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Students of the Ivor Walters Primary School participating in the prospective teachers practicum session. In the rear of the classroom are some of the potential teachers looking on. |
Charlestown Nevis (July 7, 2006) Junior Minister of Education and Library Services, the Hon Mr. Livingston Herbert has praised the Prospective Teachers for their enthusiastic response towards the teaching profession.
"I certainly would want to congratulate them"remarked Mr Herbert as he spoke to the Government Press on his visit to the Prospective Teachers Training practicum session that took place at the Ivor Walters Primary School on Wednesday.
"What I have seen as I made my observation in the classroom is a group of young people who have demonstrated enthusiasm and the enthusiasm that I observed is not just in the classroom per say, because I have taken time out to visit them at the Teachers Resource Centre during the course of last week and I experienced that enthusiasm."
Minister Herbert noted that since the responsibility for education was passed on to him, he had given much support to the Department of Education in whatever activities being undertaken, adding, "This is one activity that I've supported very much. I certainly want to commend them and wish that they would certainly take up teaching as a career".
While appealing to the young men to become a part of educating the nation's children, Minister Herbert said, "I certainly would hope that those who have been engaged in these two weeks of prospective teachers training would be successful and launch out on a career of teaching."
He congratulated Dr Bronte Gonsalves for spearheading the practicum session and also for mentoring the prospective teachers through the process of their practicum as they planned their lesson sessions.
~~Adz:Right~~Dr Gonsalves told the Government Press that the practical teaching component of the two week course afforded the participants to plan and execute a lesson in the classroom. "I am very excited about the potential of these young people, the lessons were planned and executed and they all did a fantastic job. So we look forward to some very creative and innovative teachers entering the teaching force next year," said Dr. Gonsalves.
The press also spoke to one of the prospective teachers about her experience during the practicum session. Ms Shobaina Clarke noted that she had taught the grade four students on energy and that it was a very fun filled experience. "I enjoyed teaching the little children, they are so intelligent. They were knowledgeable of the subject and they basically knew everything."
She expressed her desire to join the teaching profession as her future endeavour. "It helps you to learn as well as you are teaching others," she commented. "It opens your brain so that you'll be more able to attain information and keep it, when you know you have to teach little children because they keep asking questions and you have to keep feeding knowledge to them, so I think it's a really good experience."
The Prospective Teachers training which was organised by the Department of Education began on Monday June 26 and is scheduled to conclude later today with the distribution of certificates. The aim of the workshop was to prepare participants for possible placement as teachers in the classroom through the presentation of various workshops which would encourage participants to want to teach.
