MINERVA Carter, a trained teacher who came from humble beginnings, chose to return to her village of Mainstay Mission and is serving her community at the Mainstay Lake Nursery School.

The 49-year-old is qualified in Early Childhood Education and has been teaching for the past 27 years, a job she loves – and it shows.

Carter related that she attended primary school after being deprived of going to nursery because, during that time, there was no nursery school in the village.

She later went on to Anna Regina Multilateral School, and she recalled it was not easy because she often walked to school, for miles to-and-fro, five days per week.

Carter told the Pepperpot Magazine that her mother used to prepare breakfast early because she left home at 06:00 hours. By the time she made it to school on foot, she would have already eaten her lunch.

The teacher added that at times, she and her friend would be lucky to hitch a ride on a tractor or a passing paddy truck to get to school, and on those days, they were very happy.

However, due to economic constraints, she had to quit school at Form Five level and didn’t write Caribbean Examination Council (CXC) exams because she got married young.

Carter was encouraged to start her teaching career by an educator from the village. She took that advice and wrote the teacher’s entrance exam and passed.

She went to Cyril Potter College of Education (CPCE) and, in 2010, was awarded as the best graduating student in Early Childhood Education for Region Two.

Carter is pursuing a degree in education via a GOAL scholarship through the Government of Guyana (GOG).

“Life is good here, a beautiful place, with opportunities to develop self and the community. I wanted to become a nurse, so teaching wasn’t my first career choice, but here I am, and I am loving it as a teacher,” she said.

Carter likes teaching at the nursery level. Soon, the school will be gazetted to become a nursery school instead of a nursery class.