Headteacher promoting home-schooling in her community

Even though schools have been closed for the past seven weeks and counting, due to the novel Coronavirus (COVD-19), Judy Smartt, a headteacher of Mibicuri Nursery School is still playing her part in the promotion of home-schooling.

Judy Smartt is a resident of Ulverston, Upper Corentyne, Berbice and was out distributing textbooks to parents in an effort to supervise their children’s home-schooling programme.

When the Pepperpot Magazine visited the community of Ulverston, Lower Corentyne, Berbice, ‘Miss Judy’ as she is fondly referred, had just returned home from her community project.

The textbooks she had handed out were literacy, numeracy and writing skills for Year One and Two students of the Mibicuri Nursery School.

Mibicuri is a farming community in Lesbeholden, Black Bush Polder which has the enrolment of 64 pupils in total.

Smartt related that there is no ICT hub in the community, as such, children have no other option but to use textbooks to home-school.

She related that the children have no access to an online programme of which the Ministry of Education has full control.

Smartt stated that the pupils of Mibicuri Nursery School are challenged with literacy, Mathematics and Numeracy although they are deemed quick learners.

“I have been appointed the headteacher at Mibicuri Nursery School for the past year but I have been in the teaching profession for the past 20 years and worked at various schools along the Corentyne corridor,” she said.

It was the great love and fondness for children at a young age that made Smartt realise that she had to become a teacher to serve her community.

It is a job she really loves from the bottom of her heart and there isn’t a day that goes by she doesn’t think about the welfare of her students and that of the school.

“In this line of work, teaching, it is very challenging at times and I always find ways to work around those difficulties but all of that vanishes away when the love of the job outshines all the troubles,” she explained.

Smartt stated that she is very passionate about teaching and even more fond of the children, all of whom she takes special interest.

“Children respond to you based on how you treat them so I am like a mother, a teacher, a counsellor, a pastor and so many other personalities they want me to be. I do whatever I have to assist the children and their parents because we are all connected,” she said.

Smartt pointed out that in the teaching profession she wears many hats in order to make everyone comfortable and lighten their burdens, be it domestic issues or other problems they may be facing in the home.

“Whatever is happening at home, it would reflect on the children’s behaviour at school and it affects them in so many ways and learning becomes difficult for them,” she said.

As such, Smartt has a parent-teacher conference, a forum geared for both teachers and parents to have open conversations.

She pointed out that some children come from broken homes and one can sense there is a lot going on with those children and in many instances abuse cases are referred to the Ministry of Education for the professionals to deal with.

The mother of one related that she has no idea when schools are re-opening but she is doing her part to ensure the children are doing some school-based work at home.

“I provide some supervision for the children if needed in regards to home-schooling and I always try to maintain a good relationship with both children and parents,” she said.

Smartt added that home-schooling is not an easy task for some parents because they were not prepared to play the role of a teacher at home due to COVID-19.

She has been asking parents to exercise patience when home-schooling and at the same time do some outdoor activities and have one-on-one interactions with their children.

Smartt told the Pepperpot Magazine that she has lived all her life In Ulverston and it is a very quiet community where the people live simply.

She stated that the people are very friendly, welcoming and they cooperate with each other.