-ups with the teachers.
From the foregoing, it is clear that children enter the world as little helpless creatures but with many needs (physical, emotional, and social) and our ability to provide for all these needs as parents goes a long way to ensuring their holistic development.
Unfortunately, our role as parents in the wake of prevailing circumstances cannot be said to be the best. In view of the heavy or sometimes busy work schedules in our attempt to provide for our families, it is not uncommon to see some of our children eating packed foods in vehicles on their way to and from school, some parents having to pick their children late in the evening, long after close of classes.
The above situation makes some parents only partially involved in the raising of their children. This state of affairs has led to child truancy in school, bad behavior, and indiscipline on the part of children.
It is sad to note that many parents do not understand that the pressures that their children face and will meet in the future are very different from what they (parents) faced growing up. So we should not expect our children to lead their lives as a result of their parents thinking.
The great author, Khalil Gibran was right when he said:
“Your children are not you children. They are the sons and daughters of life’s longing for itself. They come through you but not from you…………you may give them your love but not your thoughts for they have their own thoughts. You may strive to be like them but seek not to make them like you for life goes not backwards”.
I plead with parents to ask your children what problems they want to solve instead of what profession they want to pursue.
Please guide them to activities that will be viable in 15 to 20 years, not today’s jobs.
During the lifetime of today’s pupils; drones, driverless-cars, cyber-crime, genetically modified organisms, and things we cannot even dream up will be the issues they will face on a daily basis.
Our children will also face challenges pertaining to battle for their souls. Social media will destroy their self-worth. On Instagram and Snapchat, they are being told that an artificial and enhanced physical perfection is the pinnacle to achievement.
I pray that one of these youngsters here at SOTH will one day visit the moon, build a mosque or a church there.
At Shepherd of the Hills Community School (SOTH), we have imbibed in your children the skills they need to cope with the next level. They have learned how to self-manage, make their own decisions, and in doing so, make the right decisions. They have learned to be more confident and committed to the values and principles to deal with peer pressure.
I pray the years ahead of our pupils will be characterized by empathy, compassion, objectivity, and the willingness to take risks. I pray that they will always lead by example and work hard. I also pray that God will grant their parents, and teachers, grace and wisdom to teach and lead them aright.
It has been an honour and privilege watching SOTH’s progress and watching all our students succeed in many ways.
For all our gallant teachers in the nursery, kindergarten and primary school, thank you for stretching yourselves. Thank you for praying with them. Thank you for mothering/fathering them and above all, thank you for being the best teachers you could possibly be.
God bless you teachers, God bless you parents, God bless Shepherd of the Hill Community School (SOTH).”
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