On behalf of all the awardees and on my own behalf, I extend thanks to the coordinators of this event. We are grateful for all your kind care and attention and the great pains that you undoubtedly went to in order to create such a grand occasion. I am sure that we are gratified that our resolve to do the best job we can, to be steadfast in our pursuit of professional excellence has not gone unnoticed. We must feel proud to be at the place of honour at an event such as this – the first of its kind in Anguilla.
The teachers awarded tonight, though, represent a minute fraction of the teaching force in Anguilla. This force serves some three thousand (3,000) students.
If we believe that each one of these young ones is precious – body, mind and spirit, then it stands to reason that each and every one of the teachers they depend on deserves to be acknowledged. I must take this opportunity therefore to affirm that, to my mind, every teacher is the Teacher of the Year. Let me explain why.
Anyone who dares to stand up to the children of today and to struggle with them and all their issues and yet remain optimistic that their efforts are not in vain, who feels beaten down at the end of each day and is willing to start all over again the next, anyone who finds it possible to smile at the same child who almost brought them to tears the previous day – all such persons should be continually uplifted and acknowledged. This is the best way to develop that body of committed, effective and motivated teachers that our country needs to advance.
I am sure that no one would dispute the words of Jacques Barzun who said that “teaching is not a lost art, but the regard for it is certainly a lost tradition”.
And therein lies the frustrations of all teachers including those who are being awarded tonight.
We all suffer (and that is not too strong a word) from the feeling of being overwhelmed by the task at hand, from the feeling that we are expected to perform with plastic spoons a job that actually requires picks and shovels. And the amazing thing is that we often get it done.
The truth is that real support for teachers and teaching is inadequate – from students, parents, colleagues, administrators and indeed the wider community. It is not entirely absent, but what is available is not enough.
I listen to the woes of teachers on an almost daily basis. I know that many of them are looking for the way out. They say this openly and I deeply regret the revolving door state of this profession.
As a result, I pray for a day when all teachers become and remain aware that they constitute a major influence on the social, economic, intellectual and moral levels of society. Some of those words I borrowed from our Teacher Quality Policy.
I know that I am the product of all my teachers and give thanks for each of them. There is something indelible of each in me. Everyone knows that I belong to Ms. Anne Edwards. I consider her the paragon of pastoral care. She knows how to take care of the whole child – inside of and beyond the classroom.
The pedagogical principles exemplified by Mr. Rodney Rey made it possible for me to remember every single one of his Geography lessons. The memory of the commitment of my teachers and their enthusiasm for their work inspire me even now. My teachers own me and rightly so and I feel satisfied when I observe my own students at work in the world and know that I served them well.
As a community then, we need to find ways to complement this present occasion and reach every teacher every day. We all need to teach our children to respect the teacher as a friend not a foe. We all need to encourage parents to appreciate the value added by every teacher who interacts with their child in either curricular or extra-curricular activities and to hesitate at least rather than be so quick to attack or malign. We all need to insist that those that have an opportunity to say something of influence feel compelled to only speak words that exalt the vital contribution that all teachers make to our developing community. This is in the best interest of us all.
I congratulate the awardees once again and would like to say to all teachers, not only the ones in the room, but each and every single one of my colleagues: let us realize the benefits of collegiality. Let us seek, establish and maintain nurturing relationships with one another.
Fellow educators, let it be that even when no one reminds you of your worth, even when no one seems to value your efforts, you rest assured in the knowledge that without teachers, nothing else is possible.
Thank you.
