BASSETERRE, St. Kitts – THE infant section at the Estridge Primary School has undergone extensive transformations over the last five months and the new space now offers students and teachers a more comfortable learning environment.
The changes came as part of a practicum for one of the school’s infant educators, Janelle Williams, a trained teacher and student of the University of the West Indies pursuing studies in Educational Administration. She noted that as she nears the end of her undergraduate degree programme, a school project was necessary to complete the course.
Williams told SKNVibes that after getting the blessing from the school’s principal, she wanted to redesign the infant department of the school. She referenced the work of known philosopher and educator James Reid and said the project is important as “the physical appearance of your classroom is an indication of your fundamental philosophy, values, goals and expectations for students’ behaviour”.
“The thought came to my mind that I should remodel the infant department. I wanted to enhance these rooms, making the teaching/learning environment one that is comfortable, warm, imaginative, filled with excitement and just setting the right tone for the day,” Williams said.
The project, which began on January 10, 2009, has given the school a new splash of colour now that the interior and exterior classroom walls, windows, doors and cupboards have been repainted and the classrooms have murals depicting various aspects of the infant curriculum.
Cupboards were stripped of their old look, book shelves were built for more storage and wall fans were installed. Also, to complete the comfortable environment, the tiles, new curtains and educational material give the entire department the desired finish.
The new design, according to Williams, “fits nicely” into the Early Childhood Unit initiative in which it promotes a smoother transition for infants entering the primary school level.
