Ross Village elders say being industrious is important to success

By Michel Outridge

STEPHANIE Cleo Prince is a resident of Ross Village, West Coast Berbice, who has made an indelible mark in the lives of the many students she taught during the 39 years of her teaching career.

‘Teacher Pets’ as she is fondly referred to, is the matriarch of her village and is held in high esteem by both her peers and villagers alike.

Prince told the Pepperpot Magazine that Ross Village was once a cotton plantation and to date, in the backlands area, there are many surviving cotton trees.

She stated that the layout of the village is quite evident since it is bordered by two dams which serve as the boundary, the canals, the vast backlands and a large landmass on which the village sits today.

‘Teacher Pets’ added that Ross Village is racially diverse, home to the Rampersauds, the Bassoos, the Gravesandes, the McIntoshes and many others, who are associated with the village.

She explained that the village is equally diverse in religion and that they once had a mandir, but the building fell apart and was never re-built; most villagers are Christians.

Most residents attend the Hope Lutheran Church in the village but in the 1950s, they used to leave the community to go to church in the nearby village of Yeoville, Prince said.

This village elder related that the nearest Nursery School is at Yeoville and the Primary Schools are at Number 29 and Lichfield.

Prince pointed out that the nearest Secondary School is at Bushlot, a few villages away which also has a market and is a hub for many other businesses.

Chronicling her career as a teacher, Prince reported that she taught at Lichfield Primary School and was later transferred to McKenzie Primary School in Linden, where she spent a good many years.

The teacher noted that she, however, returned to Ross Village and taught at the Number Eight Primary School where she retired as the headteacher.

Prince’s teaching career spans 39 years and it is a career she cherished and had taught dozens of students during her tenure.

“If I can live this life over again with youth I will want to be a teacher, because it is a fulfilling career, but you must like it to enjoy it,” she said.

The village matriarch told the Pepperpot Magazine that at first, she wanted to be a nurse because she used to admire the uniforms and how they looked so clean and professional.

But her hopes were shattered when three nurses across the country were murdered in different circumstances and, being an only child, her father told her he cannot allow that to happen to her.

“I even went for the interview to become a nurse, but after those nurses were killed in such a brutal manner, my father told me he didn’t want me to meet a similar fate and dissuaded me from that profession,” she said.
As such, she took her father’s advice and became a teacher, a job she has grown to love over the years.

The mother of three pointed out that she grew up in Ross Village and it has remained her home to date.

She would like to see the youths engaged in more meaningful activities such as the use of a library and a computer centre in the village to foster education and skills development.

Prince disclosed that many young people work on family farms or go away to the hinterland and become miners.

Hard work is key

The Pepperpot Magazine also met another elderly resident, Doris Gonsalves, who has lived all her life in Ross Village.

The mother of three reported that she comes from a long line of hard-working people and it is in their blood to work.

She related that she is accustomed to hard work and at her age, she still does her own gardening and all household chores including cooking.

The 75-year-old disclosed that she followed in the footsteps of her elders and that her own children are mannerly, humble and have their jobs; basically made something of themselves.

“In life you have to work, take advice from your elders and make your life easy, because when the old people gone, you are left to fend for yourself, so it is wise to listen to them,” she said.

She explained that life in Ross Village is quiet and the people are kind and live as a unit and are hard workers.