LAST WEEK I wrote ’bout the people in education and I hope they would see it, not as a negative criticism but a positive one.
I know some o’ dem who might have taken the time tuh read this simple column might not agree wid some o’ what I had tuh say but, on the other hand, I know dat a good few o’ dem would come tuh see and understand wha’ I was talking bout and how very important their role as teachers is.
Look, nuhbody ain’t gotta tell me how hard it is being a teacher. It is a very hard job, but if some o’ dem take the time tuh sit back and look at it, they would see how very rewarding it is and will be in the long run. They would see dat all their efforts were not in vain. They would see dat while it might not seem tuh be rewarding now, it will manifest itself later on.
Now, take a look at the children who just sit the 11-Plus exam. You think dat all o’ dem children could have done anything wid-out the teachers? Suppose things did gone different and the teachers did went pon strike, what woulda happen tuh our children? These is things dat I does look at all the time. In order fuh our children tuh excel, in order fuh Barbados tuh maintain our standard of education, we gotta have good, dedicated teachers and we do have some.
It frightens me when I see the lot o’ fighting and carrying on wid the ministry and the different teachers unions. I ain’t telling you nuh lie: it really frightens me, ya know. I understand that evahbody have rights and dat workers, nuh matter who there are, must stand up fuh duh rights and be represented too.
But what frightens me more is the fact dat our children is the ones who stand tuh suffer most when all the fighting start, and it doan seem as if anybody ain’t got nuh kinda solution; all the time the children’s education suffering.
Teachers, I hope you understand where I coming from. I ain’t fuh one moment trying tuh put you down ’cause I have the utmost respect fuh you, especially the ones in the primary schools. Ya’all are the ones who have tuh mould these young minds fuh five years.
You are the ones who have the responsibility of watching these children come from little frighten, insecure infants tuh confident, boisterous and very familiar little people. You are the ones who have tuh painfully detach yourselves from dem every five years, after mothering and fathering dem fuh so long.
You are the ones who they look up to. You are the ones who they believe while disbelieving duh very parents. You are the ones who can do no wrong in their eyes. You are the ones who see dem and treat dem like your own children at times. It must be really hard tuh go through the pain of letting dem go every five years.
And then you, the teachers at the secondary school level, who now every year doan know what tuh expect when a set o’ half-scared and expectant pre-teens from a whole lot o’ different schools across the island present demselves before you in a classroom.
Dat is why I think you are special. I pray and hope dat you will see and take your role as educators and moulders of young minds very seriously. I pray dat you would look at the bigger picture when and if there is evah any more talk ’bout calling out members and strike action.
Finally, let me say thank you for the amazing job you teachers did in preparing our children for the just gone 11-Plus exams. Some of you went above and beyond, giving up your free time tuh make sure they did well, even on Sundays. Thank you sincerely.
• Mavis Beckles was born and raised in The Orleans. She has an opinion on everything.