Dear Editor,

As children in Jamaica, many of us grew up with playful chants that seemed to spring to life whenever something went wrong.

If a schoolmate tripped while running, spilled his/her juice, or dropped his/her lunch, a chorus would erupt: “A bay!” Sometimes we would shout “A good!” Our way of saying “Serves you right” or even “A that fi happen to you” if we felt the person’s misfortune was fitting for his/her behaviour.

Each phrase carried its own flavour: “A bay” was the quick exclamation of surprise, “A good” was sharper and more judgmental, while “A that fi happen to you” made the teasing crystal clear. Importantly, these phrases were rarely meant with deep malice. They were part of the rough-and-tumble culture of childhood, when laughter often softened the sting of a stumble.

Looking back, however, these chants symbolise more than childhood banter. They reveal something about how groups respond to the missteps of others. While we may have left the schoolyard behind, the spirit of “A bay” and its cousins often lingers in the workplace.

In many modern work environments mistakes or setbacks are not greeted with empathy or support, but with whispered criticism, quiet gossip, or silent judgment. When a colleague misses a deadline, makes an error, makes a mistake in a presentation, or struggles with a new task, the reaction can feel like the adult equivalent of “A good”, as though the error is proof of incompetence, deserving of ridicule rather than assistance. Some are quick to highlight the failure rather than offer a helping hand. In essence, the workplace version of “A bay” plays out daily when co-workers quietly mock instead of collectively finding solutions.

The danger of this culture is serious. Instead of fostering growth, it creates fear and discouragement. Employees hide their mistakes rather than admit them and learn. Innovation is stifled because people avoid taking risks if they suspect failure will be met with ridicule rather than support. Just as the child on the playfield might withdraw from the ball game if the laughter carried on too long, so too do employees disengage when they feel that their workplace thrives on pointing out failure rather than building each other up.

But it does not have to be this way. What if instead of “A bay”, our instinctive response became: How can I help? What if in place of “A good” or “A that fi happen to you” we reminded one another that mistakes are part of learning, not evidence of weakness? Workplaces thrive when teams are supportive, when failures are treated as lessons, and when encouragement replaces judgment. After all, everyone stumbles, whether on the schoolyard or in the staffroom.

The chants of our childhood will always remain part of our cultural memory, a reminder of how we once coped with each other’s small misfortunes through laughter. As adults, however, we must be more deliberate. In the workplace especially, let these childhood phrases remind us not to repeat the instinct to mock, but instead replace it with empathy. Progress is not built on embarrassment, but on encouragement, not on ridicule, but on resilience.

Kewayne Davidson

Educator

kewayneD11@gmail.com