While traveling to Jamaica on vacation with my family this past summer, we were able to visit a Jamaican preschool.  The Mt. Olive Basic School we visited was for young Jamaican kids, 3- 6 years of age. Seeing all those young children had a truly profound impact on me. It was eye-opening for me to see what school life is like in Jamaica. Even though the school and classroom was not as nice as schools I have grown accustomed to in the United States, the young school children were having so much fun like children should be having.

The children were very excited to see tourists visiting their school. I thought it was really funny when one of the students told my son that he was as tall as a giant. My favorite part of visiting Mt. Olive Basic School was when the children grouped together and sang us a compilation of songs. I was amazed at how mature and intelligent these children were at such a young age, and enjoyed listening to them singing different Jamaican songs. The songs they sang were very touching and moving. The underlying messages of the songs were to love people of all skin colors, respect nature and the world which we live in, and to not worry about the little things in life.

If more people adhered to these children’s’ messages in their songs, the world would be a more peaceful place. Because of the experience I have had at the school, I will donate a portion of our hosting fees to Mt. Olive Basic School. By doing so, I hope to give these children a brighter future with more opportunities to grow and learn.