“I love teaching. It brings me joy and gives me the niche I need to contribute to the development of others.”By Rehanna RamsayWhile some people regard the teaching profession as a job, a career or a mere method of making ends meet, for 60- year- old, retired teacher Geneva Thomas, it is a noble calling.After spending almost her entire adult life educating the nation’s children, Ms. Thomas has more than 34 years of experience in the local education sector. From classroom teacher to headmistress, she noted that her delight was always in preparing the young minds in her charge for the future.“I love teaching. It brings me joy and gives me the niche I need to contribute to the development of others,” Thomas related as she described her love for the profession.Although it was not her intended career choice, it was a path she followed willingly, and as such,Cheap NFL Jerseys, she has no regrets. In addition to the years of teaching experience, this week’s special person is also a poet.And since September is deemed Education Month, it should be most fitting to highlight Thomas’s accomplishments since she can be easily deemed one of the key contributors to the field of education.Dedicated teacher and author, Geneva Thomas is a special personThomas has more than three decades of teaching experience under her belt during which she worked to develop the minds of the young. She has left a legacy for numerous of her students to follow and has even inspired many to join the teaching profession with a view of continuing her efforts of shaping the minds of the nation’s children.Early Life, Education Born on December 16, 1954 to parents, Victorine Drina Thomas and Oswald Thomas,cheap nfl jerseys outlet, Geneva Adina Thomas spent her early life at Coverden, East Bank Demerara.The former teacher, during an interview with me, recalled that her parents owned a farm, on which she and 12 siblings had some of the most memorable experiences.Reflecting on her childhood in the small East Bank Demerara community, Thomas noted that her parents were hard working individuals. “My parents did farming and basketry to provide for our material needs but as children we loved farming. It still remains one of my best childhood experiences.”But for the Thomas’s household, she proclaimed schooling was a priority.“Attendance at school was a must. All 13 of my parent’s offspring knew that school attendance from the first day was a must,” she emphasized.To this end, the young Geneva Thomas attended St Mary’s Anglican School which she described as “an all age school catering for students from primary until Form Three.”Ms. Thomas (at centre) is flanked by fellow teachers at a ceremony for educators recently.Upon completing her tenure at St. Mary’s, the then 15-year-old ThomasAt left a young Ms Geneva Thomas with Ministry of Education officials during an opening ceremony for a newly rehabilitated school.wrote her final exams and obtained the necessary qualification to commence work.After leaving school, Thomas who dreamed of a career in medicine,Cheap Jerseys Online, would often return to the institution to assist her teachers with their work.“I initially wanted to become a nurse but the headmaster of St Mary’s had observed me and discerned my interest in teaching. He approached my parents and talked to them about me joining the staff at the school as an acting teacher,” she explained.She said that it was not long after that her parents decided that she would embark on the journey that carved the remainder of her career path.Thomas commenced teaching at St Mary’s Anglican School, Soesdyke, East Bank Demerara on April 1973.Experience A few years into her teaching profession, she successfully wrote the General Certificate of Education (GCE) ‘O’ Levels and was accepted into the Cyril Potter College of Education or what was popularly known at that time, as the Teachers Training College.After completing training she taught at the preparatory level of a number of schools including her Alma Mater St Mary’s Primary, Sacred Heart Primary, Craig Primary and Soesdyke Primary. She would teach at this level for more than two decades.It was at Soesdyke Primary, Thomas said that she gained the most experience and it was here, she said, that she faced the most challenges both personally and professionally.Second from left,Wholesale NFL Jerseys, Ms Thomas with staff and students of the Soesdyke Primary School.“On my first day there, I was exposed to doing administrative record. My head teacher at the time instructed me to write up the salary register. The staff had just received retroactive pay but the only previous experience I had with salary was signing for my salary, so you could imagine my predicament…” she mused.But that was her induction to be