If anyone had told Miriam Williams that she would become a teacher, she would have doubted that while in high school.
Today, she is a Special Needs teacher and aspires to become a head teacher and an Education Officer.

After a motivational talk during a visit to her high school by Sherwyn Blackman, an Education Officer (Region Nine), she told herself she wanted to be just like him.
That one talk breathed vibrancy into her life in terms of academics and she was motivated enough to make good grades and complete her SBAs since she was way behind during that time.
Williams related that she was in the Science stream and was unsure what career path to take and she is very happy that Blackman visited the school and had that pep talk. He created a vision for her.

She followed that vision and became a teacher; she has now set high standards for herself as it relates to her career and would eventually like to become a head teacher and then an Education Officer, just like Blackman.

The 21-year-old told the Pepperpot Magazine that her aunt, Yolanda Williams, who played a mother role in her upbringing also played a role in her becoming a teacher as she is the deputy head teacher for F.E. Pollard Primary School.

Williams explained that at age two, she was transported to her aunt’s house in Cummings Lodge, where her mother was staying, having fallen ill from her home village of Kurukabaru, Region Eight (Potaro-Siparuni).

“My aunt was reluctant to let me go back to the village (home) after my mother recovered and promised her she would take care of me and she did just that,” she said.
The teacher reported that she grew up with her aunt after her mother left for Brazil, where her parents and six siblings are.

She is the only child of her parents who lives in Guyana and would visit her family occasionally.
Williams credits her success to her aunt, who always motivated her to strive for excellence, and today she is enrolled at Cyril Potter College of Education (CPCE) in Year One, in the Special Needs programme.

She is a teacher at St. Barnabas Special School on Regent Street, Georgetown and has been in the teaching profession for the past four years.
Williams is teaching Grade 7, which includes learners from 10 to 18 years old and beyond since they can stay until they are 21.
She added that most of the learners have special needs and they work with them no matter how long it takes and they have had some successes.
Williams stated that they had a student who could not write at all but could speak very well and they worked with him for one and a half years until he could.

Williams told the Pepperpot Magazine that it is her wish to return to her home village of Kurukabaru to teach. It is her way of giving back to society and to serve the people of her village.
“It was really Mr. Blackman that crafted this path for me, to become a teacher. What he said to us that day in school, stayed with me. He is my role model along with my aunt. Without them, it could not have been possible,” she said.

Williams disclosed that she would like to go to schools and talk to learners, be like Mr. Blackman, have an impact in moulding young minds, lead them in the right direction of choosing a career and make a way for them, like he did for her.
She revealed that she started teaching the same year she completed high school in 2019 and she is very happy she decided to become a teacher so she can contribute to society in a meaningful way.

“Being with special needs learners is no different from teaching regular children because they are capable just a bit slower than normal and it takes time for them to comprehend certain things. They delight me daily with their surprises, they are willing to learn and when you least expect it, they surprise you,” she said.

Williams added that after CPCE graduation, she will seek to attain higher goals, and it has been a good experience so far. The experienced teachers at St. Barnabas have really helped her to realise her true potential.
The teacher stated that the learners at St. Barnabas could do it academically, but they need the support to, and that is why they are there and are being trained to deliver quality and specialised education.