Teachers of the year honoured
It was your average weekend on the Belizean crime beat: armed robberies at a Belize City gas station and Chinese grocery, a shooting in Crooked Tree, weed bust in Cayo, and fatal hit and run in Orange Walk…all capped by a bank robbery this morning in Belmopan. But we’ll lead tonight’s news, not with our society’s failings, but with its triumphs. On Friday night, the nation paused to honour its outstanding educators. From an elite group of finalists, four were selected as teachers of the year: one each from pre-school, primary, secondary and tertiary levels. Today News 5’s Jacqueline Woods caught up with one of the award winners…where else but in her classroom.
Jacqueline Woods, Reporting
Gilda Tucker has no children of her own but has been a teacher, mother, and friend to thousands of students in the past thirty years. At age seventeen Tucker began her career teaching at the primary school level. Today, she can be found at her alma mater, Wesley College, doing what she does best…giving students a sound education.
Tucker admits the teaching profession was not her first career choice, but despite three challenging decades on the job, she’s happy with her decision.
Gilda Tucker, Secondary School Teacher of the Year
“I’ll be honest with you, I chose the teaching profession because I was told that I was too young to get into a government department to work as a clerk. My goal was to be a clerk in some government department. I guess at that time, that was the popular thing, but I can assure you that I’ve never regretted becoming a teacher. I love being a teacher even after I gave up the work as an administrator because I was the principal of Gwen Lizarraga High School. My choice was to get back into the classroom.”
The students will be the first to tell you that it’s Tucker’s performance in class that has made her one of the best.
Benjamin Flowers, 3rd Form Student
“I was student who did not like to read, I just discard my Lit book. She actually encourages you to read and participate in everything that she does. The energy that she puts into the class work actually makes you want to work.”
Maryam Abdul-Qawiyy, 2nd Form Student
“She uses standard written English. She says well he wouldn’t want that, she uses a person so you would know basically what she is trying to relate to you.”
Rushawn Engleton, 3rd Form student
“And she always finds new ways to make it interesting. For example we have oral presentations instead of just giving out information.”
Gregory Moguel Jr, 4th Form student
“She’s very attentive on the job and very patient with the students. She shows a lot of enthusiasm and creativity and those are the qualities that I think each teacher should have on the job these days.”
Former students, like BTL’s General Manager of Marketing and Sales, Karen Bevans, credits Tucker for her success.
Karen Bevans, Former Student
“She did not only teacher English because she had a job, but you could have seen the dedication in her. She taught us values, discipline, neatness, cleanliness, things that you would say are insignificant, but they’re different from academics and they create and make such a significant difference in your life. Because knowing those values, or the importance of those values, makes a significant difference for you.”
On Friday night, when her name was called as Secondary School Teacher of the Year, Tucker couldn’t quite believe her ears.
Gilda Tucker
“It can’t be me, it must be a mistake. So I was hesitant in getting up because I was waiting to hear whether a correction would be made. But when Mr. Frazer didn’t make any correction, I had no choice. I felt so good I said, well there are people who believe in me, who recognise what I am doing.”
Tucker, who says she would like to see parents get more involved in their children’s education, does not know when she will call it quits. She admits that even though the award represents an achievement in her profession, there’s always room for improvement…and plans to continue to work for the best of her students. Jacqueline Woods reporting for News 5.
The three other teachers who received awards on Friday night are Pre-school Teacher of the Year Amira Leiva from Corozal’s Kiddy Kinder, Primary School Teacher of the Year, Joel Westby of Belmopan of Belmopan Upper School and Tertiary School Teacher of the Year, Patricia Lopez of San Ignacio’s Sacred Heart Technical. The awards were organised by the Ministry of Education with generous support from a number of private donors.
