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The Citizen
4 days ago
- General
- The Citizen
How to enjoy school more
'Children are calmer when they know what to expect' Twelve years or more of learning, of school, of uniforms and routine sound like torture in retrospect. We've all been through it and survived, and our kids are in the system. But going to school does not have to feel like a sausage machine exercise that's got stress and dread written all over it. It does take a village to raise a child, and in the twenty-first century, that village looks to teachers to complete the circle. Educator Richard Hayward's new book Give Quality Kids Quality School Days is a kind of Hitch Hiker's Guide to all of this. It's for teachers and parents, and Hayward said his sole objective for authoring the work was to help turn twelve years of classroom into a dozen times three six five of skipping, smiling, into them, not dreading the process. 'I've seen kids who love school, and I've seen others who struggle,' he said. 'The book is about what makes the difference, and how anyone who cares for a child can help.' It is not just a guide for teachers. This is for parents, uncles, neighbours, coaches and anyone else who wants a child to have a better day. It is a practical approach. From choosing the right school in the first place to helping a child make sense of their day when it all goes pear-shaped. Happiness is linked to emotional intelligence Hayward said that a child's happiness at school is often linked to emotional intelligence, and that starts at home. 'Happy children are often the ones who know how to treat others. They are kind, they have support systems, and they've learnt resilience,' he said. Also Read: Budgeting for baby: Here are the most useless items parents buy Despite this, not every day is going to be a joyful celebration. 'There will be days when things fall apart. Someone gets bullied. A teacher shouts. A child fails a test or does not make the team. The book gives real ideas on how to handle that and help the child find their footing again.' There's also something quite important that he called learned helplessness, where children stop trying because they think they are not good enough. 'Children need to be shown how to hang in there. How to get through disappointment. And how to discover what they're good at,' he said. It's a strong theme throughout the book because Hayward said his view is that everyone is gifted. You just must look in the right places. 'We used to think a smart kid was one who could do maths and read well,' Hayward said. 'But that is narrow. There are many forms of intelligence. A child might struggle in class but shine on the sports field. That should be celebrated too.' The work is filled with anecdotes from his days as an educator. One of his favourites tells of a boy named who battled with traditional subjects but was a genius at soccer. 'He could read the game, anticipate plays, and execute with precision. That's intelligence. Just not the kind you measure with a test.' The importance of routine and rhythm He shared that for children to enjoy school more, the adults around them should also focus on routine and rhythm. 'Children are calmer when they know what to expect,' he said. 'A simple routine like having dinner at a regular time, getting enough sleep, packing their bag the night before. It all helps reduce anxiety.' Kindness, he added, should never be underestimated. 'I tell the story of a young girl in the book,' Hayward said. 'There's a boy in the class who always forgets his pen. The teacher asks everyone for a spare, but before he can say a word, the young lady already has her hand up. She's holding out a pen. No judgement. Just kindness.' The way a school handles recognition also matters, said Hayward. He described a school assembly where clapping was kept consistent, no matter the award. 'Whether it was for art, music, sport or academics, the applause was the same. That teaches children that every contribution matters. Not just the ones that come with a trophy.' Hayward also suggested that restorative discipline rather than punitive approaches can make a substantial difference. 'You can't run a school like a game reserve, with everyone doing what they like,' he said. 'But you also don't need humiliation or fear. When children step out of line, we help them see why it was wrong and what they can do to fix it. That's discipline with dignity.' Values start at the top Values start at the top. 'If school leadership gets their values right, it filters into everything,' he said. 'From the staff room to the classroom, it sets the tone. You can have order and still have joy. You can have discipline and still have laughter.' Give Quality Kids Quality School Days, said Hayward, is not a silver bullet. Instead, it is full of useful tools, anecdotes and small suggestions that could make a big difference in a child's life. 'Because every child deserves more happy school days than hard ones. And sometimes, it just takes one adult who cares to make that happen.' Now Read: It's lekker, messy creativity and art
CBC
09-05-2025
- Climate
- CBC
Fleeing C.B.N. fire was like 'the gates of hell opened,' Adam's Cove resident says
Sitting in the safety of the Salem Community Centre in Small Point, N.L., Richard Hayward of Adam's Cove compares fleeing his home to fleeing from hell. "You see the whole community on fire right around you … It's the gates of hell opened up," Hayward told Radio-Canada on Thursday. "Within 10 minutes, I see the fire coming. Coming down, and the rise and the blazes, I'd say it was a couple hundred feet high." Hayward was one of many residents in the town of Small Point-Broad Cove-Blackhead-Adam's Cove running from an out of control wildfire. The fire was deemed contained on Thursday afternoon, as crews dealt with remaining hot spots. The fire burned as large as about 600 hectares. The town has been under a state of emergency since Wednesday night. More than 20 buildings have been damaged or destroyed, the provincial government said on Thursday, including at least 12 homes. Hayward's home still stands, he said, but his shed was lost. "It came right to the road to my place and went right around my boundary line. Good thing I had my grass cut low, that's what the firefighter said. That's what saved my place," he said. Scott Penney lives down the road from Hayward. He says he smelled smoke in his home on Wednesday afternoon and quickly evacuated with his family. "By the time I got up to the end of the track to see [about] my neighbours and get them, all was engulfed. My front yard, my neighbours house in front of me, that was all gone," Penney said. "Our town of Adam's Cove is gone." Penney said he hopes insurance companies can respond to the damage quickly, but rebuilding will be a challenging process. "We've got a population of 52 people, and now we got seniors with their house gone. How are they going to rebuild?" Wildfire evacuation earlier than past years The evacuation isn't the first of its kind in Newfoundland and Labrador, but could be among the earliest in recent history. Newfoundland's forest fire season typically runs from the end of April to the end of September. In Labrador it's around mid-May to the end of September. Last year, Labrador communities dealt with the same large-scale evacuation because of wildfires. Churchill Falls was evacuated on June 19, and Labrador City did the same just weeks later. In 2022, large-scale forest fires in the Bay d'Espoir area prompted a state of emergency that lasted nearly a week that August. Newfoundland and Labrador's active wildfire dashboard, which tracks the size and status of fires, reported 96 in 2024. As of Thursday, there have been 58 reported wildfires so far in 2025. "I'm very concerned," Jeff Motty, provincial forest fire duty officer, told CBC's Here & Now on Thursday, adding parts of the province are abnormally dry for this time of year. "Here we are, May 8, with 607 hectares [burned] on the books already. I just kind of look at every fire season as different, and I'm hopeful, you know, the rain's going to come."
