Shermaine Lloyd -

WESTERN BUREAU:

The success of our nation's students depends on how much a teacher is willing to sacrifice to help achieve positive results. Shermaine Lloyd of Esher Primary School in Hanover has proven this theory.

Lloyd, who has been a teacher for the past 13 years, has had tremendous success with her grade-six students who have sat the Grade Six Achievement Test (GSAT) over the years.

At least 28 students out of her group of 30 are successful in their examinations each year, the confident educator told The Gleaner yesterday.

"During the GSAT preparation period, I start my classes early and we leave late. So if school begins at 8:30 a.m., we start at 8 and we can go up to as late as 5 p.m," said Lloyd, as she explained her strategy for reaping success in the examinations.

"In addition, we have classes on weekends and holidays. It is a lot of hard work for both the teacher and students."

Ability to motivate

However, a key component to this effort by this hard-working teacher, who is also the mother of three, is her ability to motivate her students to pursue excellence. She said developing a good relationship with students also boosts their desire to excel.

"I try to build a good rapport with the students, sometimes as early as fifth grade, so that they will be less apprehensive and tense when they move up to my class. I find that students gravitate to this initiative and are more comfortable to discuss issues that they are having a difficulty with," the Hanover native explained.

Her suggestions to teachers, who are trying to reap success from their students through the GSAT are that:

Teachers must have the zeal to teach, as it cannot be that they are teaching because of the money. They must be willing to go beyond the call of duty.

They must be able to motivate their students to learn.

Teachers must have a plan or schedule that is carefully followed.

Most important, teachers must treat their students as their own.

"The same success you would want for your child must be the same that you would like for your students," she concluded.

sheena.gayle@gleanerjm.com