As part of its Teacher Quality Policy, continued progressive thought and initiatives, the Ministry of Education, in conjunction with the Department of Education, has delivered its first Biennial Teacher of the Year Award presentation to deserving members of the teaching profession in Anguilla.
The grand and formal dinner event, with sponsorship by a number of community partners, was held at La Vue Boutique Inn and Restaurant on Saturday, November 9. It was a crowded event with teachers and members of the public from across the island in attendance.
The Anguilla Teachers’ Union, whose president is Mrs Emma Ferguson, actively participated in the function, taking the opportunity to award three categories of teachers for their service as well.
Chairman of the ceremony, Mr Charles Connor, Education Officer,Professional Development, said in part: “It is the first time in the history of education in Anguilla that an event to honour and award seven persons as Teachers of the Year has taken place. In Anguilla, the trend or tendency, for the most part, is that we only hear what’s wrong or not good about the education system generally – and teachers in particular…The truth be told, there are some very good, committed, caring and hard-working teachers in our school system.
“Credit should be given where it is due – so if the truth is to be told, when tonight’s event is written in the history books of Anguilla, it must be mentioned that Chanelle Petty Barrett had something to do with making the event a reality. It was under her watch, her guidance and initiative, that a committee was formed to develop what came to be known as the Teacher Quality Policy. Among the matters the policy addressed, was the question of awarding teachers for their invaluable service and contribution. Two attempts were made previously to host this event, but tonight it is finally a reality.”
The recipients of the Teacher of the Year Award were Wreneth Brooks of the Morris Vanterpool Primary School; Shauna Connor of the Adrian T Hazell Primary School; Estelle Carter of the Vivien Vanterpool Primary School; Lovelle Cockburn of The Valley Primary School; Rita Carty of the Albena Lake-Hodge Comprehensive School;Brittany Jeffers of the Alwyn A Richardson Primary School; and Ayisha Olivacce of the Orealia Kelly Primary School.
The separate awards presented by the Teachers’ Union were in the following categories –
Early Movers: Heather Gumbs of Prophecy Pre-School and Londrina Hughes of Bethel Methodist Church Pre-School.
Beyond the Call of Duty: Mrs Emma Ferguson, President of the Teachers’ Union, and Rita Carty of the Comprehensive School.
Hall Of Fame: Allison Hughes, Rodney Rey, Marilyn Richardson and Darwin Hazell.
Speaking earlier in the ceremony, Deputy Governor, Stanley Reid, said he was pleased with the event as he truly felt that the teaching fraternity deserved praise for its work with the children of Anguilla. He stated that teachers had many opportunities to influence children and it was generally expected that such influence would be of a positive nature.
“The scope of the power you possess should indeed be frightening,” the Deputy Governor told the large number of teachers. “Before it can be frightening it must first be recognised. I anticipate that most, if not all, of you recognise the powerful influence you exert over our children’s lives on a daily basis. From my vantage point I have observed that many of you, having recognised your power, use it to ensure the positive development of our children.
“Your influence is reflected in the involvement and performance of students in the science fairs, spelling Bs, the inter-house competitions, in sporting and academic areas, in the debates both locally and regionally, and in the performance of the students in the musical and theatrical arts. These are just some of the areas where the opportunity is provided for you to positively influence and mould our children. I offer my commendations to those of you who work tirelessly in and out of the classroom to ensure that we produce citizens and residents who will be a credit to Anguilla in their future endeavours.”
Mr Reid continued: “To those of you who have not yet visibly demonstrated your commitment to the ideal of ensuring that you contribute positively to the overall development of our children, I challenge you to come on board. Do not be one of those persons society can point to, as evidence of an education system that does not seek to advance the development of our children. Be ever conscious that simply telling children what to do is not enough. The children must see you living what you preach. It is not enough to tell children to be polite, and then to consider yourself to be justified in behaving badly towards someone who has annoyed you. Be ever conscious that your behaviour/our behaviour contributes to the type of society we live in. Is your less than courteous response to a parent a reflection of our society? In other words, you might very well be contributing to the social ills that we suggest others (primarily younger persons) are responsible for.”
Mr Reid added: “I ask you all to please recognise your tremendous power and to strive to render exemplary service in your roles as teachers, because you are making an invaluable contribution to the sustainable development of Anguilla. I am therefore pleased to extend congratulations to the entire teaching fraternity and to this evening’s awardees in particular.”
Minister of Education, Mr Jerome Roberts, thanked the teachers for their faithful work and patience even when pushed to the limit in the classrooms. “Thank you for your love of children,” he went on. “In order for you to do your jobs well, you must love being around children, interacting with them, developing their intellect, expanding their imagination and moulding their character…
“Thank you as well for your dedication to duty. Being a good teacher demands a lot of your time in doing research, preparing lesson plans, ensuring you have the resources for your lessons, marking homework, tests and SBAs, finding creative ways of not only reaching children of various abilities, but also using different strategies to manage behaviour.
“It also requires commitment to professional development, and I am sure sometimes you wish you didn’t have to attend another workshop, but you still attend, because you recognise the importance.” Mr Roberts also observed that many teachers go beyond the call of duty in performing their tasks. He was grateful to teachers for being good role models and for being persons to whom children and the community could look up to.
Mr. Rodney Rey
The Minister commended, in particular, the teachers who were awarded. “You have demonstrated to your colleagues, students and parents, that you are exemplary teachers,” he told them. “It is my hope that you will continue to be exemplary as you seek to set high standardsfor others entering the profession. Congratulations to all of you on this accomplishment…”
The Teacher of the Year Awards were presented by Permanent Secretary Chanelle Petty Barrett assisted by Acting Chief Education Officer, Colleen Horsford. Prior to that Mrs Petty Barrett thanked the various sponsors of the award ceremony.
The list appears elsewhere in this edition of The Anguillian.
Mrs Emma Ferguson, assisted by Mrs Celestine John, Principal of the Morris Vanterpool School, presented the Teachers’ Union awards. Mrs Ferguson spoke highly of the awardees and their contributions to the teaching profession and the union.
Mrs Rita Carty who received awards both from the Ministry and Department of Education and the Teachers’ Union spoke on behalf of all the awardees. Her remarks are published elsewhere in The Anguillian.
