A nursery educator’s reflections on teaching, curriculum renewal, leadership and the lasting responsibility of guiding young learners

Written by Andrea Hendricks

KHAIMWATIE Seenarine has spent 23 years in education, building a career around the development of young children and the teachers who guide them. Her contributions to Guyana’s education sector include serving as a master trainer in the Renewed Nursery Curriculum and, more recently, working as a nursery field officer. Across those roles, she has remained focused on the classroom as a place where children should be encouraged to participate, explore and grow.

Seenarine also led development of the first “Animal Friends Learning App”, created in 2021 and launched in 2023 by the Ministry of Education at Tuschen Nursery School. The idea began with a classroom moment that showed her the power of a different approach. “I saw how a particular child was never really involved or paying attention to me while I was teaching,” Seenarine told this publication.

“So, one day, I decided to use my daughter’s tablet in my lesson. This immediately captured the children’s attention,” she added. The pupils’ enthusiasm for using the tablet in the classroom sparked the idea for the app, turning an attempt to reach one disengaged child into an educational initiative with wider appeal.

The experience reflected a central part of Seenarine’s work: observing children closely and responding to what helps them learn. The app was born not from a desire to replace classroom teaching, but from a practical effort to make a lesson more engaging. For her, the episode demonstrated how a teacher’s attentiveness can transform an everyday challenge into an opportunity for creativity.

Introducing the Animal Friends Learning App was a new step in nursery education, but the school later discontinued its classroom use because of new materials and curriculum changes. During the period it was used, however, parents and pupils welcomed it and were eager to engage with it. Although the app’s classroom life was limited, the response to it showed the value of introducing learning tools that speak to children’s interests.

A purposeful choice

For Seenarine, teaching was not a career she deliberately selected at the beginning; rather, she believes it chose her. At the time, teaching offered her a way to secure a job. What kept her in the profession, however, was a growing desire to nurture children and help them develop not only academically, but holistically. The joy she found in interacting with children ultimately inspired her to remain in education for the long road.

That commitment is closely tied to the way she measures success. Seenarine takes particular satisfaction in watching children imitate and mimic during role play and dramatisation, and in seeing their personalities and abilities emerge through those activities. For her, nursery education is meaningful because it allows a teacher to witness a child’s development across the two-year milestone of early life.

Her most memorable professional experience was her participation in the Renewed Nursery Curriculum in 2022. As a master trainer, Seenarine helped shift perspectives on older teaching approaches while guiding and coaching teachers through the renewed curriculum. She describes the work as a responsibility to support teachers as they adjusted their practice and brought the new approach into their classrooms.

Curriculum renewal also placed her in the position of connecting policy and practice. Her task was not simply to understand the renewed curriculum, but to help other teachers apply it with confidence. That meant encouraging reflection on established habits and keeping young learners’ needs at the centre of classroom decisions.

Changes across the generations

Seenarine is forthright when comparing children’s behaviour today with what she observed in the earlier years of her teaching career. “Some of the biggest changes I have seen in nursery education over the years are children becoming more undisciplined, a decrease in good manners and simple table etiquette, and a way of interacting that can be seen as aggressive at times,” she said.

Her observation points to the broader work involved in nursery education. Teachers are not only introducing children to early learning; they are also helping them develop habits of interaction, respect and participation. Seenarine’s concern about manners and behaviour therefore forms part of her larger view of education as a process that supports children’s growth in every aspect of their lives.

Time is another constant consideration for Seenarine, who serves as an educator, entrepreneur and member of an executive committee. “It’s very difficult to find a balance in many instances; however, I try to work on priorities first, then divide my time among other tasks and responsibilities,” she said.

Her service extends into the business community through her membership on the executive board of the Region 3 Chamber of Commerce. The role has given her a space in the business world as a woman and allowed her to broaden the ways she contributes beyond the classroom. “I gain the opportunity to network, participate, share knowledge and contribute to various aspects of the business sector in Guyana,” she said.

Combined strengths

The combination of teaching, entrepreneurship and community service has strengthened Seenarine’s understanding of leadership as a form of contribution. Each role gives her a different avenue to share knowledge, build relationships, and stay connected to the development of people and institutions. Together, they reflect a career that has grown beyond one classroom while remaining rooted in education.

As World Teachers’ Day approaches on October 5, the long-standing educator is using the occasion to encourage teachers to recognise the value of their work. Her message is direct and grounded in the profession’s realities. “We are invaluable people to our society and to the education sector. We shouldn’t let anyone make us feel less in any way in our profession,” Seenarine said.

She also reminded teachers that the profession does not demand perfection, but it does require a willingness to continue growing. “No teacher is perfect, and learning is never-ending,” she added. The message reflects her own career, which has included classroom teaching, training, curriculum work, innovation and service, all of which have required her to remain open to change.

For those considering a future in education, Seenarine offers an equally candid invitation. “I will not sugar-coat it: it has never been easy, and it will never get easier. Once you are passionate and have a desire to share, come join the teaching ranks of educators and give it your best shot,” she said.

Her words capture the demanding nature of teaching while also explaining why she has remained in the profession for more than two decades. For Seenarine, the challenges are inseparable from the privilege of helping children develop, supporting fellow teachers and contributing to the wider education sector. As Guyana observes World Teachers’ Day, her journey reminds us that an educator’s work can begin with one child, one lesson, and one decision to find a better way to reach a learner.