I could say I recognized teaching as a passion early on in life, but that would be wrong. I now consider having attended teacher’s college as a smart financial decision as well as fulfillment of an innate desire. I wanted to start my adult life with as little financial debt as possible; I was practical. Had I chosen to attend any one of the major universities in Jamaica, I would have needed to acquire student loans and that was not a part of my plan. My parents had already done the best they could have and I recognized from very early that any tertiary education I would pursue, would be at my own expense and efforts. There were some who thought that pursuing teaching as a career was a failing of some sort and an injustice to my abilities. Admittedly, there were moments when I felt like a failure; however, in August 2004, I entered the doors of Church Teachers’ College: Mandeville. A decision I have not regretted to this day.

The true essence of teaching became apparent to me the first day I entered the classroom. I remember it vividly. It was at Rusea’s High School in Hanover in classroom 8-9. 8-9 is the classic case of streaming in the Jamaican education system. A system that from my experience has more cons than pros. The class was approximately 90% boys who were rambunctious. I walked in with an air of authority, prim, proper and ready to show who was in control. I could claim that I won them over immediately but, that would be wrong again. Instead, I found myself throwing the initial game plan out the window. In that moment I realized that thinking one is in control is being out of control in front of such an undisciplined lot. Fortunate for me, I quickly learned that forming relationships with students is a teacher’s anchor, center of gravity and foundation of authority. It dawned on me the enormous responsibility I had to those students and many other students who would sit before me. Here, were capable students who needed a catalyst to develop themselves, and if not me, then whom? I like to say that, “I didn’t choose teaching, teaching chose me.”

A religious friend used a biblical commentary to summarize the paramount reason for teaching. It will answer the question of “why teach?” He wrote, “even though honey and salt are both used for flavouring food there is a fundamental difference between them. Honey itself is sweet and when poured on food, it provides the food with its sweet taste. Salt, however, enhances flavour, pulling the flavour out of food and enhancing its inherent taste. It can be added to something bland and make it flavourful. The symbolism of the obligation to use salt on the Temple offerings as opposed to honey teaches us that God wants every person to develop and nurture his own unique talents. This is like a good teacher who doesn’t merely put information into the student – rather she/he brings out and develops what’s already there.” So, we should teach because we recognize that we have an opportunity to provide value to our students and society. We acknowledge that opportunity by accepting the challenge and using the classroom as a catalyst for positive reinforcement and transformation. Of course, to avoid hypocrisy our lives outside of the classroom must complement what we do inside the classroom and not detract from it.