By Lakhram Bhagirat
We all have that one teacher who made an indelible mark on our lives and for Keisha Rose that teacher was her “stern” Grade Six teacher. The mark was made when her teacher explained the principles of long division in great detail, and that moment led her to the light of teaching.
“At that very moment the light bulb went on for me not to say that I had an idea, but I found my passion, and from that day onwards I told myself that I wanted to be a teacher…,” she said.
Davis started her teaching career at the Port Mourant Secondary School in 2005 and according to her, the knowledge and experience that she gained over the past 12 years have definitely helped her to develop as a teacher in all aspects of teaching. She said that the passion for teaching was one that was too intense to quell.
“Teaching is a noble profession. I feel overwhelmed when I see my students after completing school in military uniforms, or in the nursing outfit. It makes me feel proud – proud to know that I have contributed towards making another individual functional towards society. That feeling makes me want to go on. My passion has not yet died, nor do I see it doing so before I reach age 55. I hope, however, that situations in the future do not hamper me from staying,” she says.
Davis’s life has always been centred on the upliftment of herself and she applies that to her teaching style. She believes that every new day is a day to learn and she is currently a student of the University of Guyana Berbice Campus reading for a Bachelor of Education in Social Studies.
The 31-year-old teacher remembers herself as a very quiet student who despite knowing the answers to questions would dare not speak up in class. She would later come out of that shell and become a bit too vocal which quite often led to her being on the receiving end of the teacher’s whip. The Corentyne native attended the Winifred Gaskin Memorial School and upon completion attempted to join the nursing profession. However, fate had other plans for her and she never got a response from the nursing school.
“It was during the first quarter of 2005 my mom came home and told me to write an application and go to Port Mourant Community High School to the then Deputy Head Teacher, Miss Georgina Sinclair – a Home Economics teacher. I was told that ‘two teachers were expected to migrate shortly and a replacement was needed’. Ms Sinclair then wrote a letter stating that the school will be in need of a Home Economics teacher to replace two teachers who were scheduled to leave. On the 23rd June, 2005, I was appointed at the said school with a TQM status, where I taught mainly the Home Economics subjects, and other subjects as well to fulfil the needs of the school at time.”
In 2008, she enrolled at the New Amsterdam Technical Institute where she completed the Basic and Intermediate Programmes in Computer Studies. In June 2009, she successfully completed the Mathematics and English upgrading programme for teachers, which gave her the opportunity to enter the Cyril Potter College of Education (CPCE) Rose Hall/Johns Centre. Three years later during the summer of 2012, she completed her trained Teachers’ Certificate.
After completing CPCE, she immediately enrolled in the Institute of Distance and Continuing Education (IDCE) at New Amsterdam and completed studies in Industrial Relations and Management.
“My interest to do this was because I was acting [Head of Department] HOD, Home Economics, at Port Mourant Secondary. I knew that I needed the knowledge and skills to be a great leader for the teachers under my charge. I was determined to be the best HOD there, so I sought the necessary help I needed to be able to provide the necessary guidance and leadership for the teachers to guide a successful programme.
“I think what sets me apart from other teachers is the fact that I am compassionate about the students in my charge and the fact that I love what I am doing (teaching) and that I genuinely love children and I want to help them to develop their full potential,” she adds.
Davis tries to understand the individual child rather than categorising them as a group. She identifies personalities and qualities in order to help her students develop their full potential. She is always there to go the extra mile to ensure that her students are the best version of themselves.
She said that her almost 13 years of teaching has exposed her to a variety of personalities and she used that as reference to deal with similar personalities.
“I have many philosophies, but my two favourites are never give up on an opportunity to have an education – it is the stepping stone towards achieving greatness, and never let anyone’s opinion(s) of you define you or say who you are going to be: show them that you can be victorious.”
Davis tries to use her past experiences as a child to mould her students into the best versions of themselves. (Times Sunday Magazine)
