Teachers are the very foundation of society. They impart tremendous knowledge, and are the masters of every profession. They are selfless and always giving, but are most often taken for granted.
Like every profession, there are proverbial speed bumps in the pathway of teachers, and while some of those bumps are readily visible, others are on the turn on the pathway they are destined to trod.
One of the ever-present speed bumps at this time is the COVID-19 pandemic. Although every career path has been having its rounds of hardship, teachers are perhaps the most heavily impacted. They have had to resort to performing duties behind screens and worksheets, but it did not stop them from forging ahead.
Through their many efforts to mould the future generations, they have fought, and continue to fight amidst the dreadful COVID-19 pandemic.
One such teacher is the courageous and hardworking Kenesha Gould, who hails from the bauxite town of Linden, Region 10 (Upper Demerara– Upper Berbice). Although relatively young in the teaching profession, Gould has developed the zeal of a seasoned teacher. She related to this publication that while the pandemic had posed significant challenges, her love for the job and the children under her charge kept her going.
“I’m in an area where we don’t have internet. I had to be going out in the fields to carry out worksheets, text book, and sometimes when you go, the journey is not that cool, but I love children. I enjoy seeing the smiles on the faces of my children, especially when they can relate to what is being taught. When you help the children, it is like you are helping the parents to give their children a bright future,” the zealous Miss Gould related.
The vibrant 30-year-old teacher comes from a family lineage of nurses and teachers, which has further added to her motivation to join the profession. While Linden is originally deemed home, teacher Kenesha was assigned to MapleTown (Aroaima) Primary School in the Upper Berbice District at the outset of her career, which started approximately three years ago. When she received the news of her appointment, Kenesha was in tears, since it was out of her comfort zone. However, she has been managing to adapt to the new environment in which she has been placed.
Kenesha said that while it was tedious footing the dusty, unpaved roads to hand out learning packages in the height of the pandemic, due to a lack of internet connectivity in the sub-district, the real work began at the reopening of schools.
According to her, pupils in Grade Two skipped Grade One after leaving nursery school, and now teachers have to impart to them the beginner’s skill of writing. Hence, her patience and dedication has paid off.
“Today was somewhat special, because everyone could have written (their work),” she noted.
The dedicated educator, who serves as a temporary qualified teacher, has said she aspires to further develop herself in the profession she loves by attending the Cyril Potter College of Education.
For now, however, the young teacher is doing everything to ensure that those in her care are given the best education possible.
