Honouring our Educators
Minister of Education, Training & Employment The Hon. Rolston Anglin
Teachers provide one of the greatest functions to our community – the provision of formal education. Through this extremely important service, they can in fact, be said to be our most important nation builders.
Without them there would be no lawyers, accountants, plumbers, electricians, clerical officers or even politicians. From preschool to the tertiary level, they lay a lasting foundation and help shape the future of our country.
Teachers are one of the main pillars supporting a sound progressive society who, along with family, pass on our morals and values to our children from a very early age.
Teachers’ roles are varied. In addition to planning and organising classroom activities, they must also be motivators, psychologists, performance evaluators, nurses, doctors, and sometimes even mother and father for our children.
They must understand the different personalities and needs of each students; assess their performance; encourage them to improve; meet with their parents when necessary; delicately handle disciplinary issues; and encourage participation in extracurricular activities.
Then after all that they must still organise lesson plans; source the materials needed to successfully complete them; mark papers and stay abreast of emerging technologies and trends. There are also the duties they diligently carry out for free. These include: organising clubs, fundraising events and sporting activities.
It is entirely possible that they spend more time with our children than we do!
Yet too often, these most important individuals are not appreciated or recognised for their significant contributions.
This is why the Ministry of Education, Training and Employment has dedicated the month of May to Honouring Our Educators. And while we could never thank teachers enough, we hope that our efforts will be received in the spirit in which they are made – with sincere appreciation and thanks.
I encourage every member of our society to find a special way to honour a teacher during this month. This could be your teacher, your child’s teacher or a teacher who made a meaningful impact on your life.
In the end, I hope we will honour our teachers all yearround. After all, they are the people who pour so much into the lives of our children.
To all our educators, my heartfelt thanks. I hope that you will continue to experience the joy of your calling. Remember “To teach is to touch a life forever!” This country and its people are eternally grateful!
Minister of Education, Training and Employment
The Hon. Rolston Anglin, JP.