Primary EducationWhat type of job are you looking for? I am looking for an educational/teaching job in the area of primary/middle school education. What nationality are you? I am a Jamaican residing in Jamaica. What languages do you speak (and at what level)? I speak English fluently/proficiently. What country or area are you looking to work in and why? I am looking to work in The Bahamas preferably Free Port because I have family contacts there and I have been there before. I found Free Port to be very tranquil and this is plus. If given the opportunity I would love to work in the United States because my son is living there as a permanent resident. He is a teenager therefore I would love to be there to offer parental guidance and support as the need arises. What countries have you worked in? I have never worked outside of my country. What countries do you have a visa to work in? I do not have a visa. What field do you currently work in? I am not working right now but my most recent job was in the classroom teaching at grade four (4)level. What fields have you worked in before? I have worked in the field of education teaching at the primary level grades four to six (4 - 6). I also worked in the administrative/clerical field. I must also say I have insights in business operation as I was an entrepreneur operating as a cooking gas dealer (I.G.L.). Last but not least, I offered the services of a dressmaker and interior to my community. What qualifications do you hold? I am a qualified teacher possessing a Diploma in Primary Education specializing in Mathematics. I was successful in obtaining five (5) subjects in the Caribbean Examination Certificates (C.X.C.) in the years 2003 & 2004 which include; Mathematics(General) Grade 2, English A Grade 1, Principle of business Grade 1, Information Technology Grade 1 and Principle of Accounts grade 3. Which do you consider more valuable? Formal education or skills and why? I consider Skills education to be more valuable than formal education for the the following reasons:- Firstly, skills education allows for persons to become open minded. Here they will take on and display a holistic approach towards their task. Their entire being will become involved in their task, hence becoming flexible. Secondly, this type of education help persons to gain self confidence and self esteem after seeing their handy works, thus making them wanting to do more or become more involved. Thirdly, skills education pave the way for active socialization. Persons seeing the works of their peers will want to connect and learn more from each other. Thus sharing ideas and having fun will be boosted. Finally skills education allow for persons to become more aware of using the resources in their environment productively thus minimizing wastage. Also because this type of education attracts persons who are not academically inclined they will cover a wider scope thus more persons will become more involved. These persons too will contribute positively to society in varying fields. Thy are more creative, reliable and productive and of course will be better able to work on their own. Describe the benefits of working with others There are several benefits to be gained while working with others. Some of them are as follow. Firstly, there is the chance that job will become more efficient and productive. As the saying goes, "More hands make work work light". No one wants to blamed for a poor job so everyone will do his or her best. Secondly, a person does not know everything and here the opportunity is presented for persons to learn from each other. This will enhance socialization as new ideas will be shared as persons begin to appreciate each other's culture wanting to know more giving rise to friendship. Also creativity will be expounded as persons will become more open minded. Thirdly working with others allows for persons to become more responsible as varying tasks will be delegated and each person will seek to accomplish his or her task at the required time. Finally working with each other give rise to teamwork and as saying goes, "No man is an island, No man stands alone. Each man is my brother, each man is my friend" and "The more the merrier". Describe the benefits of working alone There are several benefits to be derived from working alone. Firstly, here you are your own boss therefore you will be given the opportunity to explore and discover. You will have room for trials and errors at the same time redefining yourself. Secondly, there is the benefit for growth. As there will be no one to distract you, you can work at your own pace taking time to observe and take notes . Thirdly you will have become more responsible ensuring everything goes well as no one wants to fail. Finally, you will get all the praises for the efforts and hard work. There will be no one to dispute whatever agreement entered into. As a result you will become more confident enhancing your self esteem and desire to push forward. What was your worst working experience? My worst working experience occurred while I was working at a basic school. Firstly you need to know that in my country most basic schools are born out of community efforts so they set the trend and teachers there are not formally trained. In an effort to improve the standard there, I was sent there as a trained teacher by the Ministry of Education. My first day was good but I could feel the tension. The following day was bad. I was told up front these exact words, "If you believe you are going to take over this school you are making a mistake.", "At this place everyone must clean the environment because we don't make enough money here to employ workers". the tone of these statements were harsh so I had to lay it straight in a professional manner. I told them to look at my job description. They said it doesn't matter I will have to share cleaning up duties. I made a report to the education officer who spoke with them but that didn't make a difference. They were adamant in making my teaching very difficult. They withheld teaching resources forcing me to purchase my own. I did this for a quite a while because of my children. I could not cope with these attitudes from my colleagues as it was really bad thus I lost interest in my job. I made a complaint also to the Jamaica Teachers Association who encouraged me to hold on and try to maintain my professionalism and in the meantime seek a job in my area of primary education and thats exactly what I did. What is the most important lesson you have learnt throughout your career? The most important lesson I have learnt throughout my career is that every child is unique and has something to say. That is, I should listen to everyone. Listening to my children gives me the opportunity to know them well because knowing children enables me to plan effective lessons. There will be something in lesson for everyone. What unique skills do you have? I believe I possess the unique skills of observing and listening to my children in the schoolroom and also the school community. Whenever I smile they smile, whenever I laugh they laugh and this prepares me to have a good lesson most times. In general I possess the unique skill of good communication where it's not about me anymore, but the service I am offering. My goal is to make persons happy even if it comes at the expense of displeasing myself. I do this a lot and at end of day I ended up smiling feeling really good about myself. It is all about making sacrifices. What would you consider as your 'dream job'? My dream job would be one that would give me stability inside the classroom. One that will take me to higher heights and deeper depths in educating our little ones especially in the areas of numeracy and literacy. This job should give me the opportunity to travel the world participating in workshops, being featured in the media internationally and locally touching lives of everyone in positive ways. As the saying goes, "He who dares to teach, dares to learn" and thats typically ME. What are the most interesting aspects of your field? the most interesting aspects of my field are as follow: Firstly, its very interesting to see the positive impact I can make on at least one child. I mean to see that child who cannot hold a pencil being able to do so. Secondly, to see a withdrawn child child start smiling and socializing with peers. Thirdly, it is interesting to see a child who has been scolded or reprimanded smile with me at the end of day or first thing in the morning rushes to help me with my bag. Finally another interesting aspect in my field is to observe not so fortunate children rise to the challenge and achieve their goals. At times its really difficult for them but I could sense that they are desirous to achieve, wanting to escape poverty, wanting to help their parents and wanting to send a message to their peers. What are the least interesting aspects of your field? The least interesting aspects of my field are as follow: Firstly, I am so disappointed when I see kids whose parents work their butts off to ensure they have a good education follow suit and waste their time. Secondly, children with potentials and support take things for granted and idle their time. Finally its very hard to be working with limited resources knowing that for teaching and learning to be effective resources must be available. Coupled with this the teacher student ratio is over bearing which is 45:1. This places severe constraint on my effort. I have to go on with the children in mind. They are our future and i we neglect them it will come right back at us sooner or later. Where do you see yourself in the next ten (10) years? In the next ten years I see myself as an Education Officer ensuring the welfare of students and school communities. I should also be the proud owner of an educational institution inclusive of skills training where a holistic approach will be taken in shaping lives of our young ones at the initial stage with the mission statement 'to serve' and 'to nurture young minds and bodies' preparing them for the future to be creative and independent individuals. For this to become realistic I would have to travel in order to gain insights from independent nations. How can potential employers contact you? I can be contacted by phone at he following numbers:- 1876-918-1888, 1876-891-8971, or 1876-821-9589. I would however prefer to be contacted by email which is nayro65@yahoo.com. | 
