Over 170 teachers from various schools across the island are participating in a two-week annual training workshop to better enable them to educate students in the classroom.
The workshop is organized by the Dominica Association of Teachers (DAT) in collaboration with the Ministry of Education and the Canadian Teachers’ Federation (CTF).
First Vice President of the DAT, Francis Jno Lewis, said at the opening ceremony of the event, held at the Convent High School on Friday, that the association is concerned that the teachers who are in need of training seem to think that the workshop is not adequate.
“This workshop is very serious and the content of this workshop carries with it university college credits,” he said. “As an association we look for teachers who at the end of their teaching cycle, at the end of the school year, have been recommended for training ….especially after appraisals have been done and completed there are many individuals who fall in the category of needs development, when we look here we do not see those teachers.”
He pointed out that the DAT is endeavouring to ensure that when persons come into the teaching service that they remain there.
“We want to move away from that teaching as a transition job, we want to move towards a level of professionalism where when sacrifices are made, when various organizations, international, regional and local put their monies into the Dominica Association of Teachers to ensure to receive training, that training stays with us and that in the end we do not have to go through retraining of new persons on a regular basis,” Jno Lewis remarked.
Meantime Education Minister, Petter Saint Jean, said workshops like these hold much significance “because it is through your participation and involvement in these sessions that you are able to function effectively within your classrooms and indeed at your schools.”
He noted that teachers need to be cognizance of the fact that students have needs that go way beyond the four walls of the classroom.
“For some of these students, these needs are even more important than their cognitive development,” he explained. “And I speak here of students who are at risk, some of our students are exposed to abuse, whether it is verbal, psychological, emotional and in some cases physical and sexual abuse.”
According to him teachers need to be observant in order to detect such cases within the classrooms and the schools.
Saint Jean hopes that the training workshop will be a valuable tool to the continued growth and development of teachers in Dominica.
“And I also hope that you will use this medium to redouble your efforts in ensuring that you provide the kind of quality education that will transform the Dominican society,” he said.
Meanwhile CTF Team Leader Jessica Charlotte Kornder said they are ready to work with the teachers.
“We are ready to work and thrilled to begin these professional development sessions,” she said.
According to her, the CTF recognizes both the personal sacrifices made by teachers to participate and the essential need for the workshop.
“I assure that we will work hard along with our Dominican co-tutors to offer you the very best professional development possible,” she said.
How much advance notice was given to the teachers? Some may have planned and paid for their vacations, and to drop this on them suddenly, if this was the case, and ask them to forfeit their plans and financial expenditures is not justifiable. I total agree with “linton wants to b pm,” it should have been planned very early, and convened just before school resumes. But then again the availability of the presenters and trainers is also a question that is relevant.
However, were special arrangements made with the bus drivers to reduce the fare as an incentive for the teachers to give up their time. Do they have to buy their meal or is something being served. The training should have been conducted in different locations to make it easier for teachers to attend. I mean, is it fair for a teacher from Cottage to travel that distant, while a teacher from Roseau can walk to the location and walk back home for lunch? Education is mostly about effective planning then delivering.
The picture clearly shows that the teaching profession is gender bias. I see female teachers. Where are the males?
should be done two weeks b4 school reopens.