It’s been about 3 months now since I have been teaching at the St. Ignatius Secondary School because, as the saying goes, “a true teacher always returns to the classroom”.
At first, I was a bit worried about what kind of students I would be meeting. Are they truly interested in their own education? Or will teaching here turn out to be a real challenge?
The truth is, the students of St. Ignatius Secondary have truly amazed and inspired me.
I must admit that I am not used to this kind of heat, literally speaking. The temperature in this part of Guyana is very high, and I’m more of a cold weather guy. But as the saying goes “the heat causes you to better appreciate the cold.” Don’t I always come up with something to keep me going?
But the students of St. Ignatius Secondary seem to have no problem with the sun, whether it is morning, midday or afternoon. They are always out in their numbers in their Agri gardens working; and in the volley ball courts, playing volleyball.
Yes, and they do pay attention to their classrooms. In fact, they take their studies really seriously. Several groups of students have personally approached me and asked me to give them extra lessons. I happily agreed. I am happy to be around students who push themselves to the limit to achieve their goals.
In the Arts class, I met the great writer, Jane Johnson. In business, I met the studious Ayesha Andres. In level 9, Shellon Nurse turns out to be a great dramatist for English B. And there are too many more students of St. Ignatius who have amazed me, too numerous to mention all of them here.
Of course, there are quite a number of indiscipline youths, as always, in any school, because all children go through something in life that causes them to lose focus. And because children bloom at different times in their lives. These students are by no means failures. They will bear their fruits in “their seasons”.
Related: The stone that the builder’s rejected….
We must keep believing in and encouraging our children, even when they are not seeming to be doing their best, because, as the saying goes, “their is more to life than meets the eye”.
Related: How the Education System is Failing Guyana’s Youths.