Found at: http://www.anguillaguide.com/article/articleprint/3550/-1/135/
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18 Teachers Graduate In Anguilla
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Eighteen primary and secondary teachers in Anguilla have been awarded certificates by the School of Education at the University of the West Indies having completed their programme of studies. The courses were taught by a number of resource persons on the island, thus allowing the teachers to teach their own classes and afterwards regularly attend their training courses.
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Graduate Primary School Teachers
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The graduation ceremony was held at Paradise Cove on May 4.
Coordinator for Adult and Continuing Education, Charles Connor, chaired the ceremony. He told The Anguillian: “The primary programme is a three-year course in Anguilla. It is the usual two years at a teachers’ college but because we do not have a college, the university arranged for us to have the programme for three years.
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Graduate Teachers at the Albena Lake Hodge Comprehensive School
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“The secondary teachers [at the Albena Lake-Hodge Comprehensive School] do a different programme. They major in teaching methods because they already have the content in their degrees. The primary teachers do both content and methodology; so they learn Social Studies subject areas and methods of teaching, mathematics and science.”
As part of the programme the secondary school teachers did music as an optional subject and obtained certificates of achievement. They were tutored in voice training over a several months, by Daphne Jacobs, a music teacher at the Comprehensive School.
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Family and friends of the Graduates
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In the past, Anguillian teachers were trained at colleges in Antigua, St. Lucia, St. Vincent and St. Kitts and other places. Since 1991, however, both primary and secondary teachers have been trained locally. It is somewhat difficult for them to teach their classes and afterward attend their teacher training courses, but they have been coping very well over the years, Mr. Connor indicated.
The newly-trained secondary teachers are Dwayne Adams, Melsadis Fleming, Marcia Hodge, Lavie Hobson, Sharon Richardson, Desiree Richardson and Kalleesha Webster. The primary teachers are Margaret Browne, Shauna Connor, Shirlene Hodge, Michelle Harrigan-Herbert, Tricia Richardson, Angele Richardson, Sharnette Shaw, Shanika Webster, Avecia Webster, Jameisha Webster and Kaysha Fleming.
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Family and friends of the Graduates
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The tutors in the secondary programme were Rhonda Connor, Samuel Daniel, Rita Celestine Carty, Rosena Brooks, Bernard Wattley, Daphne Jacobs-Richardson and Audrey Hennis. The primary programme was taught by Worrel Brooks, Alison Hughes, Charles Connor, Ornette Edwards-Gumbs, Charmaine Rogers, Rhonda Connor and Samuel Daniel.
Permanent Secretary in the Ministry of Education, Rodney Rey, congratulated the graduates on behalf of the Minister, Evans Rogers. He told the teachers that they had made many sacrifices, worked extremely hard and demonstrated commitment and the desire to succeed in their professional development.
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Desiree Richardson thanking Mrs. Fahie on behalf of teachers
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He said that the graduation of eighteen teachers in the small education system in Anguilla was a significant accomplishment, given the shortages of teachers locally, regionally and internationally. “It is an indication of the effectiveness of the Education Department in organising and delivering this training programme,” Mr. Rey observed. “It is also an indication that the teaching profession is still attractive to those who care about human development and wish to make a lasting impact on the development of our major resource – our children.”
He advised the teachers to put their training into practice and make a difference in the classroom and the school. “This must involve trying new approaches and learning from your experiences,” he further stated. “Your experiences must be the basis for personal reflection and the development of new methods of interacting with students and colleagues. Aim for excellence in and out of the classroom…Do everything possible to lift the standard of the teaching profession and transform your classroom and the school community into a caring and inviting environment where students and teachers can achieve their maximum potential.”
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Mrs. Rosena Brooks being thanked
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Chief Education Officer, Verna Fahie, drawing from several quotations, told the teachers that they must think of their certification as a ticket to a good life and to change the world for the children of Anguilla. She advised them that every child had the potential “to manifest the glory of God within us… and as teachers they should help to bring that out.”
The keynote address was delivered by Pastor Philip Gumbs of the Church of God of Prophecy. He commended the teachers for their perseverance notwithstanding their heavy work loads in the classroom, in their own studies and at home. He told them they were powerful influences in the schools and it was crucial for them to pay attention to the development and manifestation of their character so as to inspire the children. He also called on them to understand the problems of students in the classroom and never to allow the circumstances of misbehaviour and negative attitudes to rob them of their compassion for the children. “Let compassion be your modus operandi in the teaching process,” he exhorted them.
Mrs. Rosena Brooks being thanked
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