CHRISTIAN Education Essential Services(CEES), a newly formed Christian Education Network, involved in education from day care to doctoral education, and other essential services such as music and counselling, hosted a teachers’ seminar from August 07 to 09, 2012 at the National Library Georgetown. The seminar brought teachers together from seven different schools and educational facilities under the common objective of sharing, learning and teaching strategies with specific emphasis on Mathematics, Languages, Special Education and the Sciences. Additionally, there was the introduction of Theology of Work and Servant Leadership.
The speakers, who delivered their lectures via video conferencing, included Dr. Dale Dan – Servant Leadership; Dr. Nina and William Nicholas – Psychology of Disciplining; Mildred Boveda a Doctoral Candidate – Special Education, all from different locations in the United States; Yvonne Osman and Ruth Osman-Rose – English A & B and Reading from Trinidad and Tobago; and Dr. John Keane – Theology of Work – Jamaica. The local presenters included educators Florine Dalgety, Joy O’Jon, Cecily Bernard and Marva Williams. Ms. Jennifer Hoyte, who came in person from the United States, dealt specifically with the strategies in teaching Mathematics.
The three day seminar was made possible through a grant from the Mustard Seed Foundation administered by the Bakke Graduate University (BGU) headquartered in Seattle, Washington, whose foundational message is Theology of Work. Servant Leadership, one of BGU’s eight leadership perspectives, explains that the leader’s behaviour and priority are focused on serving. In the style of Jesus, the leader leads by serving and serves by leading.
Assistant Chief Education Officer Primary, Marcel Hutson, in his opening remarks, reiterated the need for teachers to commit to the joy of teaching rather than only as a job. He stressed the need for love, relationship and trust among teachers and for their students.
With the response to this seminar, there will be a follow-up seminar scheduled for September 21 and 22, 2012. This session will focus on the impact of the teaching strategies discussed and the way forward in all subject areas. There will also be special emphasis on teaching and learning strategies for music.
The leadership of CEES is committed to the building of leaders who will transform nations through an infusion of the foundational messages of Theology of Work and Servant Leadership.