ASK PRINCIPALS and they will tell you that the close involvement of parents in their child's academic work and a strong Parent Teachers Association (PTA) are godsends to a school.In that case, Bernard and Verona Williams should have halos around their heads. They are the parents of Oshane Williams, the Clarendon champion in the 2004/05 Spelling Bee. They work together, both in different capacities, to help Oshane and his school, Sanguinetti Primary, to succeed. They recall his first signs of academic success.
SHOWED EARLY POTENTIAL
"He was born in Kingston and used to go Avondale Prep and he was doing well. We moved out here and he continued doing well. One day, he came home and showed me his report and we saw he had potential; his test scores were excellent, over 95 per cent scores," relates Mr. Williams.
He also remembers a day when Oshane was still quite young, that he heard him reading 'big' words on a signboard. This further convinced them their son was exceptional. So when his principal told them he wanted to groom Oshane for the Spelling Bee, they never hesitated.
As he prepares for the national final, he hasn't lost any sharpness.
"When I'm going through the words with him at home, he corrects me if he thinks I can't pronounce them," his mother jokes.
As the teacher at home, she makes sure Oshane does his homework first and then tackle the spelling activities. "He picks up on things quickly," she added.
WELL-BEHAVED CHILD
His father chimes in: "He's a well-behaved child. He doesn't play much because he's the only child in the house, so he just watches television. But we weren't surprised by his success."
Mr. Williams is a farmer while Mrs. Williams is a housewife. They both know that with his potential, they cannot afford for Oshane to slack off.
"We continue to tell him to try hard and do his best. We remind him that without a good education, you can't get a good job," says Mrs. Williams to nods of approval from dad.
Speaking of dad, he spends almost as much time at Sanguinetti as the teachers. He is president
of the PTA, vice-president of
the citizens' association, works with the Red Cross and was instrumental in providing manual labour for the recent additions to the school, including a computer lab.
Oshane hopes to be a doctor. With parents like these, he should go far.
