October 01st 2011
Dantes Makes Orientation Easy

Another young person is putting in some major work in mobilizing young people. This is Valentine Dantes, a young man who has taken a keen interest in the development of young people. No, he isn’t running for elections, this young man is the author of a book just for students. Valentine Dantes’ “Orientation Made Easy -What to Expect When Starting Secondary Schools" consists of approximately 115 pages of graphic arts, pictures, puzzles, exercises, discussion questions and much needed information geared towards helping our standard four (grade 6) students adjust emotionally and mentally to the move to secondary school with ease. This is his story.

What inspired you to write this book?

My faith for some time has been leading me to get more involved in the lives of young people everywhere so that I could help impact them in a positive way. The pressures and responsibilities of church and work however, made the journey burdensome and somewhat ineffective especially on a large scale, so I went back to the drawing board to ask God to help me find a better way to reach more students. I can clearly remember that morning when the light bulb switched on in my head and the idea of writing about the difficulties of moving to secondary school came to life. It was also a topic that I was able to identify with as a grade six/standard four student myself and after brain storming a bit, I realized that the subject matter was fresh, vast and had a lot of depth. I thought to myself right then, that I needed to write it and that's how I began.

What are you hoping that it would accomplish?

My primary intention for this book is really to make everyone aware of how delicate this period or transition is for our students so that more care and time can be invested in making sure that it doesn't interfere with their self-esteem or confidence or their capacity to do well at school. On a more practical side, I believe that Orientation Made Easy was designed to help some of those students who cannot bridge the gap between their areas of difficulty and their parents/teachers, and so the book offers solutions and advice in a fun and creative way to assist them.

Parents who are shopping for school books may not find Orientation Made Easy on their child’s booklist but its design and content will certainly encourage your son or daughter to read more amongst other things. The middle school (secondary school) transition can be a huge determinant factor in the success or failure of students (Arowosafe & Irvin, 1992; Hines, 2003). Thus, those parents who are actively involved in their children’s learning experiences should make a very special effort to get a copy of this book and go through it together with them; making sure that he or she is comfortable about this new transition and that you’re in a position to address any concerns or fears that may come up.
Teachers at the Form 1 level will also be able to benefit greatly from the purchase of this book. They can use it as a means of helping their new students settle in: discuss their feelings, share their fears, failures, and experiences at home, as well as their expectations of themselves in this new learning institution. The stories, exercises and discussion sections at the end of each lesson help accomplish these tasks very easily and make it fun for the kids at the same time. It is a book that I believe every Form 1 teacher should have on his or her desk especially when the month of September comes around.

What do you think is the number one problem affecting young people in our society today?

The number one problem affecting young people today is the lack of positive guidance. As screwed up as many of us believe young people are I believe that they are a reflection of the society and we need our government, churches, private sector and parents/ teachers, to go after them with a passion that supersedes our monthly salaries. I think that they just need us to care about them more and not just criticize. In the absence of good role models and mentors it is not surprising to see how easily they can become attached to the wrong ones.

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