Imagine

Imagine a school system where Elementary school starts at 8:50am(Bus Pickup is 8:05am) and exits at 3:25pm, Middle School starts 7:45am(Bus Pickup is at 7:10am) and exits 2:45pm and High School starts at 7:13am (Bus Pickup is at 6:30am) and exits 2:00pm.

Imagine a school system where the grading system looks like this..

    A  (93-100) = 4.0
    A- (90-92) = 3.7
    B+ (87-89) = 3.3
    B  (83-86) = 3.0
    B- (80-82) = 2.7
    C+ (77-79) = 2.3
    C  (73-76) = 2.0
    C- (70-72) = 1.7
    D+ (67-69) = 1.3
    D  (64-66) = 1.0
    F  (below 64) = 0.0

Note there is no D-, E, E+, E-, F, F+ or F-....63 is a failing grade.

Imagine a school system where you can track your child's progress online, get weekly grade and homework reports sent directly to your email and send emails directly to your children's teachers and get a timely response.

Imagine a school system where above average students are put in advanced classes that challenge them to think critically at a young age and the work they do is 1 grade above them.

Imagine a school system where if your child is late or absent you get an automatic call from the school asking for an explanation. Consecutive absences without explanation will result in a visit to your home to find out what is up.

Imagine a school system where Teacher Parent conferences are MANDATORY, just so the teacher can give you an update on your child's progress personally.

No, this school system is not imaginary - this is the school system that my children attend in the US.

Is there anyone concerned about the state of our education system? We get so exited come election time and we throw around statistics about which political party built the most schools.

Um when was the last time ANY political put an extreme emphasis on Education in the Bahamas? I mean like spending 100 - 200 million dollars to totally revamp the system and drag our education system into the 21st century!!!!

Anyone know?.... ANSWER - NONE!!!!!!!

Yet we wave or pom poms and shake our cow bells at the rally and and laugh at silly puns - two legs good four legs bad - hand in the cookie jar - monavie and we scream and laugh like we have no sense....

Meanwhile Johnny and Sue are being promoted thru a failed school system to graduate not even with the equivalent of a GED and landing in a competitive job market looking for a job. Johnny and Sue applies for jobs they should be qualified for (after all they have just finished 12 years of Education) and being denied because they do not have the basic, rudimentary skills required to hold the job!!!

Johnny gets frustrated and turns to a life to crime to make ends meet and Sue starts to make babies like there is no tomorrow looking for someone to support her.

Meanwhile the general populace gets all up in arms when a company wants to bring in an educated expat to do the job!

WAKE UP BAHAMAS!!!!

If this doesn't turn around where will we be in 10 - 20 - 30 years. We are not producing an educated force that can sustain economic growth in our country. We can build up our country and have it look like Metro cities of the world...New York City, Chicago...etc, but unless we fix our education system... the Status Quo will remain the same.

Who Are You? ... Really?

In our society many people claim to be Christan...well let us examine that claim for a few minutes. I will try not to get to 'preachy'...lolz!!!

Let me prefix this with a quote from the Apostle Matthew - Judge not, that ye be not judged .... so I wont pass judgement on anyone. Instead I will present a point of view and allow you to be the judge.

Bahamians always talk about our country being a Christian nation. Well....lets see here.

I will type two words that show who are really Christian in this country....Haitian and Homosexual.

Never in my life have I seen so called Christians who have no compassion towards people who Christ say we must love!

The Haitian immigrant problem is a serious one in our country, but who should we really be mad at? The people who flee poverty, despair, deplorable living conditions; and are basically fleeing out of necessity? You think these people want to leave the home of their birth?

Who we should be mad at is the politicians whom we vote in election cycle after election cycle that do not enforce the laws on our books. We should be mad that after all these years we do not have a proper Navy to patrol our waters.

I am a descendant of a Haitian immigrant and I don't allow this fact to cause me to lean one way or the other. My Grand Father immigrated here in the 50s. Back then times were different. Fun Fact - He was a Numbers Man in Nassau...LOL! It just goes to show how many families in the Bahamas are descendants of Haitian Immigrants.

Reflect on these passages for a minute...

You shall love the Lord your God with all your heart, and with all your soul, and with all your mind.' "This is the great and foremost commandment. "And a second is like it, 'You shall love your neighbor as yourself.' On these two commandments depend the whole Law and the Prophets." ( Matthew 22:37-40)

"A new commandment I give to you, that you love one another, even as I have loved you, that you also love one another. By this all men will know that you are My disciples, if you have love for one another." ( John 13:34-35)

"But love your enemies, and do good, and lend, expecting nothing in return; and your reward in heaven will be great, and you will be sons of the Most High; for He Himself is kind to ungrateful and evil men." ( Luke 6:35)

Oh my...WHO ARE YOU REALLY????

I am not saying we should give illegal Haitian immigrants a pass, but rather, if you are a Christian you should not look down and despise them, because if the shoe was on the other foot, you and your children/family would be on a boat heading to Haiti - or landing on a beach in South Florida in the dead of night.

Anyways enough about that...now on to Homosexuality...

This is one word that invokes a wide variety of responses in our community, but lets address it from a Christian point of view. Now I am what some might call a conservative Christian and I believe according to the bible, homosexuality is wrong, but I don't let this affect my interactions with someone who is gay. I work Downtown DC!!!!! I would be in trouble if I had issues with gay people!!! LOL!!!

BUT...last time I checked God doesn't put any weight on Sin. There is no such thing as a big sin or a little sin. According to the bible there is only one BIG sin that you cannot be forgiven for and that is Blasphemy against the Holy Ghost according to Mark 3:29.

This is here is the biggest problem some Christian Bahamians have; we assign 'weight' to sin.

In 1 Corinthians 6:9–10 it says this - 

"9 Or do you not know that the unrighteous will not inherit the kingdom of God? Do not be deceived: neither the sexually immoral, nor idolaters, nor adulterers, nor men who practice homosexuality,10 nor thieves, nor the greedy, nor drunkards, nor revilers, nor swindlers will inherit the kingdom of God."

Wait a minute sweethearting, drunkards, swindlers, thieves, homosexuals...all lumped into one!!!!??????

Geesh that is half the Bahamas right there!!!!

Anyways to wrap it all up, God does not force his will on no man. He allows us to make our own choices.

Christians, stop trying to force your viewpoint on other people. Every man must make up thier own mind regarding their faith. Change your tone, pray for our brothers and sisters, talk (NOT BERATE) to them and you may be able to get your point across. Otherwise be quiet. :)

We should love everyone equally in this world, after all if you are a Christian didn't Christ love you..in your mess?

Who Are You Really??? Who Are You?

**Disclaimer** This post is intended for those who claim to be Christian.