Thursday, August 21st, made a difference in the lives and practice of senior teachers from the six (6) public schools on the island. It was a day of reflection, planning and relaxation in preparation for the new school year, 2014 – 2015. There were several highpoints throughout the day which included a motivational speech delivered by Reverend Damien Hughes. He used Nehemiah chapter 2 verses 1-20 as his focus. He explained to teachers that, “Change is never easy … all of us have a special focus, task, ability that we bring to the new responsibility”. He charged the teachers to be Nehemiahs, but not be happy only with inspecting the walls of Jerusalem, but rather they must focus on rebuilding those walls.
Much of the morning was spent discussing the strengths, weaknesses, opportunities and threats (SWOT Analysis) of each institution, and identifying key priority areas for the upcoming year. Of much value to the teachers was the session on teamwork facilitated by Miss Sharon Richardson, Director of Hospitality Studies at the Anguilla Community College.
The day ended with a number of surprise gifts being awarded to principals and teachers in recognition of the hard work and dedication given to the education of our teachers. The Department of Education sincerely appreciates the gesture of the Management and Staff of Cap Juluca Hotel who hosted the retreat and provided the meals throughout the day. Additionally, we express gratitude to Mossack Fonseca and the community-minded individuals who contributed to the gifts used for a raffle. As an added incentive, Cap Juluca also provided a dinner for two which formed part of the raffle.
– Contributed
