Twenty-two-year-old Kelsea Peters has emerged as the top graduating teacher of the Cyril Potter College of Education; she achieved the feat despite the hardships posed by the COVID-19 pandemic. Peters of Bush Lot, Essequibo Coast is now a trained early childhood educator.
She said the noble profession chose her as her grandparents and parents are all teachers.
“I am elated, I was a bit surprised but I am overwhelmed and super happy that my hard work would have paid off and I am the best graduating student.
“I wouldn’t say I decided to become a teacher. My father was a teacher, my mother was a teacher and my grandparents were teachers and I like working with little children. I am early childhood trained and it gives me a lot of joy being around children so I definitely think I made the right choice,” Peters told the News Room on Wednesday.
A total of 501 teachers graduated virtually on Tuesday and are now awaiting placements at the various schools across the country.
Peters explained that she plans to be innovative with her teaching especially as the world continues to adapt to the COVID-19 pandemic but pointed to the difficulties with the internet connectivity on the Essequibo Coast.
“I plan to make teaching fun and interactive for the little ones, not something that is boring where they just sit in front of a screen and just go through the motions,” Peters explained.
In her acceptance speech at the graduation ceremony on Tuesday Peters said they are special group of teachers.
“We are a special group of trained teachers who faced a great challenge. May these circumstances give us the inspiration and resilience we need as we pursue this journey. Class of 2020 we have made it!”
During her guided training, Peters taught at the Cotton Field Nursery School.
While it was challenging to continue learning during the pandemic, for Peters and her classmates it was more challenging with the internet connectivity on the Essequibo Coast.
“It was a challenge because the internet in Essequibo is not up to par. It bounces on and off a lot so most times when you were in class you could not hear or you hear like two sentences and then bounced off the internet,” Peters said.
Fortunately, the Anna Regina CPCE location came up with solution that incorporated limited face to face learning with online classes.
There have been numerous reports about the poor connection to the internet on the Essequibo Coast and Peters hopes that something can be done because according to her “we won’t be able to effectively deliver lessons to the students.”
Peters is especially happy to be following in the footsteps of Ateisha Brandt who is also from the Essequibo Region and was also the best graduating teacher in 2019.
The most underpaid in the world and especially Guyana is the teachers.