On Friday the 20th, the girls celebrated Teachers’ appreciation day to show how much they value, cherish and are thankful for all the hard work our teachers put in and sacrifice for us. It’s irrefutably a challenging and burdening responsibility; so why do people put themselves through it? We went around asking teachers what they like about teaching and/or what is their favourite memory from teaching; and here are some of the replies:
- Mrs. Oliver: My favorite thing about working here is the friends; we talk, we laugh, we have fun, you know; so it’s always a place to look forward to work and sometimes when they’re outgoing difficult situations, there is always some member of staff who is there to support you and you likewise if they’re experiencing things, you could be there to support them. It’s a happy and comfortable place to be.
- Mr. Downer: The free samples from the food and nutrition room and when I say samples I mean meal size samples.
- Mrs. Perkins: I just like to talk. I find that the girls very responsive and cooperative most of the time; not all of the time the children are great. The staff is excellent and I like the work attitude and ethics of the staff and they will go the extra mile to ensure that the children get what they have to get out of them just to ensure that everything that the student needs will be able to receive the lesson. There’re so many favorite moments…like sports and the camaraderie that I see on the backcourt with the teachers and students getting involved and carnival when the form teachers and students are working together to present the bands; and bazaar when the whole school has this feeling of family atmosphere when I see the staff and parents and students working together you don’t get that in any other school.
- Mr. Charles: I love that you can teach the same thing every year and have a different experience because each class is unique. It is a rewarding challenge to learn how to make small changes to get the same result from each class. I have a lot of favourite so I’ll tell you of the time I cried the most; a class did a video saying all things I impacted them with and a voice note from each student. Honourable mentions: whole rotisserie chicken and cheesecake, life-size card, and personalized multiple choice sheets
- Ms. Camacho (librarian): The form 3’s invited me to their Quinceañera and it was nice to see how the students were involved and they were enjoying it and how a teacher could impart knowledge in a fun way that the children can appreciate.
- Ms. Browne: I love how y’all support each other, you know. When people performing, the comradery that takes place, I just love that. We work together as a family and I just love that bond with the students. Also, when they understand something and they get that look of *GASP* on their face, that’s really great to see that, especially on the faces of those who don’t always get it.
- Ms. Berment: I like that I can make the connection with my students and I hope that we may have impacts on young people today where their parents may not reach.
- Ms. Chung: My favourite teaching moment, I have so many, but a recent one was when a student came to me and said that she really enjoys my RK class and I felt really glad to know that she felt inspired; because she’s not Catholic. I told her that my main purpose was to get through to everybody no matter what religion they belonged too. The word of God was shared and she clearly appreciated it.
- Ms. Thomas: One of the best teaching moments was when a student was making a garment and I thought it was good but she said no; she didn’t find it up to a standard she thought she should be at; so they did it over and was pleased with the result; and I liked that they strive for excellence.
- Ms. Charles: I like the holy name spirit. I like to see how our girls come together; how we get things done and how we pull off quality events with our teachers.
- Mrs. Amar: My favourite part about teaching is seeing students do well and doing well doesn’t mean getting the highest percentage but at least some improvement and once they recognize that they are improving, I’m happy.
- Ms. Forde: Teacher’s appreciation day is always something I’ll appreciate. (pardon the pun) I always look forward to just seeing how y’all feel ‘cause sometimes when we’re teaching; we’re wondering if y’all really understand. I like the fact that I am able to take students from point A to point…. Z. I just really like to see what y’all are able to do after the week, after the year; just the students’ growth.
- Ms. Ribeiro: My favourite part about teaching is seeing the faces of the children that they got it! You see that AH HA experience, nothing beats that.
- Mrs. Cozier: One that comes to mind is the first year that our girls dominated the merit list. I think it was 9 out of ten places. and I was standing up talking to a teacher when I saw my form sixers at the end of the hall and they literally ran towards me and jumped on my back, on my head and I was like “well what is going on?” I think one of my favorite memories was seeing how excited they got when they really accomplish something that they’re very proud of that excitement is kind of infections. I love to see when they’re really proud of their accomplishments and that’s the most rewarding part of it.
- Mrs. Parris : It feels good to see children getting AHA moments. It also feels good when you get children to think positively about themselves rather than them not believing in themselves at all. I gave a student a calypso to perform entitled ” How I jumped when I was caught cutting pink hearts on valentines day” and the friends who laughed at her were her back-up singers. It was so entertaining to watch in class that she was told to be the entertainment for the calypso in school. It was so funny that the whole school was laughing with her. I like students to uncover talents; especially those which they never thought they had (like the calypso).
- Mrs. Commissiong: I like teaching because I prefer to work with young people; young people have fresh ideas. Her favourite memory happened on her birthday. She was given a red rose on her desk for every class she had that morning and she got an entire bouquet of red roses from her form class.
- Ms. Parker: The opportunity to perhaps make a difference in someone’s life….. perhaps.
- Mrs. Ali: Sometimes you are teaching a topic and you see clueless faces looking back at you and then when you alter the question; all of a sudden you can literally see a light-bulb appear over their heads, showing you that they got it. It is one of the best feelings ever.
- Ms. John: The fact that I meet new people all the time, so its different attitudes and fresh faces; it’s just refreshing every time and you learn new things every time. That’s what I like, I don’t like a boring job.
- Mr. Williams: Motivating my students to do well in their work is one of the most enjoyable feelings someone can have.
- Mr. Dookie: (this was meant as a joke. Mr.Dookie loves teaching and this is not meant to be taken literally. Also excuse the laughter.)
Here are some pictures for hopefully a memorable day the teachers had:
(Additional Credit to: Krystal McCarthy, Nailah Phillips & Liana Ellis)