A teacher in the secondary department of Wauna Primary School in Region One, Sunil Joseph is considered by his colleagues to be one of the most dedicated at the North West District school. Like other teachers educating their children virtually owing to the pandemic, Joseph spent his Teacher’s Day quietly and smiling to himself as he read ‘Happy Teacher’s Day’ messages sent his way.
While Joseph is easily one of the most adored teachers at Wauna, not many students feel the same about the mathematics subject he teaches. With eight years of teaching under his belt, this educator has been trying the best approach he can to help his students better understand the subject. For him, the greatest feeling is knowing that at the end of teaching a concept, his pupils are able to grasp well what was taught.
Joseph explained that immediately out of high school, he decided to teach mathematics because he knew children did poorly in the subject. The children attending the secondary department at the school, he explained would have done poorly at the National Grade Six Assessment (NGSA) which resulted in them being placed at the school. Since they are slow learners, the teacher said he understands that he has to make an extra effort to help them understand the subject and is willing to do his best to help them. It has worked out well also since it has always been his favourite subject. He teaches Mathematics to grades 9, 10, and 11.
Upon writing his Caribbean Secondary Education Certificate (CSEC) examinations, Joseph recalled looking for work immediately. He had always wanted to become a dentist but at the time he needed to work before he could study and so settled for teaching as it was the only available job. Today he believes teaching chose him as he loves his job and would change it for nothing.
Every year on World Teacher’s Day, the older children attending the school would put on a show for their teachers or they would spend the day playing sports. The students also shower them with gifts and cards. It’s been two Teacher’s Days already that they haven’t been able to celebrate in a physical setting with their children. Aside from greetings on WhatsApp, some children called into their local radio station – Radio Mabaruma 95.1 FM – and sent out greetings. He also received a card from his son.
What Joseph is worried about the most is not being able to teach his children as he’d like. Up until now he has been doing so virtually though math is said to not be a subject a student can read and understand. It is a subject that has to be practiced constantly and it’s always best to have the teacher around to explain. This month 10, 11, and 12 graders returned to school and as much as he is excited to see and teach his students, Joseph confessed how worried he is to share the same space with them as COVID-19 is now rampant.
Teaching in a pandemic for Joseph means teaching via WhatsApp, handing out worksheets to students, and for some of the children who do not come to school to collect their worksheets, teachers also drop worksheets off for them. In addition, they are required to fill out records as they would normally. According to the teacher, teaching takes more effort now than before the pandemic. Sometimes they distribute the worksheets provided by the Ministry of Education. Other times the teachers themselves create their own worksheets. Students are required to come to school once a week for their worksheets.
Prior to the pandemic, Joseph provided after-school lessons for free. He explained that sometimes when students don’t understand the concept, the next time they meet again in school, he tries a different approach in helping them to understand it. Even the second time around he is not always successful, adding that giving lessons helps as he uses an extra day to help them understand. When he gave lessons, he sometimes did so at the Multipurpose Hall at White Water where he lives, or sometimes right at Wauna Primary Top School. “When they pass their exams, it makes me happy to know that my work is not in vain,” shared the teacher. One of Joseph’s greatest achievements was in 2018 when he was successful in ensuring that at least half of his 11th graders passed their CSEC exams.
Many of his children travel from far-flung areas to get to school. They come from communities such as White Water, Kamwatta, Wauna, and Arukamai. Children coming from the Arukamai area, travel an hour by boat then walk for 15 minutes before they arrive at school. Children from Kamwatta walk an hour on foot. Joseph said the pressure is on to see that the students pass at CSEC but added it’s no walk in the park as they are slow learners, travel long distances to get to school or have personal problems they are dealing with. The teacher disclosed that while he was a slow learner himself, he had the necessary support.
At present the teacher is a 1st year student at the Cyril Potter College of Education (CPCE) where he is doing his major in Mathematics and his minor in Agriculture Science. Being a teacher is a great privilege for Joseph who shared that he is enthusiastic about seeing his students gain an education and knowing that he is a part of that. However, there are still a lot of children of school age who are still illiterate. He pointed to a village called ‘Kurisima’ which is about 3 to 4 hours away by boat, 2 hours of the way have to be paddled owing to the narrow creek there. Joseph said he made a personal trip to the community about six months ago where he saw about 40 children, said to be of school age. He noted there are children as young as 4 to secondary school age who are illiterate. Their parents and grandparents he said have never been to school either.
“Knowing that there are children who cannot read or write, it hurts a lot. They are so unfortunate. Living in these modern times, children being illiterate should not exist. I am happy though that the village council has partnered with the government to build a school up there. In the next 5 to 10 years, all that would change. The school is a primary school,” said Joseph.
His end goal is to eventually become a head of department (HOD). He hopes to attend the University of Guyana following his training at CPCE. Asked why not the head teacher’s position, Joseph explained that head teachers are usually confined to their office doing administrative work and he does not find pleasure in doing that. “I prefer to be in the classroom where I can do hands-on teaching. That’s where I find my joy,” said the teacher.
“I want to advise parents not to give up on their children even if they are slow learners. I was a slow learner myself and my parents did not give up on me. They are happy now with where I am. Like the quote, ‘The [race] is not for the swift but those who endure to the end’. Keep trying with them and they will make you proud someday” opined Joseph.
