Untitled - Saint George School

6 / AGORA
by Paola Barceló ’91,
Infant School Principal
It is very common these days to hear people
complaining about “lost values”, and criticizing the
behavior of the young; especially those generations
past. It is undeniable that many changes in “acceptable”
behavior have taken place in the last decades. Often
you will hear narratives about how things “used to
be” in the past and how children respected more,
valued more, worked more, etc.
Truth of the matter is that we do need to teach our
children as soon as they are born how to behave
appropriately and prepare them for the future. Human
beings nowadays are trying to make their lives simpler,
but what they are really achieving is more complication
and stress. As trend has it, we now need life coaches
to help us understand, accept, and live our lives
successfully. Personally, I think the answer is…going
BACK TO BASICS.
As soon as an individual is born to a family, regardless
of their culture, ethnicity, or composition, all it needs
is security, limits, rules, nurture, lots of love…and above
all a good example.
A human being is the combination of genes,
environment, and social interactions. Personalities are
formed and determined during the first years of life
and that is why we need to teach values during their
early childhood.
Values are basically the moral rules that determine
our behavior within a culture or society. For a young
mind these are abstract concepts difficult to grasp
and comprehend. Hence the importance of a good
example and modeling appropriate behavior.
During the early stages, we can focus on five
basic values that will surely spread and derive to
higher definitions and reach in the future: honesty,
responsibility, perseverance, and love…BASICS.
Always teach children to tell the truth regardless
of any outcome. If they get in trouble, as they will,
give them time to narrate their side of the story
and allow them to tell the truth. Also, let them
be honest to themselves and to others; let them
express their ideas, as silly as they may be, and accept
their opinions with respect.
Children need to be responsible for their actions,
regardless of their age. We need to promote increasing
responsibility in our children by letting them solve
problems and perform tasks on their own.
Their short attention span allows children to shift
from one activity to another without regrets or
second thoughts. It is our duty to help them persist
in a task until its fully done, allowing them to feel the
satisfaction of a job well done and praising their effort.
Love is the most important value of all, and the
easiest to teach. Love is what should move our actions
every day and determine our relationship with our
environment. We need to teach young children to love
and love to their fullest; love their families, friends,
schools, home, planet, and further on. If a child grows
in a loving and nurturing home he/she will surely
learn to put his feelings aside for others, leading into
consideration, respect, understanding and a better
world for generations to come.
When children are taught these basic values through
example and everyday experiences they will surely
turn into honest, responsible human beings that
will persevere in a fight for the prevailing of love
amongst all people.
Life studying abroad is the best
academic and life formation I’ve
had. All teenagers should have
the opportunity of having this
experience. It is a big step away
from our comfort zone that can be
easily managed with daily advice
from our parents. Some will find
it tedious to grow up so rapidly
in this environment; I did so at
first as well. Yet with the help and
support of my parents, as well as
putting in an effort to embracing
the new at my current university,
Hult International Business School,
I adapted sooner than I thought I
could.
The academic formation I received
at Saint George School has had an
immense role in my life at Hult. Not
only because of the International
Baccalaureate Diploma, which gave
me enough credits to advance more
than half of my freshman year, but
because of the knowledge and
values that my teachers at Saint
George taught me. I especially
thank these teachers, for these
values have been the ones that hold
me strong nowadays.
by Vannesa Morel ’11
The location of my university,
London, is a dream city where
I have something to do every
single day. From the 300 plays
and museums to the 20 different
markets, the cultural awareness that
all this has given me is immense.
Indeed, the United Kingdom
fulfilled all my expectations of what
I was looking for in life studying
abroad. The cultural difference
between the vivid Dominican and
Colombian Cultures, compared
to the Conservative lifestyle
of the British, has given me the
opportunity of finding the charm
allocated in the heart of this new
culture I am embracing.
With no doubt I am very
enthusiastic of my current life
abroad from the Dominican
Republic. My only and best advice
to my fellow Dragons of Saint
George is: Don’t be scared of going
far, you all have the potential to
have this experience!
1. Vanessa with peers.
2. Vanessa at Oxford.
3. Vanessa sightseeing.
4. Soccer at Hult.
AGORA / 7