“Rats close down Kingston high school.” This shocking headline continued into a revealing report of how rodents were running rampant at the 100-year-old institution. Despite their best efforts at pest control, the situation had deteriorated to the point where school officials were forced to temporarily suspend classes to effectively eradicate the problem.

As I read the unfortunate story of rats gone wild, my first thoughts were “How are these boys ever going to live this one down?” Knowing the fierce rivalry that exists among secondary schools in Jamaica, I had painful images of the merciless teasing and cruel rat references that were about to be unleashed upon the hapless students.

I thought no more about this incident until recently when I saw a television programme highlighting what the students had done to overcome their situation. Instead of being embarrassed by their rodent visitors, they had embraced them and practically turned them into school mascots. They had even created buttons with cute rat cartoon figures and were proudly wearing them. Continue reading Avoiding the Rat Trap in your Finances →