A toast to great educators
THE EDITOR, Madam:
TODAY, AS we celebrate Teachers’ Day, I pause in reflection, looking back at some of the educators who have deeply impacted me.
Hats off to my grade six teacher, Mrs Dillion-Livermore, who saw my potential and encouraged my success.
Mrs Virginia Plowright and Ms Doreen Bailey, my at Clarendon College Spanish and English teachers, respectively, encouraged my love for the languages. They willed me to enter writing competitions and they alerted me to available scholarships and bursaries. Because of their support and commitment to my success, I was awarded several scholarships and other cherished opportunities.
Dr Hyacinth Broderick-Scott later became my mentor. She saw talent where I saw none. She saw hope and success when I despaired and worried about failing.
My lecturers at The Mico University College then took the baton in this relay. Miss Carlyn Thompson once told me, “You are a thinker,” and that changed my negative selfperceptions. Thank you!
One day, Mrs Marcia MillsMcFarlene applauded my critical analysis of a given poem. Immediately, I realised a personal ability that I thought was entirely lacking. Thank you!
When I struggled to understand a grammatical concept, Ms Vivine McLeary sat with me in her office and retaught the lesson several times. Not once did she become impatient. Thank you!
Mrs Nadine Logan Ashley inspired me with her vibrant personality, regaling narratives, and sound knowledge. She is a masterful educator and the consummate motivator. Thank you! Dr Aisha Spencer, who now lectures at The University of the West Indies, Mona, was always confident about my abilities, as well. She advised me on graduate-level studies, and she never hesitated to assist me with learning resources. Thank you!
I must also highlight Mr Denver Holt, who fed us at every session and spoke pure positivity over my life. Many of his predictions have been realised. Thank you, Sir Holt!
Mrs Beverley Harris also fostered my leadership skills. She insisted I join the reading club, network with established scholars in my area of study and attend capacitybuilding conferences. Today, she still supports my professional growth, and I am most grateful!
Dr Nicole Scott, thank you, too. Your kind words have been heartening!
These exceptional educators believed in me when I doubted myself, and today, I salute them. They are most deserving!
To other educators out there, be deliberate about positively impacting lives. Help your students to recognise their talents and remarkable potentials. Even when they give you every reason in the world to doubt them and to question their fate, never give in. Speak life. Speak hope. Speak success. They will make it. Declare and believe it!