STAR Salute : Naudia Isaacs shaping minds at old school

Although many rural migrants opt to remain in urban cities after becoming accustomed to the opportunities in more buoyant areas, Naudia Isaacs, a teacher at Wait-a-Bit in Trelawny, found it fitting to return to her 126 year-old alma mater to help shape future generations.

With seven years under her belt as a grade one teacher, Isaacs, 37, remains a committed educator.

"Even after all these years, I am still motivated to impart knowledge of my students because it gives a great feeling when I see them perform and improve in the classroom," said Isaacs, who was born and raised in the neighbouring Allsides district.

After leaving Wait-A-Bit All-Age, Isaacs attended Christiana High School in Manchester and then the Sam Sharpe Teachers College in St. James College where she obtained her teaching degree.

"I wanted to help give back to my community so coming back to teach at this school was the honourable thing to do," said Isaacs.

She is fuelled by a determination to have students excel both in and outside of the classroom, which is one of the reasons she continues to be a treasured member of staff, fuelling extra-curricula activities, among other activities at the institution.

"I am in charge of the school's culture club, where we teach students about history, arts and craft and whole lot of other activities. We even went to JCDC and got a silver medal in one of the events this year," said the hardworking teacher.

" ... And it is not just me. We work together as a family for the upliftment of the school. Our cooperation is good and that is one of the things I like about this school. The residents from the community are also good people."

Isaacs taught a class of 28 students for the 2016-2017 school year, which she days she thoroughly enjoyed, due to the introduction of the new National Standards Curriculum. She is looking forward to the new school year which she hopes to continue developing well-rounded students in a stimulating environment.

"Along with more pay, we teachers need more resources in order to carry out our tasks as we go forward. The Ministry of Education needs to provide the materials for us to work with and must understand that we not just work at school but also at home. It is challenging being a teacher but also rewarding," she said.