According to Brené Brown, a researcher at the University of Houston, shame is an “intensely painful feeling or experience of believing that we are flawed and therefore unworthy of love and belonging.” It’s an emotion that affects all of us and profoundly shapes the way we interact in the world.
Rhianna is a teenager today 14yrs and starting high School on the lower end (learning support)
Rhianna is my aunty only child (daughter) who by virtue of our age difference calls me Aunty with so much PRIDE. Nobody send me to pick up di child eh. So when a stat to bawl out deh gun say a did fass.
But I want to be who I needed when I was young. She reminds me of young Micheleina and young Micheleina needed an older Micheleina.
At the age of 5 she was registered in Beach Allen Primary School ( normal primary school). Then after a few months transferred to Cotton Thomas( a school for students with learning difficulty and disabilities) the assumption was she was tooo slow for main stream and needed special support. Her mother was illiterate and had not voice. I was young and in my own world.
Rhianna comes from a house like me where the child is the literate leader so parents are not equip to support in reading and writing most of the academic support comes from the community.
I remember being same way. I use to sit down under the lamp post on the wall with my book and what I don’t know I ask Yoland in the shop and what she don’t know we ask someone on the shop step.
That was so normal for me.
Now she is on her way back into main stream High School.
The slower end for now but we will remain thankful for readmission and finish the race well.
Coming from Cotton Thomas – I hardly got:
“Congratulations she did well”
“Congratulations how can we facilitate her needs”
“ Well done we look forward to being apart of her support system thanks for trusting her with us on this part of her journey.
It was more like:
1. Can she manage mentally?
2. You know the children not streamed anymore.
3. Children from Cotton Thomas come out to go back in because they can not cope.
ALL OF THE ABOVE QUESTIONS ARE FAIR!
I understand a child who has previously identified special learning needed will be perceived difficult to integrate into main stream because of all of the challenges of the education system presently.
But Aunty got you. I might have to put down some of the nations children to hold onto you but I am willing to save myself in you before I continue to carry the load of this nation and I miss my assignment with you.
#lilbita CARE
#walk with
#learning in community
Lord thank you 
When we take SHAME out of learning it becomes an act of community.
