After more than 30 years educator Sharon Smith steps away

After over 30 years in the teaching profession Sharon Smith has put away her chalk and may have erased her last words from the blackboard but education has not heard the last of her and if given the opportunity, she has much more to offer.

“Teaching is a very challenging job, but challenges are good because they force you to set high standards and achieve them, but you can’t do it without God…,” Smith told the Sunday Stabroek in a recent interview.

Over the years, hundreds of children benefited from Smith’s tutelage, some whose lives she impacted outside the formal classroom setting, along with some of their parents. In fact it was the parent of one of her former students who recommended that the retired Headmistress of Christ Church’s contribution to the school system be highlighted.

It was not the challenge she was running from when she left the classroom prematurely, as at 51 Smith had four more years in the system, but due to ill health she was forced to ask for voluntary retirement which became effective as of last Friday.

She is not comfortable talking about her health as according to her she does not want anyone to “show me sympathy” but it was a case where she realised that her job was stressful and because of her ill health she could no longer give her all, nor was she taking care of herself.

“Some mornings I would wake up and I just did not have the energy to go to work. I wanted to take the school so much further, but when you realise that you cannot perform to the best of your ability it is better to take a back seat,” she said.

As headmistress since 2013 Smith recalled that most days she would arrive at work between 6.45 and 8.30 am and she would leave after 6 in the evenings.

“Always the first to arrive and the last to leave,” she said with a small laugh but then on a serious note pointed out that as head she had ultimate responsibility for the school and she always tried to get it right.

“Being the head is a stressful job…,” Smith said reminding of a recent incident where a headmistress of a school in Georgetown died suddenly while at work.

“When I became head teacher I neglected my health because I wanted to do so much and many times I would not even eat on time,” Smith said candidly.

But Smith feels she has much more to offer and will take some time off and take care of herself before seeking to take up a position in the education sector.